Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.58 - Pierce Hodnette Guest Blogmiester

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GUEST BLOGMIESTER PIERCE HODNETTE - BYOG CLARKSDALE:

Clarksdale, Mississippi is a unique and unexpected place. Time slows to half its normal pace and the air is full of the smell of cooking Barbecue. The soundtrack is delta blues. The boon companions, Matt and Mimi B1ankenship, Larry and Ann Simons, Pierce and Cindy Hodnette, met in Clarksdale on Friday November 9th for a weekend of fellowship and exploration. The Blankenships and Hodnettes stayed at the Big Pink Guesthouse, a former ice cream factory converted to a two-story townhouse. 100 yards away were the Delta Blues Museum (highly recommended) and the Ground Zero Blues Club (owned by actor Morgan Freeman and local businessman Bill Luckett). We visited at the Big Pink, then went for supper at Abe’s Barbecue, located at the legendary crossroads of Mississippi Highway 61 and 41. The crossroads is the mythical site where blues man Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in return for musical genius. At Abe’s, Larry offered up the ATO dinner prayer - Lord of Mankind - and then, in mid-feast we were joined by Bob "Arms" Aylward, who marched in to Abe’s, ordered up his plate-o-que, and joined in. Bob is the money manager for the Seattle Mariners and was in the area on family business. Bob came bearing Mariners baseball caps as gifts to each of us! Bob is truly one of the greats and it was a real pleasure to see him.

The group repaired at 9:30 to Ground Zero. On the bandstand was Big T and the Family Band. Big T the blues man was backed up by some very young guys who rocked. Particularly stunning was Omar, a 16-year-old guitarist. Roger Stolle, local owner of the Cat Head Folk Art and Music store, says Omar is a product of a program by the Delta Blues Museum in which blues men teach young school kids the art. Omar was taught to play by Big T, and now plays in T’s band. The dancing was hot and the town characters were in evidence. Roger Stolle writes on his website that "The ‘character’ to ‘normal folk’ ratio is high" in Clarksdale. Puddin’ has the three card monty concession at Ground Zero, with a table near the front. It costs five dollars to see him in action. Mr. Tater the Music Maker is a local blues man who hustled his CD’s from table to table. Tater also has tee shirts at the Cat Head with his picture on them but no writing. Pierce asked Roger Stolle how Tater gets paid. "He may have the most modest act around, but he’s the best self- promoter", said Stolle. Tater sells the tee-shirts and his CD’s at Cat Head on consignment.

The next morning the group ate breakfast at Rest Haven, a Lebanese place, then wandered around town between the Simons’ apartment 149 Delta Avenue and the Big Pink on John Lee Hooker Lane. We met a local musician, Ronnie Drew, who runs a music store and recording studio. He invited us to a chili cookoff that afternoon at the Delta Amusement Café. Live music. We went out to the Hopson Plantation, where Ann’s cousin James Butler (owner and proprietor of Hopson) showed us around. He has converted the former plantation commissary into a museum and juke joint. The place is also dotted with shotgun shacks that have been fixed up so that they can be rented - a business known as The Shackup Inn. A group of friends from Memphis had rented the shacks for the weekend and were cooking barbecue on a huge portable grill. Dogs and kids wandered around the area in front of the shacks. Each shack has electricity, a bathroom, and comes equipped with an electric guitar and amp for jamming. We had beers in the commissary and took a tour of the property with James.

That afternoon the music started at 2:00 from the back open area behind the Delta Amusement Café. The townsfolk were there, the chili could be sampled, keg beer was free, and the band cooked. Several local musicians sat in and did a few songs. All the characters, including Tater, Puddin’, and a drunk guy we saw the night before dancing with a very young very drunk girl. drunk guy at one point was playing a very out-of-tune guitar with the band, but didn’t play long. The local people were warm, welcoming and fun. Ronnie remembered us and acted like we were old friends. Puddin’ hit Pierce up for $5 to do his card trick and Cindy took pictures of the whole thing.

That evening Groundspeak, an unbelievable jazz/funk/jam band from Memphis played a set of original music for us at Little Pink, a former plantation commissary moved by Ann’s brother next to Big Pink. Little Pink is decorated with old stuff like album covers, music posters, and chocolate tins picturing Elvis in his army uniform. The band set up at one end of the big room and played to the six of us plus Ann’s mother, Lou. In this intimate setting we got to hear fantastic original music from Groundspeak’s soon-to-be-released CD. Larry was able to hire them because his son Andrew is the bass player. They have a site on Myspace. Visit, and get the CD when it comes out in the next few months.

So in one weekend we heard three live bands. Just as in New Orleans it’s impossible to get a bad meal, in Clarksdale it’s impossible to hear a bad live band. Everyone needs to go to Clarksdale. They have four blues festivals a year. Thanks to Larry and Ann for arranging the trip and for all the work they did to make it so memorable. To get a taste, google Cat Head, Shackupinn.com, or Ground Zero Blues Club. If you want to see something, a young blues artist named Olga has a video on the web that was filmed at Hopson Plantation, James Butler is in the video, serving Olga a beer at his juke joint. Go to Olga’s website www.laolga.com and there is a link to the video.

* * * * *

A short poem is in order:

Thanks to Pierce

for blog-a-roo, and to

Cindy Hodnette

for photos faboo!

HEY BRO’ - GET MORE BROTHERS’ E-MAIL ADDRESSES TO US!

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, ‘72