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Here are a few pics from my Blues Trail up Highway 61 drive recently. After a few days in New Orleans, caught the Boss, must go again, we spent a night in Natchez MS (Papa Lightfoot) and then Vicksburg (Willie Dixon), both historic civil war towns, then a few days in Clarkesdale, birthplace of Muddy Waters, Ike Turner AND Sam Cooke, for a free street music festival. Its the site of 'The Crossroads' it is said. Jeez how much Blues history can one hick town in Mississippi have? I even met and had a chat with Charlie Musslewhite. Then up to Memphis for Sun Studio, Stax, the Lorraine Motel (where MLK Jr was assassinated, now a marvellous museum dedicated to the struggle for civil rights in the Jim Crow South) and the debauchery of Beale Street as well as my first baseball game. I have to say Mississippi politically was the last place I thought I'd go for a holiday but for a Blues fan it was amazing. Maybe it was a Southern thing, but just about everybody and I mean everybody, you pass in the street, says hello. Two weeks was not enough time.

[IMG]http://img251.imagevenue.com/loc234/th_972077481_Clarkesdale02__122_234lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img253.imagevenue.com/loc255/th_972078919_Clarkesdale04__122_255lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img205.imagevenue.com/loc205/th_972079971_Clarkesdale07__122_205lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img104.imagevenue.com/loc494/th_972081761_Clarkesdale09__122_494lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img149.imagevenue.com/loc590/th_972082169_Clarkesdale11__122_590lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img291.imagevenue.com/loc200/th_972083887_Clarkesdale12__122_200lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img13.imagevenue.com/loc361/th_972085411_Clarkesdale14__122_361lo.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc453/th_972086657_Clarkesdale15__122_453lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img182.imagevenue.com/loc418/th_972087979_Clarkesdale17__122_418lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img243.imagevenue.com/loc342/th_972088812_Clarkesdale18__122_342lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img291.imagevenue.com/loc368/th_972090592_Dockery02__122_368lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img107.imagevenue.com/loc390/th_972091678_Dockery04__122_390lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img137.imagevenue.com/loc556/th_097209283_FriarsPoint03__122_556lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc168/th_972093222_Graceland01__122_168lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img258.imagevenue.com/loc411/th_972095278_Graceland06__122_411lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img192.imagevenue.com/loc79/th_972096495_Hopson03__122_79lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img279.imagevenue.com/loc514/th_972097737_Indianola01__122_514lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc585/th_972098191_Indianola06__122_585lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img256.imagevenue.com/loc421/th_972100725_Indianola08__122_421lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img141.imagevenue.com/loc475/th_972101628_Memphis01__122_475lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img137.imagevenue.com/loc109/th_972102846_Memphis04__122_109lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img149.imagevenue.com/loc189/th_972103594_Natchez04__122_189lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img182.imagevenue.com/loc405/th_972105147_NOLA02__122_405lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img247.imagevenue.com/loc196/th_972106599_NOLA03__122_196lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img223.imagevenue.com/loc642/th_972107189_NOLA06__122_642lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img292.imagevenue.com/loc8/th_972108583_NOLA08__122_8lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img220.imagevenue.com/loc890/th_972110891_NOLA15__122_890lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img290.imagevenue.com/loc65/th_972111590_NOLA20__122_65lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img245.imagevenue.com/loc403/th_972112733_PortGibson01__122_403lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img291.imagevenue.com/loc532/th_972113518_PortGibson05__122_532lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img260.imagevenue.com/loc434/th_972115499_Redbirds03__122_434lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img286.imagevenue.com/loc433/th_972116616_StFrancisville01__122_433lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc235/th_972117499_StFrancisville03__122_235lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img192.imagevenue.com/loc51/th_972118531_Stax01__122_51lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img151.imagevenue.com/loc76/th_972120529_SunStudios01__122_76lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc404/th_972121147_TheLorraine01__122_404lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img266.imagevenue.com/loc595/th_972122144_TheLorraine07__122_595lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img227.imagevenue.com/loc369/th_972123156_Vicksburg02__122_369lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc431/th_972125402_Vicksburg06__122_431lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img285.imagevenue.com/loc572/th_097212645_Vicksburg07__122_572lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img178.imagevenue.com/loc423/th_972127351_Vicksburg08__122_423lo.JPG[/IMG]

Nice one Andy, it looks almost as good as the last time i saw you at Blackfriars,

I hope you are having a good time, im sure you are !wink!

Great pics.

Excellent stuff Andy. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for these, Andy. Especially the guitar porn !yummy!

The pic of the steamboat is a good one. One day I'm gonna get me a steamboat ride with lots of gamblin', wimmin' n whiskey. Get me into a fight or two....eeeeeyep!

Great stuff Andy.

Just to add. All that great blues came from all that strife

You want guitar porn, Sam? Here you go. The first three pics are of Robert 'Wolfman' Belfour one of the last old Delta Blues guys. Someone said there wont be many more chances to see him play live. The guitar shop is Blues Town Music in Clarkesdale. I wish I could play one. Actually with retirement approaching, I think I might start to learn to fill the gaps between the odd day job and the very occasional adult shoot. It would have been great to get up and jam with some of the musicians I came across on my trip. And glad y'all like the pics.

[IMG]http://img179.imagevenue.com/loc53/th_051192419_Guitar01_122_53lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc238/th_051196147_Guitar02_122_238lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img104.imagevenue.com/loc11/th_051198300_Guitar03_122_11lo.JPG[/IMG][IMG]http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc155/th_051202353_Guitar04_122_155lo.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img292.imagevenue.com/loc478/th_051205882_Guitar05_122_478lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img121.imagevenue.com/loc149/th_051210842_Guitar06_122_149lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img215.imagevenue.com/loc51/th_105121482_Guitar07_122_51lo.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img231.imagevenue.com/loc150/th_051217563_Guitar08_122_150lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img121.imagevenue.com/loc145/th_051220714_Guitar09_122_145lo.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img204.imagevenue.com/loc105/th_051224875_Guitar10_122_105lo.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img197.imagevenue.com/loc181/th_051226663_Guitar11_122_181lo.jpg[/IMG]

It certainly did Terry and though nothing can make up for the 100 years of Jim Crowe, at least some truly great music and fabulous musicians emerged.

Andy, excellent photos, It look like you had a wonderful time with lots of good memories from that trip.

Thanks, yes and yes.