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Contact LEGENDS 601-604-2963 Editorial/Advertising - 601-604-2963 | Editor@ReadLegends.com Contributing writers: Meghan Holmes, Riley Manning, Don Wilcock, Kara Martinez Bachman, Elizabeth Seratt Contributing photographers: Chuck Cook, Matthew Noel/Houma CVB, Michael Barrett, Rory Doyle, Kristal Cabello LEGENDS welcomes your calendar submissions. Submissions are posted free of charge on our website at www.ReadLegends.com. Calendar submissions for consideration in LEGENDS’ print calendar may be sent to

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CONTENTS AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

MUSIC 46 COVER STORY: Tab Benoit The Voice of the Wetlands

42 When Words No Longer Work

Mississippi musician uses music to reach beyond dementia

CULTURE 10 Louisiana’s Thriller

The Houma Rougarou Festival

17 Footsteps to the Past

The living history of Vermilionville

23 Waterscape

The fantastic family retreat in Northwest Florida

34 Lessons from the Master

Delta preservationist inspires Vicksburg Guild

55 Sound and Fury

The 32nd Annual King Biscuit Blues Festival

58 Four Decades in the Making The Delta Blues & Heritage Festival

WIN A WEEKEND TO GULF HILLS RESORT IN OCEAN SPRINGS! SEE INSIDE!

AUG.SEPT 2017

Northwest Florida’s Fun Family Retreat

ROUGAROU

LOUISIANA’S FRIGHT FEST

M I S S I S S I P P I ’ S A W A R D - W I N N I N G C O N S U M E R T R AV E L P U B L I C AT I O N W W W. R E A D L E G E N D S . C O M

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ABOUT OUR COVER Tab Benoit, a Louisiana blues musician, created The Voice of the Wetlands music festival 14 years ago, which is dedicated to saving Louisiana’s wetlands by raising awareness of coastal erosion.

This year the VOW is scheduled for October 13-15 in Houma.

(Photograph by CHUCK COOK)

CULINARY 28 Creole Hospitality

The Coffee Pot Café at Creekside

39 Soulful Suds and Cajun Cuisine Spigots Brew Pub

EVENTS 63 What's Shakin' in the Cradle Calendar of Events

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Frank Jones Blues Challenge hosted by Dexter Allen

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JUDY COLLINS & STEPHEN STILLS Monday, August 7, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

Pre-Show Party at 6:30 p.m.

Judy Collins and Stephen Stills helped define an era. Collins’ ringing soprano served as a beacon for the 1960s folkmusic scene (“Both Sides Now”) and caressed heartfelt pop songs (“Send in the Clowns”). Stills’ restless energy and stinging guitar work made him a creative force with Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth”) and Crosby, Stills & Nash/Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (“Southern Cross”), and as a solo artist (“Love the One You’re With”). His romance with Collins inspired him to write the timeless hit “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” Now these Sponsored by: two dear friends are touring together, sharing stories and still making music that matters.

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Pre-Show Party at 6:30 p.m.

Four musical titans joined forces, quite by accident, in December 1956 at the Sun Records studio in Memphis. Rockabilly guitarist Carl Perkins, riding high on the success of “Blue Suede Shoes,” was recording new songs, with a young Jerry Lee Lewis hired to play piano. Johnny Cash dropped by, and so did the King himself, Elvis Presley. The so-called Million Dollar Quartet started singing and playing together on gospel, country, and rock ‘n’ roll songs. One Night in Memphis recreates that magical jam session.

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STORY FROM HOUMA, LA.

Louisiana’s Thriller The Houma Rougarou Festival

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN Photography by MATTHEW NOEL

B

oth local folklore and popular media tell us that Louisiana has always been connected to things eerie.

The writings of horror novelist Anne Rice, set primarily in New Orleans, hint that a vampiric subculture may roam the streets of the old city and its nearby parishes. Similarly, the HBO series “True Blood,” explores a world where blood-suckers live among rural Louisianians.

One of the longstanding traditions in the outlandish and mystical Louisiana is a belief, handed down through folklore and claims of sightings over the years, of scary cryptids: hairy manbeasts that roam the watery morasses and moss-dripping forests of the state.

Louisiana folklore gives us creatures such as the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a lumbering “bigfoot” of St. Tammany Parish; The Grunch Road Monster, a chupacabra-like creature said to

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roam New Orleans; and Cajun Country’s Rougarou, also known as the Loup Garou, a hairy wolf-man with glowing eyes.

In celebration of the scary creature of local lore and the scads of creatures said to roam neighboring parishes, every October, Houma, Louisiana, hosts Rougarou Fest, an event where ghosts, goblins and spirits of the netherworld gather to eat, drink, parade and socialize.

“The Rougarou Fest is one of the most popular festivals in the Houma area,” said Joey Pierce, communications manager for the Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The quirk and character of this festival has the ability to draw in visitors from around the country for one fun-filled weekend in Louisiana’s Bayou Country.

“From traditional Louisiana food to folklore, Louisiana culture is on display at Rougarou Fest,” Pierce said.

Photo credit MATTHEW NOEL/HOUMA CVB

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The festival is planned this year for October 21 and 22 in downtown Houma. Features include an array of Cajun foods, a parade of haunted creeps and a scary costume contest. Virtually the entire town becomes a scene of fright.

According to Jonathan Foret, executive director of South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, which coordinates Rougarou Fest, Cajun culture is awash in creepiness.

“I think superstition runs in our veins,” Foret said. “As young Cajun children, we grow up hearing stories about mysterious things that have happened along the bayous, and traiteurs that could heal or curse a person.

“These oral traditions are passed down through generations and shared with visitors,” he continued. “I think that has helped to create this spooky reputation for us down the bayou. It also doesn’t hurt that we’ve got lots of alligators, snakes, spiders and tons of other critters that give you the frissons … the chills.

“Sprinkle a little Spanish moss across all of it,” he added, “and

you’ve got the perfect setting for a spooky or downright scary tale.”

The most anticipated feature of this event is the fun disguises.

“There have been some really amazing costumes over the years,” Foret said, “but I think some of my favorites have been the Sanderson Sisters from the movie ‘Hocus Pocus,’ and the two young girl ghosts from the movie ‘The Shining.’ The witch costumes are always beautiful, and I really like some of the more traditional ones.

“It may be because I love ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,’ but I love seeing kids as ghosts walking around covered in a sheet with two eye holes in it,” he added.

There are a few changes planned for this year.

“Because the festival has grown so much over the past few years, we will be renting a large stage for our live music performers and expanding the footprint of the festival,” Foret said.

New additions for 2017 also include a scavenger hunt and a

“There have been some really amazing costumes over the years, but I think some of my favorites have been the Sanderson Sisters from the movie ‘Hocus Pocus,’ and the two young girl ghosts from the movie ‘The Shining.’” – Jonathan Foret

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We’re rollin’ on the river all right.

br id gi ng th

eb lu es .c om

Join us for a fabulous lineup of festivals plus museums that tell the fascinating stories of our floods, blues, Native Americans, wildlife, literary genius and everyone’s favorite frog.

40th Annual DELTA BLUES & HERITAGE FESTIVAL September 16 • deltabluesms.org “Takin It Back Home” themed, oldest-running blues festival in the country 7th Annual SAM CHATMON BLUES FESTIVAL Hollandale • September 22 facebook.com/SamChatmonBlues Bikes, barbecue, and the blues in home of Sam Chatmon 5th Annual MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI MUSIC FESTIVAL September 29 - October 1 • mightymsmusic.com Live music festival held on the banks of the Mississippi River in Warfield Point Park featuring the Highway 61 Blues Stage, which is now in its 18th year

6th Annual DELTA HOT TAMALE FESTIVAL October 19-21 • mainstreetgreenville.com/ delta-hot-tamale-festival Celebrates the Hot and Soul of the Delta with local and regional artists, musicians, and tamale makers as well as some of the South’s most influential chefs and writers 7th Annual“JIM HENSON” FROG FEST & CHILI COOKOFF Leland • October 28 • lelandchamber.com Features professional story-tellers, magicians, live music, Delta cuisine and live puppet performances

Convention & Visitors Bureau

visitgreenville.org • (800) 467.3582 READLEGENDS.COM •

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recycling center partnership with “Keep Louisiana Beautiful.”

