Heading back to the Mississippi Delta (and escaping the Canadian snow!)

6 Replies

Big news at our end. The past year was a bit of a roller coaster for most people – for us it included buying a new(er) Roadtrek that we are in love with as well as working on book ideas.

Our first big road trip was the one that delved deep into the roots of American music. Our goal is to write a travel guidebook about exploring the roots of a unique style of American-born music, the blues (publication date: 2018).

So, we are back on the road for a month this winter, tidying up the bits and pieces of research for the book. Our travels will take us through Memphis, zig-zagging all across Mississippi, into Louisiana and ending at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

MS Blues collage

While we’re gone, we’ll be blogging from the road – just for the fun of it – because there are some very cool stops we’ll be making, including . . .

  • The birthplace of Robert Johnson and the church where he sang in the choir.
  • Interviews with David Hood (one of the original Swampers in Muscle Shoals), Clarksdale author and blues enthusiast Roger Stolle, blues players including Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and King Edward, Rick Hall (founder of Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals) and Jerry Phillips (son of the late Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis).
  • If there’s a blues museum in Mississippi, we’re stopping in.
  • Touring the recently-opened 3614 Jackson Highway in Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. The last time we were there it was still boarded up and the revived studio space was just an idea.

    • So, we’re packing up the van, washing the dog, unfolding our maps (and plugging in the GPS) and soon we’ll be off. If you have any ideas for what sorts of things you’d like to learn about the blues please let us know!

    6 thoughts on “Heading back to the Mississippi Delta (and escaping the Canadian snow!)”

    1. Gerry Gregory

      Great news Craig. Check out The Natchez Trace on your way down and have a look at the shack Elvis was born in. cheers
      gerry

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      1. Josephine Post author

        Thanks for the tips Gerry – it’s on our route. Love the Natchez Trace – a beautiful drive!

        Reply ↓
      1. Josephine Post author

        Thanks. You are an encouragement and an inspirations … fellow Class B enthusiast! Safe travels – stay clear of those icy roads. Hope to hear an update about your road trip soon.

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      1. Josephine Post author

        Gonna be a lot of fun (and a ton of work). We are very excited and looking forward to spending time with the wonderful people of Mississippi. If you have any suggestions for what you look for in a music travel guidebook, let us know!

        Reply ↓

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