Will the Real Joe Roppolo Please Stand Up?

One of the crown jewels of last month’s Performing Arts issue was Tom Scarborough’s article “The Hills Are Alive,” a profile of the dynamic musical groups that provide a homegrown soundtrack to life in St. Francisville. Tom’s article traced the evolution of the local music scene and painted a portrait of the close-knit cast of characters whose talent, generosity, and community commitment have shaped it. Imagine those characters’ surprise, then, when they opened their copy of our September issue to find a large photograph of the Belgian-born, Natchez-residing, blues-harmonica-virtuoso Luc Borms, misidentified as St. Francisville’s own blues-harmonica-legend and Delta Drifters member, Joe Roppolo. 

[Read Tom Scarborough's article from our September 2019 issue, "The Hills Are Alive" here.]

We, the publishers of this magazine—who have been neighbors, patrons, friends, and fans of Joe for decades—were, to say the least, embarrassed. Notwithstanding the fact that both Luc and Joe are big guys, harp players, and sporters of considerable facial hair, we of all people should have spotted the difference. Our apologies to Joe, to Luc, to Tom, and to all their fans forced to do a double-take.