“Festival-goers will bring bottles or cans from the festival to the Rougarou Recycling Center to collect tickets and redeem prizes,” Foret said.

Another environmentally conscious addition is a “Rougarou Sweep,” where at the end of the festival, volunteers will wear witch hats and use brooms to clean up after the event. Prizes will be given for the three best decorated hats.

A common theme of caring for the vulnerable, natural world surrounding Houma and south Louisiana runs throughout the event. The goal isn’t just to have a good time, but to raise funds and awareness.

“Let’s talk about what’s really scary, and it has nothing to do with the Rougarou,” Foret said. “Coastal Louisiana could lose 2,250 square miles of land over the next 50 years if we take no action to preserve and protect our coast,” he said. “During those 50 years, Terrebonne Parish could lose 41 percent of its land. If the Rougarou doesn’t have a place to live, neither do we.”

He said The Wetlands Discovery Center works to educate both students and adults on “the challenges we face as a coastal community and the opportunities we have for growth.

“We have so much to celebrate here,” he said, “and the Rougarou Fest gives us an opportunity to celebrate who we are as a people. We want to continue that celebration for as long as possible. L

Want to go?

USA Today recently ranked the Rougarou Fest as one of the Top 10 Best Costume Parties in the United States, and the Southeast Tourism Society selected the Rougarou Fest as a Top 20 Event during the month of October out of eleven states in the southeast United States.

For more information, visit RougarouFest.org or houmatravel .com

The festival is planned this year for October 21 and 22 in downtown Houma.

Features include an array of Cajun foods, a parade of haunted creeps and a scary costume contest. Virtually the entire town becomes a scene of fright.

14 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

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STORY FROM LAFAYETTE, LA.

Footsteps to the past

The living history of Vermilionville

By MEGHAN HOLMES Photography by MICHAEL BARRETT

M

ost people know Lafayette, Louisiana, for its rich Cajun cuisine, its fascinating cultural history and its famous blend of Cajun and Zydeco music. Nestled in the heart of the state’s Cajun Country, it is billed as “The Happiest City in America.”

Once called Vermilionville for the Vermilion River that f lows through it, the river name also belongs to the city’s living history museum and folk life park. It is a place that tells the stories of the cultures who originally settled it in 1765, giving visitors the opportunity to tour restored homes and meet artisans who demonstrate the essential crafts of early settlers. The park also includes a restaurant: La Cuisine de Maman, a gift shop and event space.

Guests wander through the buildings, visiting artisans who describe what the area’s homes, churches and schools were like more than 100 years ago.

Fresh Gumbo awaits a diner at La Cuisine de Maman. Emily Lemieux, hand stitches a garment. OPPOSITE: Still Keller demonstrates basket weaving.

Visitors enter through the park’s welcome center and gift shop, La Boutique, which offers a selection of Creole, Cajun and Native American arts and crafts. Artisans construct many of the items on site, including rosaries, quilts, soaps, lotions and wood carvings. Books for sale there offer more about the culture of the area, everything from the Junior League’s cookbook to studies documenting African Americans in Lafayette. Information panels showcase the indigenous herbs of Native American healing traditions, adapted into Creole and Acadian homes because of their demonstrated efficacy.

Beyond the welcome center, guests wander from building to building, encountering artisans along the way who describe what the area’s homes, churches and schools were like more than 100 years ago. One of the first structures visible is Beau Bassin, constructed circa 1840 with a blend of Creole and Greek revival styles. Lynn Gery demonstrates traditional textiles and talks of how early settlers constructed their homes.

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“They used bousillage – a mixture of clay and Spanish moss, to bathroom in English. Cajun French was considered country and make the walls,” says Gery. “They formed bricks with the mixture. lower class, and as a result we lost a whole generation of speakers.

Spanish moss had to be cured to kill the plant, so that bugs could Educators cut them off from their language.” no longer live in it. The dry moss was used in pillowcases as well Things changed in the latter half of the 20th century as thread to sew up a suture. It was even used in the seats of the following the establishment of French immersion programs Model T Fords.” and French speaking organizations.

On display in Beau Bassin is an “Now young kids play the music and Acadian loom built some 150 years they’re all bilingual and they sing in ago. The Acadians came to south French,” says Jules, who also plays Louisiana following expulsion from the accordion and the triangle. “Now Canada, where they wove wool and people promote being Cajun, and f lax. In south Louisiana, they learned tourists want to hear our music and to weave cotton. eat our food.”

“I do all my quilting by hand,

Vermilionville’s La Chapelle pieced with needle and thread. des Attakapas gives visitors a look Right now I’m working on a at the region’s earliest Catholic pinwheel pattern,” says Gery. “My churches, modeled after structures grandmother taught me to quilt when constructed in St. Martinville I was six, and I use a similar frame (1773) and Pointe Coupee (1760). to the one I learned on. Quilting is Craftspeople sometimes demonstrate one of my fondest memories. I miss rosary making using Job’s tears, or my Pappy when I’m quilting because the lacryma jobi plant. The plant he threaded our needles. His eyesight once grew wild throughout the region was better.” and is planted outside the chapel.

In bayou parlance, a light-colored

“Job’s tears are seeds that look quilt on the porch meant good news, like stones,” says artisan Janette while a dark color indicated a request Neveu. “They come in three colors for prayer. “People traveled via pirogue and they grow on a bush that looks then,” says Gery. “They would boat like a corn plant. You won’t find up and ask what was wrong and then it anywhere anymore, though it spread the news to everyone else.” is native. The seeds are naturally The village also includes a polished, they already have holes, and reproduction schoolhouse meant to the more you touch them the shinier resemble those built around the turn they get. You can’t break them with of the 20th century. “The building a hammer. I make mine with silver has been reconstructed, but the desks I get in New Iberia, but years ago it were built in 1899,” says Jules Guidry, would’ve been a wooden cross that the A stroll through the grounds of Vermilionville gives guests a glimpse who goes by Nonc (uncle in Cajun husband whittled and put on there.” into life in southern Louisiana more than 100 years ago. The tour French) Jules. On a large blackboard

Today the chapel hosts civil demonstrates the resilience and talents of the areas first settlers. lining one wall, the phrase, “I will not wedding ceremonies, where brides and speak French,” is written again and grooms sometimes pull up on horse again. Around the turn of the 19th century, Cajun children were drawn carriages to maintain period authenticity. Vermilionville typically forced to learn English in school in the area. hosts various events, including community programming and

“I was born in 1950 and my mom and dad only spoke French,” workshops. says Jules. “I learned English in school. In the 1940s kids were

“The park itself attracts tourists from all over the world, but whipped or had to kneel on the f loor. Sometimes they would have Vermilionville also has a mission to serve the local community,” an accident in their pants because they couldn’t ask to go to the says Erin Segura, director of communications. “We have a monthly

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Still Keller climbs a set of Creole styled back staircases. They were designed to let the young working men of the house come and go between farm chores without disturbing the rest of the family.

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series where people can learn how to make traditional crafts, as well as a weekly Cajun jam where anyone can come perform and listen. We have been open for 27 years now, so you see people who started playing as children who are still performing, and really learned to play alongside talent that’s found in our community but also known worldwide.”

Other events include classes in boudin making, a monthly film series, Cajun dances and yoga in French. “We also have a healing traditions lecture series, where master gardeners come in and discuss the history and use of native plants,” says Segura.

