Courtesy of Visit Mississippi
Clarksdale holds deep ties to the blues. Home to the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, the infamous site is where iconic bluesman Robert Johnson reportedly sold his soul to the devil to improve his guitar skills. Although Johnson’s expertise went practically unnoticed during his short life, today he is revered as one of the great blues pioneers, having influenced iconic rock bands including Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.
You can explore the legacy of Johnson and other musical icons at the Delta Blues Museum, the state’s oldest music museum. Want to hear some blues for yourself? Ground Zero Blues Club—co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman—has garnered national attention as a site to see (and hear) some of today’s finest Delta blues musicians in action. Paired with a classic Southern menu, you’ll get a true taste of Delta culture here. Red’s Lounge is another real-deal juke joint keeping the music alive with no frills, big beers, and maybe a bite from the barbecue grill out front.
Courtesy of Visit Mississippi
Robert Johnson gravesite
The brief life of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, who died in 1938 at twenty-seven, is shrouded in mystery and myth, the most famous of which being his alleged “deal with the Devil” at a Mississippi crossroads, where it’s said he traded his soul for guitar virtuosity.
Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art—a record store, art gallery, and live music venue combo—is another must for Clarksdale visitors. Owner Roger Stolle opened the place in 2002 after ditching his advertising career, and now wears the mantle of “regional expert” for all kinds of blues-related topics.
For a place to lay your head in Clarksdale, don’t pass up the Shack Up Inn. Touting its tagline “the Ritz we ain’t,” this inn offers unique, coolly-casual digs in several renovated shotgun cabins, and adjacent Cotton Gin. Another lodging option is the Travelers Hotel, housed in a 1920s building in downtown Clarksdale that once served traveling railroad workers, and has now been transformed into a boutique hotel run by a staff of artists and creative placemakers.
Courtesy of Visit Mississippi
Get into the spirit of your Delta adventure by spending the night in one of the Shack Up Inn’s series of renovated shotgun cabins, or neighboring Cotton Gin.
Another notable Delta town with a powerful past is Indianola, the home to “King of the Blues,” B.B. King. See his gravesite and learn about the life of this musical legend at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Just down the road, you’ll find Club Ebony, a landmark on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Club Ebony is one of the region’s most iconic, historically significant juke joints, which dates back to shortly after the Civil War. During the decades Club Ebony hosted icons including Ray Charles, James Brown, Ike Turner, and Syl Johnson. B.B. King would celebrate the end of the annual festival hosted in his honor with a performance at the club, and even took ownership of Club Ebony from 2008 until his death in 2015. The club is now owned and operated by the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
In Cleveland, still more music history awaits. The GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi is the only GRAMMY museum outside of Los Angeles, and gives visitors an interactive dive into the extraordinary musical legacy of the Delta. Dockery Farms, the storied birthplace of blues, is located right outside of Cleveland. Dockery Plantation, a cotton plantation and sawmill, was home to blues musician Charley Patton, the most noteworthy early blues musician. Today, Dockery welcomes visitors year-round.
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