Life got Better In Clarksdale, MS

After getting back to the hotel from the awful
restaurant experience, I decided that moving
on was our best bet.

I sent out a quick email to the awesome guys
at The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale to see if I
could get another night there. Two nights in
Clarksdale would be a great boon for us.

Like rapid fire, I got an email back saying
that the Shack I had reserved would not
be available, but there was another one
that I could get or I could stay in one of
"the bins". BONUS! We could get out
of Jackson and be on our way to the
Crossroads!



First thing Wednesday morning, we got
packed up and I hit the front desk hoping
that I would not have to pay for a second
night that I wasn't going to be able to use.

The woman at the desk was quite nice and
asked how was my stay. I said it was fine
except for that gang of cockroaches in the
bathroom that partied all night. She was
horrified and promptly said that my stay
was free and apologized profusely! Yeah,
that was the highlight of my stay in that
town!

We hit the road for Clarksdale.

The weather had turned cold and wet.
I'm an avid fan of the Weather Channel
and had been keeping vigilant watch on
what we could expect on the trip. This
was not in the forecast! EGAD!

No problem, I had a couple of long sleeve
shirts but no Winter shoes to speak of.
It would all work out just fine.

We got to Clarksdale and found our way
to The Shack Up Inn. Check out this
great video!

The Road Trip That Rocked

We left Southeast Texas on March 10 to
head out through Mississippi and into
Memphis, TN.

I was traveling with Danny Hill, the
Featured Artist this month on Blues
City Radio. It was a great opportunity
for Blues City to Sponsor his trip and
looks for Sponsors for the station at
the same time.

Our first stop was Jackson, MS. I hope
to never go to Jackson again! We stayed
at a hotel that had a bad ass gang of
roaches in the bathroom. We were going
to spend two nights in Jackson and hit
a couple of Blues Jams. Sudden change
of plans.

We went to the jam at Shucker's in
Jackson/Ridgeland. First of all, the
service was about the worst I have gotten
anywhere, ever! The food was even worse.

Our waitress spent most of her time crouched
down hiding out in the smoking section. It
took nearly an hour to get our food order.
I ordered a cooked oyster dish, and raw
oysters on the half shell. I think the
dishes were prepare right away, but sat
there for a very long time before the
waitress bothered to go them.

The cooked oyster dish had gotten cold and
the melted cheese topping had hardened.
And the raw oysters had gotten way too
warm and had a film starting to coat their
little oyster bodies. I feel certain that
food poisoning would have been in my near
future had I eaten that crap.

The house band...can't remember their name
but then they WERE pretty unforgettable.

The patrons seemed to like the band and the
food which showed that they had no taste
whatsoever, not even in their mouths.

When it was Danny's turn to play, people
sat up and took notice. It was the first
real blues music of the night. The band
took notice as well and decided that he
played too loudly. Then they decided that
while he was playing it would be a good
time to announce their upcoming Crawfish
Festival. Hell, we live in the land of
crawfish, the festival goes on for months
here!

Well, I got angry and got the check. $53
for food that I wouldn't feed to a stray
dog, and no they had no real apology for
the lousy food, music or service.



STAY CLEAR OF THIS PLACE!

Like I said, I hope to never be in Jackson,
MS EVER again except to pass through on
my way to some place better.

Come back tomorrow when we battle the roaches
and move on to Clarksdale, MS! Now that's
a GREAT town.

Everybody is Talking About Blues City Radio!

You meet the coolest people on the Internet

When I find something cool, I'm just gonna start putting it
here in the ole bloggeroo.

I love meeting Blues Hounds like myself on the Internet.

I was on Twitter and came across WORLD OF BLUES!

They have a totally cool web site and an equally cool
Blog! Whether you're a fan, musician or club owner,
I highly recommend you check out this site. They have
something for everyone.

So click on WORLD OF BLUES, check 'em out and tell
em' Blues City sent you!

I give World of Blues 2 picks up!

Hook up with us on Twitter today.

BluesCity

World of Blues

Top Ten Week of February 15, 2009

Ok folks, just want it to be known that I have
nothing to do with how songs are ranked on the
station. It's all done by popular vote by the
listeners themselves as they are listening.

I say this because this week's Top 10 is a little
more unusual than some. Not a bad thing, just
an observance on my part.

1. John Lee Hooker - Rainy Day - Don't Look Back

2. Ry Cooder- David Lindley - Alimony - The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed

3. Rising Sons - If the River Was Whiskey (Divin' Duck Blues) - Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

4. Rocky Jackson - What Was She Thinkin? - Squeeze Here

5. Rocky Jackson - Blues for Texas - Squeeze Here

6. Rocky Jackson - Treats Me Like A Dog - Squeeze Here

7. Ry Cooder - Feelin' Bad Blues - Crossroads: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

8. Buddy Guy, John Mayall - I Could Just Lay Down And Die - Duets

9. Charley Drumm - Big Boss Man - DEMOS, FULL LENGTH

10. James Cotton - Fatuation - 35th Anniversary Jam

Top Ten Week of February 8, 2009

1. Ry Cooder- David Lindley - Alimony - The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed

2. John Lee Hooker - Rainy Day - Don't Look Back

3. Rocky Jackson - Treats Me Like A Dog - Squeeze Here

4. Hound Dog Taylor - Crossroads - Genuine Houserocking Music

5. Bonnie Raitt w/Little Feat - Louisiana Blues - Sofa Blues

6. Rocky Jackson - What Was She Thinkin? - Squeeze Here

7. Little Walter -Kansas City (Harmonica Blues) - Blues Masters Volume 4

8. Buddy Guy, John Mayall - I Could Just Lay Down And Die - Duets

9. The Black Keys - Hurt Like Mine - thickfreakness

10. Buddy Guy - Catfish Blues - Alone & Acoustic

The Day The Music Died - 50 Years Ago Today

February 3, 1959

Immortalized by Don McLean in 1971 as
The Day The Music Died

It's almost hard to believe that it's been 50 years
since the plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa took
the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie
Valens.

I was 5 at the time.

I grew up with Chantilly Lace by The Big Bopper
( JP Richardson from my hometown here in
Beaumont, TX), La Bamba by Ritchie Valens and
the dozens of songs by Buddy Holly.

And we remember that there were
actually 4 men on that plane as we include
the pilot, Roger Peterson.

Frustrated with the Tour Bus that was usually
the mode of transportation and needing to get
laundry done before the next gig after The Surf
Ballroom in Clear Lake, Buddy Holly told his
fellow band mates that they should charter
a plane for the next performance.

50 years later, their music has certainly passed
the test of time. Many modern day rockers
attribute their success and inspiration to these
early pioneers of Rock and Roll.

It just seemed fitting that I took a moment to
reflect on this 50th Anniversary, please enjoy
the following video...