“We want to show visitors part of the wide variety of traditions that make up these cultures and engage with the local community to maintain the strength of those traditions. It really is a living history museum, where we recognize the value of these traditions in our community, and want them to thrive.” L

Want to go?

Vermilionville is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $10 with discounts for students and seniors.

Admission is free for children under 5.

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“Waterscape has a great location, varied amenities, a seasonal kids club and unique water features which combine to make it an unrivaled destination for family fun,” - Melissa Matern

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STORY FROM FORT WALTON, FLA.

The fantastic family retreat in northwest Florida

By MEGHAN HOLMES Photographs by Marianne Todd

T

here are rock stars poolside at Fort Walton, Florida’s, Waterscape luxury resort. And no one seems to notice.

On a recent visit, Matt Patton, bassist of the Drive-By Truckers, brought his family and shared a three bedroom unit with Eve and Elliott McPherson (vocalist and guitarist of The Dexateens) for a weekend getaway. Both couples have children, and spent the majority of the time at Waterscape’s numerous pools when they weren’t on the beach. “We love it there and we can’t wait to go back,” says Megan Patton, Matt’s wife. “The pools were amazing, and there’s so much in walking distance. I don’t think we drove anywhere.”

Waterscape sits on ten spacious acres with 500 feet of pristine

beach on Okaloosa Island. With a U-shaped design, its units are angled to maximize Gulf views, which range in size from 800-1500 square-feet. A multi-level, interior courtyard hosts three pools, a lazy river, a waterfall and a tiki bar serving drinks, snacks and beach fare. “Waterscape has a great location, varied amenities, a seasonal kids club and unique water features which combine to make it an unrivaled destination for family fun,” says Melissa Matern, ResortQuest marketing manager.

Patton agrees.

“When we were at Waterscape in July, my daughter Hazel Sue was eight months old,” says Patton. “The pool for babies and toddlers was perfect for her. My husband hates the beach, so he READLEGENDS.COM •

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spent time with her at the pool, and then took her up to the room for naps. I would stay on the beach and drink, so that worked out well.”

The resort’s toddler pool features large, painted concrete animals rising from shallow water along with slides and a variety of climbing equipment. Children can wade next to a giant crab and frog, climb up ship wreckage, or stand underneath a mushroom cap that rains. A larger, zero entry pool occupies a lower level, along with a lazy river.

The separation between these different areas keeps the resort from feeling crowded as do strategically placed decorative bushes and palm trees shading two large hot tubs.

Units are available with one, two, or three bedrooms and feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, creating an open atmosphere and allowing for breathtaking ocean views. “Our unit was so spacious; perfect to share with another family,” says Patton. “The décor was modern, a lot like the hotel’s overall design. There were so many restaurants nearby that we didn’t really cook, but the kitchen was great and we could have made anything. There are grills that everyone can use outside, too.”

“There’s so much to do nearby, in terms of shopping, dining, and recreation, but we also have so much on site,” says Keri Pici, manager of guest services. “We offer DVD rental and free beach service to ResortQuest guests, and there’s also our kids club. Activities include making snow cones and tie-dye t-shirts, a bear factory, poolside movie nights, scavenger hunts, water balloon battles and more.”

Other amenities include a fitness center, trellised outdoor tables, picnic tables, a game room and covered parking. There’s also Fud Tiki Bar and Grill, run by Fudpuckers Beachside Bar and Grill. Offerings include hamburgers, pork sliders, hot dogs, nachos and specialty and signature cocktails. Many guests enjoy frozen margaritas and daiquiris with whipped cream and a cherry on top as they lounge poolside.

“There were a lot of good restaurants within walking distance, too,” said Patton. “We always enjoy Old Bay Streamer and Helen Back Café.”

Helen Back is known for beer, pizza, sandwiches and stromboli and has several locations in Northwest Florida. Old Bay Steamer specializes in fresh Gulf seafood including crabs, oysters, clams, mussels and shrimp.

Like many quality seafood restaurants in the area, they offer Royal Red shrimp, a large, deep water shrimp known for its delicate and sweet flavor.

“The Crab Trap also offers fresh-from-the-Gulf coastal fare on the Boardwalk,” says Matern. “Okaloosa Island has authentic Mexican food and late night margaritas at Rockin’ Tacos (complete with a house DJ) as well as Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone, which is Northwest The resort’s toddler pool features large, painted concrete animals rising from shallow water along with slides and a variety of climbing equipment. A larger, zero entry pool occupies a lower level, along with a lazy river. The separation between these different areas keeps the resort from feeling crowded as do strategically placed decorative bushes and palm trees shading two large hot tubs.

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Florida’s largest outdoor family entertainment center. It’s a 17,000 square-foot air conditioned space, housing a stateof-the-art redemption arcade, a 4D movie theater, a laser maze, Salvati’s Pizza Factory and YogoMogo’s Creamy Cool Creations.”

Of course, for most people, Waterscape’s primary amenity is the beach. Okaloosa Island extends between Fort Walton Beach and Destin and is known for its white, pristine beaches surrounded by Choctawahatchee Bay, the Santa Rosa Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Guests enjoy direct access to the area’s breathtaking blue-green, temperate water. Nearby businesses offer boat tours, as well as opportunities for fishing, sailing and snorkeling.

Pontoon boats, jet skis, canoes and kayaks are also available for rent.

The opportunities for fun in Fort Walton coupled with the many perks available on-site make Waterscape a destination that guests return to year after year. “The resort has an ideal location in the heart of the Emerald Coast, surrounded by shopping, dining and entertainment,” Matern says. “There’s also the 490 feet of pristine beach.

Waterscape has every amenity a guest could desire.” L

Want to go?

For more information, or to book your trip, visit wyndhamvacationrentals.com/florida/fort-walton-beach/waterscape-condominiums-complex 26 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

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STORY FROM ENTERPRISE, MISS.

Creole Hospitality

at The Coffee Pot Café at Creekside

By ELIZABETH SERATT Photographs by Kristal Cabello

I

t all started with gumbo. Lin Carruth, owner of the Coffee Pot Café at Creekside in Enterprise, Mississippi, wanted to offer lunch to the ladies shopping in her antique store, and, instead of the light salad she’d imagined, her husband suggested a pot of her famous gumbo. “I had just a regular little house stove,” she says, “and we made gumbo, and it just started going from there. And now it is what it is—it’s an evolution.”

Enterprise, a sleepy town of just more than 500, is nestled where the Chunky River and Okatibbee Creek converge to become the Chickasawhay River. It’s about as far from a culinary scene as imaginable, making the story of the Coffee Pot Café at Creekside all the more fascinating. Before it was Creekside Mercantile, (Lin’s antique store through which guests enter the cafe), it was a truck garage that belonged to her husband, Ed. When the building was due to be torn down five years ago, Lin had the idea to open the antique and gift shop. From there, the

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progression was natural, although swift; a pot of gumbo turned into a full menu, and the focus shifted from the antique store to the Coffee Pot Café.

The restaurant is a physical metaphor for Lin’s union with Ed: the Coffee Pot Café at Creekside takes its name from a restaurant begun by Ed’s grandparents in Brookhaven in 1930, and the food is representative of Lin’s Louisiana roots. She has no formal culinary training; rather, she learned at the knees of her mother, who learned to cook from the midwife who delivered five of her eight children, and paternal grandmother—“two of the best cooks in Louisiana.” Using their recipes, Lin has created an authentic Creole menu. She makes a point to emphasize that it is, in fact, Creole, and not Cajun.

“There’s a difference between Creole and Cajun,” she says.

“Most people don’t know that. Creole has more of a European inf luence because it comes from all over—you’ve got Africa,

The list itself is enough to induce a cavity: chocolate pie “with a big meringue on top,” coconut pie, peach cobbler, strawberry pie, bread pudding and lemon icebox pie.

