Beta Pi:
DATELINE: CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI: A little bit about my life which I hope you’ll find interesting. As you know, 
I play guitar, and for years now I’ve been collecting blues and roots recordings (like 
Mississippi John Hurt, 
Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, John Lee Hooker), and trying to learn blues and slide guitar by 
playing along with these old recordings. It is a hobby I love, and I love blues music.
My wife Ann Polk Simons, has a brother who is a songwriter named Tommy Polk, who is part owner of a cool Bed & Breakfast in Clarksdale called 
"Shack-up Inn" (check out Shack-up Inn web site, just click on the link). He also has another Bed & Breakfast in Clarksdale called 
"Big Pink Guesthouse" which is ultra-cool, because it sits right next to the open-air stage in Clarksdale (where blues festivals happen) and next door to The Blues Museum (check out Big Pink Guesthouse web site, just click on the link).
So, Ann’s mother Lou Polk, a quite eccentric lady, started her own Bed & Breakfast, called Honey Hill, which is a very cool, fully restored southern mansion she bought, one of the original Bobo Family homes (not joking here - Bobo is a respected name in the Delta) and it is very nice. Ann and decided we need a place to stay down there, since we’re down there visiting her family, and digging the blues.
Then, we bought this cool, old building in downtown Clarksdale, at 
149 Delta Avenue, right across the street from Madidi (the restaurant owned by Morgan Freeman - yes that famous actor - and attorney Bill Lucket). We’re restoring it, and creating a "loft apartment" in the back to stay in during blues festivals, or rent out. We’re also thinking of making the storefront into a café, possibly. I’ve posted a picture of our building, which we purchased from Attorney Alan Shackleford. We take possession on October 15th and tonight I’m heading down to Clarksdale to putter on the building, and start to get ready for the "Juke Joint Festival" April 14, 2007!
TIK-A-LO’s ARE INVITED TO JOIN ME & ANN AT JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL: I know several of you have memories of going to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, in 1972, and singing "the blues" ATO style, "On my way down to New Or - Le - AWNS . . ." basically we made up limericks, incredibly out-o-tune, "girl from Nantucket" stuff, the raunchier - the better. Well, boys, this ain’t no Nashville, this ain’t no ATO blues, this be the real thang, as you know, in Clarksdale.
Clarksdale, being the actual location of the famous "Crossroads" sung about by Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton and others. Very cool place, and that’s where my sweetheart and I will be, weekend of April 14, 2007. You are personally invited, and bring yo’ woman, baby. You will have the time-o-yo-life! Guar-on-teed! JUS’ LEMME KNOW . . . IF YA WANNA GO . . . TO THAT HOME - DOWN - ON - THE - RANGE!
INCIDENTALLY, JUST 20 MINUTES NORTH OF CLARKSDALE IS TUNICA, MISSISSIPPI, THE "LAS VEGAS-O-MIZZ-ZIPPI" - YEAH, BABY!
BLOG-ON! Post a comment directly to the Beta Pi Blog at:
VTL,
Larry Simons
Beta Pi, '72
3 comments:
Ok Bozo Bobo-- I certainly remember the Tootsies Orchid lounge times sitting in the back and looking across the alley onto the Opry stage.... and singing our own version of the Blues. As fate would play out I became a New Orleans man myself.
We just might make it up to Clarksdale-- if we are not in Spain at that time)... if not Spain, I can drive up from New Orleans (our new winter home is there). I lived in New Orleans after grad school at Emory, met my wife, Peggy there and have 11 family members who live in the Big Easy....
So, after 22 years in Michigan where its 34 degrees right now (and will be wind chillin' in the 20's when I go shortly to the Tigers game)---- after that bad ole Katrina, we took the plunge and bought a house in River Ridge. LA (on high ground with zero damage) to renovate and build a guest house on the property. Work just started this week...
I often go to Memphis for business with my bother Steve" Sneaky" Parr and spend time each time on Beale Street catching delta blues with my son Nate who lives only 2 blocks away.
Thanks for the invite and send again as time gets closer to April!
Go Tigers!
TParr '74
E-mail receieved from Chester Brewer, October 15, 2006:
"Larry,
Thought you might like to know that I grew up in Clarksdale and a number of family members are buried there. Luckett's father was my Grandfather and Uncle's law partner. The old family home is on Westover Dr. 2nd house on right after you come up the hill. We should talk by phone soon as I can give you about as much history on the town as you can stand. We were there for 3 generations.
ILAMAB
Chet"
E-MAIL RECEIVED FROM BOB SMOOT, October 23, 2006:
"Do you have any idea who is in the Washington, DC area? I'm always perplexed as to which class, as in year, I belong to, I started out with Greek (he got me to join ATO instead of Phi Delt), Stubs, Matt, Wimp, the Lad, Muenchman, etc... in the 74 class, yet graduated with, God knows who, in 77, quite the dilemma.
The funny thing was, by the time I discovered that Matt was working for Marriot here in DC, he had moved on to Disney and California. I have a copy of the mega book published by Vandy with contact information on everyone who has been in contact with the school at some point, if you need an address let me know, of course it is probably out of date if I were a guessing man. I would love to see all my ATO brothers in the proper venue, as in a big "Tales" gathering, even if I'm on the loosing end, which was always the case. Perhaps I can talk my bride into coming down to Tennessee to play the "Bear Trail" and stop off in Nashville. When did you graduate? Who was it who was in ROTC and quit, but did it too late and still had to do their time but as a NCO? Did you go on the first Aluthera trip?
Smoot"
"By the way, I enjoyed your write up of the Blues. I never played with you but I do play in my basement on a 61 Les Paul Jr and an all white ES175 cranked through a Vox AC30. Talk about brain overload!!!!
Smoot"
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