Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the cultivated flood plain, along Hwy 61, American music took root. It arrived from
Africa in the souls of slaves, morphed into field songs, and wormed into the brain of a
sharecropping troubadour waiting for a train. In Tutweiler, WC Handy eavesdropped and
wrote the rhythm down. In Clarksdale, at the crossroads, Robert Johnson made a deal
with the devil and became America's first guitar hero. Yes, the Delta has soul food and a
blood-soaked history, but its chief export, its white-hot legacy will always be the blues.
There is no Beatles, no Stones, no Hendrix, Zeppelin, or even hip-hop without the music
of the Mississippi Delta, which runs from Memphis all the way to Vicksburg.
A WHOLE LOTTA JUKIN' GOING ON
It's believed that 'juke' is a West African word that survived in the Gullah language,
the Creole-English hybrid spoken by isolated African Americans in the US. The
Gullah 'juke' means 'wicked and disorderly.' Little wonder, then, that the term was
applied to the roadside sweatboxes of the Mississippi Delta, where secular music,
suggestive dancing, drinking and, in some cases, prostitution were the norm. The
term 'jukebox' came into vogue when recorded music, spun on automated record-
changing machines, began to supplant live musicians in such places, as well as in
cafes and bars.
Most bona-fide juke joints are African American neighborhood clubs, and out-
side visitors can be a rarity. Many are mostly male hangouts. There are very few
places that local women, even in groups, would turn up without a male chaperone.
Otherwise, women can expect a lot of persistent, suggestive attention.
For a taste of the juke-joint scene, we recommend Red's, which is usually open
on Friday and Saturday nights. It can be intimidating to first-timers, but it is one of
Clarksdale's best jukes. If the pit's smoking, order whatever's cooking.