Many guests order dessert first in a bid for a sweets reservation as desserts almost always sell out.

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you’ve got France, you’ve got Spain, England, all of it. Creole is a little of everything. Cajuns are from Acadia. That’s what I wanted to do here.”

The culinary legacy of her family is further upheld by Lin’s dedication to making everything from scratch daily, for a f lavor that’s “more like you’d have at home, if you wanted to cook.”

It’s arguably that detail that has given the Coffee Pot Cafe its almost cult-like status among both regulars and tourists passing through on nearby Interstate 59.

There’s no real consensus about the best thing on the menu.

When asked, Lin seemingly lists the entire menu, and, based on her descriptions, it’s easy to believe. The crab cake, on a salad with fried green tomatoes, is a favorite, as is the gumbo that started it all. The specials—unique to the day but unchanging week to week—often bring in repeat guests for shrimp creole, shrimp and grits, or “a big, big bone-in pork chop.” Another fan favorite is the hamburger, which, admittedly, is a “damn good

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burger.” Dubbed “The Driftwood,” it’s served on po-boy bread and features their creek sauce, a guest favorite.

“It’s similar to a comeback sauce, but not,” Lin says. “People usually ask for extra.”

As with the rest of the menu, the desserts are made inhouse every day. The list itself is enough to induce a cavity: chocolate pie “with a big meringue on top,” coconut pie, peach cobbler, strawberry pie, bread pudding and lemon icebox pie.

Many guests order dessert first in a bid for a sweets reservation as desserts almost always sell out. Another guest said she always takes hers to go for a mid-afternoon treat, then echoed Lin’s statement—“it’s like homemade, only better.”

The feeling of home is pervasive not only in the food but also in the décor.

Mismatched tables and antique fixtures from the original Coffee Pot Café give the space the feeling of a large family gathering. Lin had spent years collecting odd sets of doors,

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windows and stained glass from estate sales and cleverly used them as walls to separate dining spaces. Ed, Carruth’s “best cheerleader,” pitched in by cutting large pines and cypress along the property to use as wood in the renovation.

A favorite detail of guests is the plating—each dish is served on blue willow china. In the back is the Stuckey Room, named for the mural of the famously haunted bridge in neighboring Lauderdale County. It’s a popular setting for bridal luncheons and bridge clubs, but when it’s not rented, the space becomes extra seating for the restaurant’s patrons.

When the weather behaves, guests spread to the patio, to bask in the sun and Lin’s unmatched hospitality. She treats her guests like any good Southern hostess would, with little things, like tastefully raucous birthday serenades accompanied by a mixing bowl and spoon, ending with Mardi Gras beads and free dessert.

She readily gives credit to her staff, whom she says operates the restaurant with precision, delivering food and pies and smiles with ease. “I couldn’t do it without them,” she says.

As for the future, Lin is quick to shoot down the idea of opening another location, saying “It’s hard enough to keep one place perfect.” She’s not opposed to bottling the signature creek sauce, however, and hopes to one day extend hours to include dinner. In the meantime, the Coffee Pot Café at Creekside continues to evolve, with the installation of a vintage soda fountain bringing milk shakes, malts and other sweet treats to the menu soon. Overall, she trusts the Café itself to do what’s best.

“It just keeps doing its thing,” she says. “I almost have to ask it permission, like, ‘Okay, what do you want me to do now?’” L

32 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Want to go?

The Coffee Pot Cafe at Creekside is located at 120 West Bridge St., Enterprise, Mississippi.

Hours are are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The Mercantile is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesdays through Saturdays.

For more information, phone (601) 659-0500.

CLOCKWISE: Mississippi artist Greg Cartmell finds painting inspiration at the restaurant in Enterprise known for its creole cuisine and eclectic atmosphere.

Guests can eat then browse the Creekside Mercantile filled with antiques and new merchandise including gourmet food items. Owner Lin Carruth poses in front of a painting of the nearby Stuckey’s Bridge, an area attraction.

READLEGENDS.COM •

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STORY FROM VICKSBURG, MISS. AND CLARKSDALE, MISS.

Lessons from the Master Delta preservationist inspires Vicksburg Guild

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN

B

ill Luckett has made a mark on his Delta home, and if he has a say in it, he hopes to inspire others to do the same in their cities and towns so likewise rich in history and music.

Luckett is an attorney, former mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, and best friend and business partner to celebrity actor and Clarksdale native, Morgan Freeman. He is also an investor in historic properties that need a lift. By restoring them, he saves old buildings that once housed the culture and music that sprang from the Delta. In doing so, he's had a hand in shaping our wider American culture.

Luckett’s most notable project is the Ground Zero Blues Club, considered by many to be the epicenter of the Delta blues scene.

Outside, its friendly couches invite visitors to sit a spell and inside, the thousands of autographs left by visitors on walls and doors, tables and chairs, is a testament of how many have visited over the 15 years since its opening. The old brick building has honored the music of the small city, encouraged its culture and revived its architecture.

It paved the path for other investors to buy and renovate in the sleepy Delta town, creating hotels and eateries that wouldn't have otherwise existed.

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It’s not only the club, though, that Luckett and Freeman might brag about. There’s also the renovation to a building that used to house the pair's restaurant, Madidi, which brought fine dining to Clarksdale for almost ten years.

Both properties were examples of how saving historic structures can inject new life into a local economy.

Luckett has done more. The Bank of Lyon building went from a vine-covered eyesore to a crisp, tony structure. His projects include the Bank of Clarksdale building, the Hotel Clarksdale and the McWilliams Building.

Across the state and down the river, preservation groups like Vicksburg's Heritage Guild, strive to save the buildings that gave the region its original character and that are in danger of modern architectural homogenization and push for newness. Now emerging with their own preservation efforts in a city that survived the Civil War, The Heritage Guild of Vicksburg and Warren County has turned to Luckett for advice and inspiration.

“I said to capitalize on what you’ve got,” Luckett says, of the advice he gave the fledgling organization.

Delta Preservationist Bill Luckett.

(Photograph by RORY DOYLE) READLEGENDS.COM •

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“Vickburg’s got a kind of double-whammy to offer,” Luckett says, citing the tourist attraction of the Civil War battlefield, plus the historically interesting properties located downtown.

“I am especially attracted to the downtown,” he adds.

“Vicksburg has a fabulous downtown in terms of architectural look.

It’s a great mixture of architecture going back to the 18th century.”

Luckett visited the group this summer. His primary goal was to inspire the 80-member organization. In return, he might have been inspired as well.

“I was very impressed to see that group of ladies and gentlemen who have taken such an interest in their hometown,” he says.

Luckett says Vicksburg is a gem among Mississippi cities, and while Clarksdale heralds its share of blues musicians, Vicksburg has just as many. Historic preservation of brick and mortar, and preserving musical heritage, goes hand in hand, he says.

In the case of Vicksburg, blues musician Willie Dixon is the perfect example. Dixon is still so relevant, Luckett says, that the

newest Rolling Stones album “wraps up with a Willie Dixon cover song. Willie Dixon was one of the most prolific blues singers of all time, and it’s great [for Vicksburg] to be able to claim him.”

Joyce Clingan, owner of Vicksburg’s Walnut Hills Restaurant, is president of the Heritage Guild and serves home cooked Southern food in her restaurant which, as could be expected, is housed in a historic building.

While the group hasn't yet undertaken a building rehabilitation, they have received a 501C status as a charitable orgainization and have begun fund raising. Several smaller projects are underway, and the groundwork is being laid for larger preservation work.

“This is huge to me,” Clingan said proudly – and rightfully – in a recent newsletter to members. “We are now in control of any donations, and your donations are tax-deductible.”

