If you want to get to the roots of what  Robert Palmer was talking about in Deep Blues, you have to be at  this year’s Sunflower River Blues and Gospel festival, August 12-14, in Blues Mecca, Clarksdale, Mississippi.  If you are looking for what some call the blues, as played on $1500 guitars on Beale Street, this probably isn’t the festival for you.  This festival is about the Deep Blues, rooted in the Delta and it’s culture, some raw and gritty stuff.  It is always sweaty, sticky, hot.  There are lots of impromptu performances around the Downtown Clarksdale Area,  and there are some interesting places to grab Bar-B-Q, delta tamales and a cold beverage.  Be sure and drop by Ground Zero.
It’s an easy drive (about 1.5 hours) down Legendary Highway 61 from Memphis.  Click here for information and lineup.  Continue reading →