The Blues

The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg.

- David Cohn. Where I was Born and Raised.  The Delta Land

Not all of the cenotaphs in town are of Civil War locations.  Vicksburg is also on the Blues trail - it is located at the very bottom of the Mississippi Delta region that made the blues famous.  Washington Street, the road that passes through the middle of downtown, is the famous Highway 61.  There are a number of markers in Vicksburg that call out famous locations and people: Marcus Bottom, which is a juke joint in one of the poorest areas of town; the Red Tops, a local blues/jazz/pop band from the 50s (formerly known as the Rebops), and Willie Dixon, one of the most famous of the bluesmen to come from the area.

"Willie Dixon, often called "the poet laureate of the blues" was born in Vickburg on July 1, 1915.  As a songwriter, producer, arranger, and bass player, Dixon shaped the sound of Chicago blues in the 1950s and '60s with songs such as "Seventh Son," Little Red Rooster," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "My Babe," and "Wang Dang Doodle."  Dixon traced many of his works back to peoms and songs he wrote as a youth in Vicksburg."

I don't know about you.  But suddenly, I have a need to hear Wang Dang Doodle.  Howling Wolf does it justice....

The more I looked around town, the more of the Blues Highway markers I saw.  The one honoring the Red Tops is located downtown in front of The Strand - an old-timey movie theatre that doubles as a community theatre.  The marker details some of the highlights:

"Between 1953 and 1974 the Vicksburg-based Red Tops entertained legions of dancers with their distinctive mix of blues, jazz and pop.  Under the strict direction of drummer ad manager Walter Osbourne, the group developed a devoted fan base across Mississippi and neighboring states.  Most of the ten original members had played with an earlier Vicksburg band, the Rebops.  Vocalist Rufus McKay's rendition of "Danny Boy was a crowd favorite."

Each of the markers provides a little extra background on the performer or the location: the famous performance, the recordings they made famous, the first place they performed.  So the nearby town of Bivona gets a shout-out for its Sequoia Club where the Red Tops performed.  And the one single that they recorded: 'Sewanee River Rock/Hello, Is That You' (Sky) recorded in 1957 in Memphis.  

The Blue Room was a community center.  Not in the normal sense of the word, but that is what it was.  It had a ballroom, restaurant, casino, and rooms - both for guests and for the owner, Tom Wince, Jr (and his family, which included seven wives and 14 kids - but obviously not all at the same time).  All of the blues greats apparently came through there to perform - from BB King to T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters. 

Now, the building is torn down, and there is a nice gazebo on the spot.  And nothing but eroded bricks and a blue cenotaph to mark the location. 

There is a website that provides information on the markers along the trail.  The link: http://www.msbluestrail.com/ provides good information about blues locations and performers across the state.  More markers everywhere I go....

Locations of the markers:

Marcus Bottom marker: Halls Ferry Road at Military Ave

Blue Room marker: Clay St at Mulberry Dr.

Willie Dixon marker: South Street and Willie Dixon Way

Red Tops marker: Clay Street and Walnut

61 Highway marker: Hwy 61 and Jackson St