The group has been working to preserve McAllister House on Main Street, designated as a Mississippi landmark, in hopes of converting it into a learning center. They’re also working with the

Luckett says Vicksburg is a gem among Mississippi cities, and while Clarksdale heralds its share of blues musicians, Vicksburg has just as many. Historic preservation of brick and mortar, and preserving musical heritage, goes hand in hand, he says.

36 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

public school system to improve the Bowmar School, including landscaping plans and the addition of a historic marker.

Also in the works – in conjunction with the Main Street Association – is the addition of another historic marker on the north side of the Cherry Street Railroad Bridge, which is also a Mississippi landmark. It’s a prime example of the synergy that exists among organizations with similar preservation goals.

The group has also helped out fellow preservationists in a concrete way. Guild members are assisting with the renovation of the Fleckenstein Grocery Store on Openwood Street and are supporting a group looking to place a historic marker at the Magnolia School.

As the Guild grows and its funds and local profile increase, its dedication to historical preservation could match or exceed that of Luckett's.

For Clingan and her group, it's about dedication to community.

“What we’re trying to do is serve our culture, our buildings, and our history.” L

AMERICAN HISTORY Visit the site of America’s defining war. Learn about the defense and siege of Vicksburg in our unique collection of museums and historic tour homes. Surrender yourself to the luxury of our bed and breakfast inns.

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Mississippi Music ~ Southern Charm

Scan this QR to visit our mobile site and get your keys to Vicksburg.

/VisitVicksburg

VisitVicksburg.com READLEGENDS.COM •

37

“The artwork, photography and color palate are unique but soulfully Cajun. That original oatmeal stout still lives on, on tap and on the menu in the oatmeal porter chicken.”

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Photograph by MATTHEW NOEL/HOUMA CVB

STORY FROM HOUMA, LA.

SOULFUL SUDS AND CAJUN CUISINE

By RILEY MANNING

H

ouma, Louisiana, is a smallish town of 33,000 residents nestled among the bayous of South Louisiana.

Its location is easy to recognize on a map – smack in the middle of the peninsula that flares off the bottom of the state. It is home to a plethora of Louisiana type cuisine, to the music the Southern state is known for and to alligators and swamp tours. It is also the home of a beer drinker’s oasis: Spigots Brew Pub, a quality Cajun restaurant with a formidable brewery attached to it.

Spigots started as a beer venture, but restaurant manager and brew master Jacob Aucoin will assure you the food doesn’t take a backseat to the suds.

“We don’t focus on one type of food. We don’t fry everything,”

Photography by MATTHEW NOEL

Aucoin said. “We got a cider glazed pork chop and on weekends a porterhouse with a huge crab right on top of it. When it hits the plate and goes in your mouth, you can’t believe what you’re eating.”

Opened this spring, Spigots is a labor of love more than seven years in the making. Aucoin found he had a hand for beer while working in an oil field as a pressure pump mechanic.

It’s back-breaking labor that keeps workers away from home for weeks at a time. By chance, Aucoin made a friend who had dabbled in home brewing. It captivated Aucoin, who went right home and started extract brewing on his stove top.

“It’s pretty simple, I mean, it’s all extracts and syrups,” he said.

“But I’m the type of guy who wants to learn as much as I can when READLEGENDS.COM •

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Want to go?

Spigots is located at 622 Barrow St. and is open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information, or to view a menu, visit spigotsbrewpub.com or houmatravel.com.

40 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

I get into something, so after my third extract batch, I moved to all year, and when they found it, it took another year to get the permits grain batches. You make everything from scratch, but you have more to renovate, and then renovation itself took two years. Even after they control over how it turns out.” opened, it took some time for the public to understand Spigots and Another friend ended up introducing Aucoin to investor buy into the idea.

Richard Gonsoulin in 2011. Gonsoulin, Aucoin said, is somewhat

“There’s definitely an education that takes place. Some folks come of an aficionado who’s traveled in expecting us to have your far and wide tasting the best standard domestic beers and are brews the world has to offer. In kind of annoyed when they find the late '90s, Gonsoulin came out we only serve our beers,” he into a five-barrel brewing system said. “But now we have plenty from LaForche Brewing Co. of regulars who come in almost in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The every day. I’ve done the hard equipment had been sitting in work they do, and it don’t pay Gonsoulin’s shed for a decade much. To see them come spend and some change, gathering dust. their hard-earned income here is “I thought, ‘Why would the biggest compliment you can somebody like that want to meet ask for.” me?’” Aucoin said.

Spigots is both historical and Aucoin had grown tired of ahead of its time. One part of its Spigots General Manager Jacob Aucoin makes his beer from whole grain batches, missing his family while in the saying, “You make everything from scratch, but you have more control over how it building was constructed in the oil field. He figured if he was turns out.”

'20s, the other in the '30s. It’s an ever going to roll the dice on immaculate experience, with its something else, it’d be beer. So he rode out to Gonsoulin’s house hand-crafted stained glass windows and cypress top bar. The artwork, after work with a couple of friends. Aucoin brought a few beers from photography and color palate are unique but soulfully Cajun. That each batch he’d made at home. original oatmeal stout still lives on, on tap and on the menu in the

“One in particular, the oatmeal stout, I knew was special,” Aucoin oatmeal porter chicken. Aucoin said more equipment is on the way said. “I guess he kind of liked it, too, because we got to talking about that will allow Spigots to serve even more styles of beer. Eventually, opening a brew pub. I said, ‘I’m your guy.’” he hopes to build an off-site brewery and throw some limited edition, But the work was just beginning. They scouted a location for a specialty brews in the mix. L

READLEGENDS.COM •

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STORY FROM CLINTON, MISS.

When words no longer work

Mississippi musician uses music to reach beyond dementia

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN

A

ffection for someone he loves inspired musician Steve Gardner to bring joy to those lost to their former selves.

When words no longer illuminate – when a person becomes impervious to the memories found in spoken words, or is unable to react to them – it is music that can truly affect. Even for moments of brevity, the tunes of youth might recall memories that would otherwise be lost to time.

Gardner believes so much in the power of sonic memory that he created an album of music specifically for dementia sufferers. One of these people is his beloved mother, “Miz Sally.”

Gardner – a Mississippi native who hails from Clinton and has lived in Japan since 1980 – tours several countries, performing acoustic roots and country blues music. His finger-picking and slide style, played on National Resophonic guitars (and harmonica), can be heard on seven CD releases of both traditional and original music,

42 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

at solo tour gigs, and in conjunction with the Jericho Road Show, with which he performs across the southeastern United States and in Austria, Germany and Japan.

His most personal music project, though, first took shape in August of 2016, when he began playing old songs for his mother.

They were the songs the two had enjoyed together when Gardner was a child. Miz Sally had played for him “old, scratchy, red and yellow 78 RPM records on the old phonograph at my grandmother’s house.”

Gardner says when he began experimenting last year, he found his mother responded best to the very old tunes of childhood, such as “Polly Wolly Doodle” and “Cindy, Cindy.” If Miz Sally noted that she liked a tune more than ten times over the period of a few months, then Gardner would add it to the list of songs considered for his “Miz Sally’s Yellow Cat Song Book,” which would eventually become a double CD of 19 tracks of music rewritten and rearranged by Gardner,

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plus a 19-track DVD animated with Miz Sally’s drawings, packaged He also discovered that dementia patients may be affected by with art pages, song lyrics and a poster. modern technology in ways we might not realize.

Gardner hopes it will encourage caregivers of dementia patients “Miz Sally, like many with dementia, does not see well and her to comfort, connect and restore lost memories through art and music. reaction to the frameless, large-screen televisions, which project life The goal, he says, is “to produce a selection of recordings that size images into the home, is often fear and confusion,” he explains would have the feel of an afternoon on his website, where more detail about of music played at home in the the project may be found. kitchen or the front room. Something

“She mistakes the screen images familiar and fun. Something for Miz for strangers in the living room, so we Sally. Something for all of us.” decided to enclose those images into

Gardner says that since dementia an old television frame so that it might had changed his mother’s sensitivity seem more familiar.” to sounds – to volume, pitch and

The drawings and images on the other compositional aspects – he DVD are surrounded by the frame of adjusted the tunings and pitch to fit an “old TV,” with its numbered dials what she liked best. for channels and volume.

