We left a warmer Memphis this morning & after a few false starts because of local road closures we got ourselves onto Interstate 61 heading due south to Clarksdale. Again it was a very easy drive, dual carriageway most of the way & a speed limit of 65mph. Truckers seem impervious to speed restrictions & some local cars like to sit in the outside lane forcing you to undertake on the inside. We got here in about 90 mins & our sat nav lady got us right to the door.
We were able to get into our apartment earlier than the usual 2pm check-in. We are self-catering tonight in an apartment called the Five & Dime Lofts. We are in downtown Clarksdale & Bubba, our landlord, was around to help us with the bags. The apartments have been created in what used to be a Woolworths store & ours is lovely, well equipped & furnished & very comfortable. Bubba was able to give us tips on where to go tonight & it is apparent that he is a fervent music fan. A bonus is that on the ground floor there is a lovely café which seems to open all day. We had a spot of lunch there & I am sure that they will see us for breakfast tomorrow.
After lunch we took a walk around town & we are definitely in the Mississippi Delta. It is a town that is certainly trying to reinvent itself but boy is there a way to go. We went to the Delta Blues museum & heard the stories of Muddy Waters, Sam Cook, Ike Turner, Howling Wolf & John Lee Hooker to name but a few. Again, sharecroppers & abject poverty feature heavily with music providing an outlet. It seems that because of it’s geographical location, music in the Mississippi Delta was contained & protected until people started leaving in search for work. It is obvious that there is a concerted effort by some to protect this original music & not let it become diluted.
There are several music venues in town & as tourists are encouraged to visit, the concerts are becoming more frequent. Originally it was just weekends but now music can be heard throughout the week. There is one venue called Ground Zero which is part owned by Morgan Friedman. A Dutchman has opened a Rock & Blues Museum using his own personal collection. He is called Theo Dasbach & used to have a similar museum in Arum in Holland. He married an American lady & they felt that Clarksdale was the best place to come to set up something similar—as you do! He has an amazing eclectic collection of things. He mentions the British rock scene & even has a section on Cliff.
We failed to find a supermarket of any kind but did trip across a café called Holy Moly, which makes delicious juices—all prepared by a very out-going lady from Melbourne. Who knows what tonight will bring, more later.