The album also includes an “This old box-style TV original song, “Bluebird Memory,” presentation makes it easy for someone where Gardner asks the question: with dementia to watch and may “Where do memories go?” awaken some far distant memories of

After developing the project, the time long past, when images flickered musician took it a step further. across the screen of their old black and “I have tried it out on a few white TV.” friends with autistic children and

Gardner says since the album is dementia family members,” Gardner just being released, it is yet to have any says. He discovered that not every official “seal of approval,” per se, from song works with every person, but the medical community. that it’s a start in sampling ways to

“However, many care profesreach them. sionals have been supportive,” he says, “A few physicians and friends, adding that he sees his work in action professional caregivers and RNs, when he plays “for several families here have offered great advice, insights in Tokyo as part of my volunteer work.” and encouragement,” Gardner says,

Gardner says he made the music explaining that most physicians look and visual components in CD and for objectively quantifiable measures DVD formats since many caregivers of success in treating patients with still use those formats instead of webAlzheimer’s, dementia, autism or Musician Rambling Steve Gardner uses music and imagery to awaken based materials. Homes for those with the distant memories of his mother Miz Sally. The project was so other conditions. dementia still prefer DVD formats successful he created a CD, a DVD and a book filled with his mother’s “But music and art are very case as well, and use such visuals often in drawings to help others with dementia. by case,” he says, adding that every care for their patients. However, the patient reacts differently, so there are no hard and fast rules. materials Gardner created are also available free-of-charge at the “I found in this project, and from years of playing all types of website, Mizsally.com. shows for all types of folks – dementia, challenges, children with “I look at this project as a beginning and hope that it will be special needs – that tuning and tone are very important,” he says. something that might help other families and individuals with these “Maybe more so than speed and rhythm.” problems.” L

Want to know more?

44 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Visit MizSally.com

READLEGENDS.COM •

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By MEGHAN HOLMES

T

ab Benoit grew up in the swamps of south Louisiana, writing songs among the dripping Spanish moss and alligators so prevalent in the area.

“I live in the heart of it. I grew up on 300 acres. We have less than 40 left. It’s not that somebody took the land.

It’s not land anymore. The places I wrote my first songs are gone. The places I learned to play and camp and hunt and fish are gone. It’s open water now. It used to be cypress swamps and bayous and trees. That hits home when it happens so fast,” he says.

His home in Houma, Louisiana, is about an hour southwest of New Orleans in Terrebonne Parish. Water steadily encroaches in this part of the state, swallowing up land created several thousand years ago by a former channel of the Mississippi River. The river no longer builds land here. Following decades of channelizing and leveeing, the Mississippi’s sediment now washes out to sea. Residents of the area worry their unique culture washes away with it.

Benoit, a Grammy-nominated blues guitarist and vocalist, created the Voice of the Wetlands Foundation in 2003 to raise awareness of coastal erosion and salt water intrusion. Along with other musicians, activists, and local businessmen, Benoit organized a yearly Houma festival by the same name. It was created in 2004 and has steadily grown since. The event is slated this year for October 13-15 and in keeping with tradition, combines music and Cajun culture to raise awareness of coastal loss in southern Louisiana.

Benoit sometimes writes and performs at his jam camp just outside of Houma, a barebones structure that he built to replace a camp that washed away during a previous hurricane. (“I had to build something to keep my flood insurance,” he says.) Visitors to the camp typically launch out of Theriot, just south of Houma, and arrive after about a ten minute boat ride. “It’s not a camp if you can get there in your car,” says Benoit. “A shack becomes a palace when you get there in a boat … your little camp becomes the Taj Mahal,” he says, laughing.

His jam camp isn’t much more than a shack: four wooden walls, a wooden bar and stools and a shelf extending about a foot from the middle of the wall on which people sit their drinks. “I had a bunch of people out here on the Fourth of July, and we played for hours. People came up on their boats and listened from the water,” Benoit says. His parties are known to go all night. Benoit’s manager, Reuben Williams, recalled one epic jam session where he napped from 1-5 a.m. and woke to find Benoit still playing guitar.

Benoit’s music combines blues guitar and lyrical sentiments with a distinct sense of place: the swamp. Often referred to as the Cajun Bluesman, many songs combine multiple blues styles, but particularly Delta blues, along with lyrical references to the bayous and marshes where Benoit grew up. He began playing in the late 1980s in south Louisiana blues clubs, eventually traveling across the country to perform. He won the B.B. King Award in 2010, is a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and has released more than a dozen albums. His 2006 record “Brother to the

46 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

STORY FROM HOUMA, LA. READLEGENDS.COM • 47 Photograph by MARIANNE TODD

The festival is large yet intimate with Benoit performing every night. It takes place under dripping the Spanish moss so prevalent in the area he hopes to save.

(Photos by MATTHEW NOEL/HOUMA CVB)

48 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Blues” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Fans recognize him for his scorching guitar licks and soulful, yet gritty voice reminiscent of classic Otis Redding. Some of his slower tunes evolve with a Ray Charles type tempo. But make no mistake, Benoit handles his guitar with precision on upbeat tunes, evoking the rhythms of ZZ Top or Stevie Ray Vaughan. He is versatile and original, and he is steadfast about his cause for ecology.

At Falgout Canal Marina, in Theriot, most customers and the staff greet Benoit, recognizing him immediately. He is dressed simply in jeans, a t-shirt and Ray Bans. A lit cigar in his mouth hints at a rock star persona, but his demeanor is relaxed and approachable. Benoit often takes members of the media on tours of Lake De Cade. No one seems surprised to see a journalist and photographer loading up onto his spacious pontoon boat. The area around the lake provides an opportunity to see last vestiges of living bayou as well as areas where small spits of land, less than a football field wide, stand as the only barrier between fresh water and the Gulf.

“When I would come out here 20 or 30 years ago you couldn’t see that open water,” Benoit says, gesturing behind his camp to a large expanse of choppy, gray water. “This was all marsh – marsh that protected us from hurricanes and that gave generations of people a way to make a living off the land.”

Benoit isn’t chatty, but he speaks at length and eloquently about the changes he has seen over the course of his lifetime spent in Terrebonne Parish, where pastures with hundreds of grazing cattle and live oaks have turned to water and trees have withered and died, stark and without leaves, as the salt water continues to encroach.

In addition to founding the VOW festival, Benoit has lobbied Congress directly and tours extensively with his group, Voice of the Wetlands All Stars, to raise awareness of coastal loss. Members of the super-group perform together yearly at the festival and aside from Benoit, include: Dr. John, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Corey Duplechin, Johnny Vidacovich, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux. In 2005, the ensemble recorded in New Orleans at Piety Street Studio in the months before Katrina, predicting the dangers of hurricanes in the region just prior to the levees’ failure.

Benoit is scheduled to perform every night at this year’s Voice of the Wetlands in various ensembles, as will most members of the All Stars. Other performers include The Fortifiers, Sam Price and the True Believers, The Heath Ledet Band, Honey Island Swamp Band, Don Rich, Margie Perez, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, John “Papa” Gros, Dash Rip Roch, and many others. Nights will conclude with late night jam sessions called Wetlands Rambles, similar to Benoit’s all-night guitar benders on the bayou. Festival attendees who camp on site for the weekend for a $150 fee take best advantage of these late night events.

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Airplane tours of the marshes surrounding the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers serve as another way to raise awareness at the festival, an idea arising from Benoit’s experiences as a pilot flying above the wetlands. “You can see things better from the air,” he says. “I’ve seen little islands disappear in a matter of months. And leaking oil pipes that never get repaired, back when I used to do pipeline inspections for oil companies. No one’s out there, so no one sees it. It’s hard to understand the changes when you’re out here in open water, unless you know what it looked like before.”

Planes fly over the Mississippi delta first, south of New Orleans, where saltwater intrusion has reduced freshwater plant life, and sediment-rich fresh water ends up deep in the gulf. The Atchafalaya’s sediment settles closer to the coastline, building land and nourishing freshwater plant and animal life.

“The Atchafalaya was dammed up too, and still is in a lot of places, but the lower delta has access to fresh water,” says Benoit. “It’s not far from the Mississippi’s river delta; you can get there in 20 minutes or so from my camp, but the environment is so different. We need fresh water here, too.”

The Mississippi River’s sediment (and whatever pollutants and nutrient runoff travel with it) creates dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.

The State of Louisiana’s coastal master plan hopes to return some of this sediment to the marshes using diversions – cuts in the levee to allow fresh water from the river to reach the delta while maintaining flood protection. No one is completely sure how much land the diversions will build. Everyone hopes it will be enough.

“I’m glad more people are paying attention, but we still aren’t doing enough,” says Benoit. “If we don’t act now, the place I grew up will be gone.”

“I live in the heart of it. I grew up on 300 acres.

We have less than 40 left. It’s not that somebody took the land. It’s not land anymore.

The places I wrote my first songs are gone.

The places I learned to play and camp and hunt and fish are gone. It’s open water now. It used to be cypress swamps and bayous and trees.” ~ Tab Benoit

L

Photos by CHUCK COOK

50 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

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Benoit is scheduled to perform every night at this year’s Voice of the Wetlands in various ensembles, as will most members of the All Stars.

Other performers include The Fortifiers, Sam Price and the True Believers, The Heath Ledet Band, Honey Island Swamp Band, Don Rich, Margie Perez, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, John “Papa” Gros, Dash Rip Roch, and many others.

Nights will conclude with late night jam sessions called Wetlands Rambles, similar to Benoit’s all-night guitar benders on the bayou.

Festival attendees who camp on site for the weekend take best advantage of these late night events.

52 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Want to know more?

The Voice of the Wetlands festival is slated for October 13-15 this year.

For more information, visit voiceofthewetlands.com or houmatravel.com.

READLEGENDS.COM • 53 Photography by MATTTHEW NOEL/HOUMA CVB

54 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

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STORY FROM HELENA, ARK.

By DON WILCOCK

T

he King Biscuit Blues Festival showcases the nation’s foremost blues music. Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule are this year’s Saturday night headliner at the 32nd annual King Biscuit Blues Festival, the crowning event of the blues festival season, taking place in historic Helena, Arkansas, October 5-7. It is also a bookend of Bridging the Blues, a multi-week constellation of music events in the region.

Gov’t Mule is a fundamental link between the blues fathers and their contemporary sons and daughters.

Warren Haynes reinvigorated the Allman Brothers, showed the Grateful Dead there was life after Jerry Garcia and, with Gov’t Mule, created a body of work that is the template for contemporary roots music improvisation.

Equally at home jamming with blues masters and rock monsters, he is one of the most highly visible and versatile guitarists on the scene today. His first love and primary creative outlet, Gov’t Mule, channels the fundamentals that defy genre labels, spans the breadth of the fertile American songbook and captivates a fan base with a broad spectrum of tastes.

The band is one of more than 50 acts comprising the perfect blend of music essentials: sound and fury signifying everything that draws fans from around the world to a location that is the vital connection melding art and entertainment’s finest performers.

Presented in the fertile birthplace of Delta blues on the banks of the Mississippi River where cotton is king and the blues artists sing, The Biscuit this year fills in the threads between the never to be forgotten legacy of

OPPOSITE: Warren Haynes and Government Mule headline this year’s King Biscuit Blues Festival, along with J.J. Grey, right.

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native sons Sonny Boy Williamson and James Cotton with an unparalleled lineup that’s the best of the best from the past, present and future of the blues.

Thursday night’s headliner, Tab Benoit is The Voice of the Wetlands. A native of Houma, Louisiana, Benoit calls himself the “new kid from the old school,” having released 18 CDs since 1993. He is the standard bearer of a new generation of Cajun blues musicians and a tireless crusader for the preservation of the rapidly vanishing wetlands of the Gulf Coast.

Helena is a place where time forgot, an idyllic home away from home steeped in the traditions of America’s gift to the world, infused with the spirits and ghosts whose sounds are the deep roots of American culture stripped down to its fundamental essentials. This, The King of all blues fests, takes place where it all began, the womb of the blues.

This is the sweet spot that presents the blues in all its permutations from Sonny Burgess, who rubbed shoulders with Elvis Presley in Arkansas clubs at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, to Bob Margolin, Muddy Waters’ guitarist fresh off The Last Waltz 40th anniversary tour. Paul Thorn, the former boxer who stole the show from B.B. King in 2010, will make a return to The Biscuit as he has every year since. C.W. Gatlin, who played with Sam Carr and Helena’s own Frank Frost, will bring a sense of this history with him; Reba Russell will sing her inspirational “Heaven Came to Helena;” and Allman Brothers alumnus Jack Pearson and Gregg Allman’s keyboardist Bruce Katz will offer the thrill of Southern rock expertise. L

WANT TO GO? There are three stages along Helena’s Cherry Street where visitors can hear a variety of music: the Gospel Stage; the Lockwood/Stackhouse Stage, which features traditional blues artists; and the Main Stage, where the headliners perform.

Admission to the first two are free, but there is an admission fee for the Main Stage.

Tickets, including a 3-day Early Bird pass, may be purchased online at www.kingbiscuitfestival.com.

Tab Benoit, a Louisiana blues musician whose mission is to use music to preserve Louisiana’s wetlands, is scheduled to headline this year’s King Biscuit Blues Festival.

56 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Coffee Pot Café at Creekside

Creole Cuisine

Step back in time and enjoy the atmosphere and music while you eat, then browse the Creekside Merchantile filled with antiques and new merchandise, including gourmet food items.

120 West Bridge Street • Enterprise • Mississippi • 601.659.0500 • https://m.facebook.com/CreeksideMercantile

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DELTA BLUES FESTIVAL Greenville, MS s e g a t s r u o F h t i w d e l l i f fi music

GENERAL ADMISSION $30 CHILDREN 13-18

$10

CHILDREN UNDER 12 FREE ALL ACCESS/ BACKSTAGE PASS

$175

PARKING $5

58 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

BOBBY RUSH WILLIE CLAYTON TUCKA EDEN BRENT NELLIE TRAVIS GRADY CHAMPION SWEET ANGEL NATHANIEL KIMBLE BB KING BLUES BAND RISING STAR FIFE & DRUM BAND DENISE LASALLE KINGFISH

SAT SEPT 16 GATES OPEN AT 10 AM FESTIVAL STARTS AT NOON

DELTA BLUES FESTIVAL PARK 1135 DYCUS ROAD | GREENVILLE, MS 38701

For additional information visit deltabluesms.org or call 662.335.3523

STORY FROM GREENVILLE, MISS.

Four decades in the making

The Delta Blues & Heritage Festival

By MARIANNE TODD Photography by EUPHUS RUTH and BILL STEBER

I

t seems everyone has a story about the Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival … I’m talking about deep experiences that somehow altered life courses and inspired and encouraged people in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

I’m one such person. In a couple of months, thousands of blues aficionados will converge at the Delta Blues Festival Park in Greenville, Mississippi, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this beloved event, billed as the the world’s oldest blues festival.

I got my first taste of it in 1984, long before I had ever dreamed of being the publisher of a magazine dedicated to music and culture. I was 20, old enough to have been exposed to some really good hometown blues, but not old enough to have seen the masters. In Meridian, some three hours southeast of Greenville, Steve Forbert had prepared for the trip. The musician (“Alive on Arrival,” Jack Rabbit Slim,” “Little Stevie Orbit,”) had borrowed a passenger van, loaded up his group of eclectic friends and headed to Freedom Village, where the Delta Blues Fest was held in those days.

Back then, there were few hotel choices, so we all piled into a few rooms at a small roadside motel.

At Freedom Village, we sat atop a school bus and took in the sounds of Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray. It had been rumored that Vaughan would make an appearance, and so he did, shortly before midnight. The wind kicked up that night, blowing his scarf gently behind him as he ripped out those licks. A writer from the Rolling Stone climbed on top of the school bus to interview Forbert, who had all day been jumping off the bus for a quick way down. Not long after the interview, Forbert broke his ankle on one of those dismounts and refused to go to the hospital until we all had our photo made with Albert King.

He hobbled to Albert’s bus with the help of his then girlfriend, Jill, and the four of us made history for a minute. “Some of us don’t look entirely sober in that photo,” he joked recently. (I’m still trying to get my copy of that picture).

Year’s later I married the guy whose band owned the school bus READLEGENDS.COM •

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(although I didn’t know him at the time). The festival had made an impression on each of us … most continued refining their music careers. Forbert now hails from Nashville, still writing, producing and recording. Sadly, some are no longer with us.

Vasti Jackson, a renown blues artist currently on tour in Italy, was also present for that 1984 concert. He took the stage with his band, The Original Down Home Blues Band, just before Robert Cray’s slot.

“I was 24 years old and the musical director and guitarist for Z.Z. Hilll, who had died in April,” Jackson says. “The performance set we did was an homage to Z.Z. with band members Glenn Holmes, Dwight Ross, Melvin Hendrix and Nathaniel Scott. Albert, Stevie and Robert were so generous with their time, and the vibe was relaxed. It felt like a family reunion. There was great excitement and anticipation in the air.”

Before the show was over, Jackson made a photograph with his son, Arsadia Harris, and Vaughan. After the show, Cray drove to Jackson, where he played at Hal and Mal’s. After that show, Cray joined Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets and Sam Myers at the George Street Grocery.

These days, Libby Rae Watson is on tour with the Jerhico Road Show, featuring Rambling Steve Gardner, Bill Steber and Wes Lee, but she still has the two 78 RPM records signed by Muddy Waters a year after our brushes with greatness.

“It was the year Muddy Waters and Johnny Winters played,” she says. “I went there with two 78s and was going to see if I could get Muddy to sign them. He was about 20 feet from me, so I gave them to a guy back stage. I was watching him sign them, and all of a sudden they jumped. Muddy had broken one of them with his hand trying to

60 • AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

sign his name. He was real upset about it.

“I figured, if he made it, he can break it,” Watson says. “So now the broken one says Mudd Waters. I still have that guy’s business card.

And I got the 78s, both of them, and I got a great story, so I got a lot, actually.”

The Delta Blues Festival was created by Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE), says Mable Starks, current president and CEO of the festival. In 1967, civil rights activists Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie Moore, the Rev. J.C. Killingsworth, Ralphus Hayes and Eunita Blackwell, had founded the organization with the sole purpose of empowering and enriching communities, specifically in economic development, job training and promoting the culture of communities.

The festival, begun in 1977, was their creation, she says.

“The first festival was held at Freedom Village on the back of a flatbed trailer,” says Starks. “It was a community celebration of heritage, and what they found is that the music, the heritage and the education was embraced by the entire community. There were more than 3,000 people out there in that country field for the first festival – all races, all colors.”

Starks recalls some of the other greats who have played the fest – B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Issac Hayes. “On one really hot day, Bobby Blue Bland was standing out there in a white t-shirt, sweating and talking about all the reasons why preserving the legacy of this festival is important.”

Starks says she’s been attending the festival since she moved to Mississippi in 2008.

Last year, some 12,000 people were in attendance. This year, the

event features Bobby Rush, Willie Clayton, Eden Brent, Kingfish, the B.B. King Blues Band, Denise LaSalle and more. Four stages will run continuously – the Heritage Stage, the Gospel Stage, the Juke Stage and the Youth Stage.

On its 40th Anniversary, slated for September 16, Starks says festival volunteers are still driven to promote and preserve authentic blues, heritage and education. “It looks like an easy thing to do, but it can be a little hairy at times.

“I talk about it everywhere I go,” Starks says. “I was in New Mexico about four years ago and met this young man who told me his mother and her friend took him and the friend’s son to it. I videotaped him.

He told me about how they had such a good time and how at one point they were separated from their mothers. He went to the police and it was discovered their moms had been smoking pot in the woods. They detained them, but they didn’t arrest them. They said it was the best time of their lives.”

Yet another story in the life of this festival.

“The blues brings people together in a way I have never seen,” Starks says. “Maybe it’s the answer to world peace.” L

Want to go?

N

This year's festival is slated for September 16.

For more information, including a complete festival line up and ticket information, visit deltabluesms.org

Natchez

PILGRIMAGE TOURS

uth Spirit, Old South Hospitality

ors for more than 30 years to an insider’s view of History and tchez Style,” Natchez Pilgrimage Tours is your one-stop for the estival of Music in May. Whether you’re traveling alone or as part of a re sure to enjoy any of our 18 events this year, including fully-staged he opera “Carmen” and the musical “Show Boat.”

hezpilgrimage.com to purchase festival or event tickets or to purchase ound home tours that are open to the public.

September 8 - 10 9 am - 5 pm

Hummingbird Migration & Nature Celebration

One of the Southeast’s biggest nature festivals featuring renowned guest speakers, live animal shows, kids activity zone, wagon rides, naturethemed arts & crafts vendors, native plant sale and up-close views of

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds being banded and released! *No dogs or coolers allowed*

For information about being a vendor, contact SPACinfo@audubon.org For information about being a volunteer, contact SPACvolunteer@audubon.org

N

Natchez

PILGRIMAGE TOURS

LONGWO

LONGWOOD

New South Spirit, Old South Hospitality • Historic House Tours & Curator Tours

New South Spirit, Old South Hospitality

Style and Brunches, Opening the doors for more than 30 years to an insider’s• Natchez view of History Hospitality “Natchez Style,” Natchez Pilgrimage ToursLunches, is your one-stop the Teas for & Dinners 2016 Natchez Festival of Music in May. Whether you’re traveling alone or as part of a in Historic Houses group tour, you’re sure to enjoy any of our 18 events this year, including fully-staged productions of the opera “Carmen” and the musical “Show Boat.”

• Musical Events in Historic

Properties & Houses Visit www.natchezpilgrimage.com to purchase festival or event tickets or to purchase tickets for year-round home tours that are open to the public.

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601.446.2478 • 800.647.6742 • www.natchezpilgrimage.com READLEGENDS.COM •

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after visiting the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum

HUNTING AND FISHING OUTFITTERS

Garrett’s Complete Hunting Outfitters is your location for all of your hunting and fishing needs – Duckett and Lews Rods, Abu Garcia and Shimano Reels, Ruger and Remington Rifles, and Browning and Benelli Shotguns.

We also have a massive selection of knives and ammo, i l l e Be n and hunting clothes and boots by SBE II’s Carhartt, Rocky, Durango e l a on S and Propper.

Now!

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•

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WHAT’S SHAKIN’ IN THE CRADLE? •

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Bogalusa, La. Sep 29-30 .... Bogalusa Blues Festival, featuring the North Mississippi Allstars and Anders Osborne, with Samantha Fish, Victor Wainwright and more at Cassidy Park. For more information, visit bogalusablues.com.

Corinth, Miss.

Aug 26 .... The Lacs are coming to Crossroads Arena with special guest TheRealBigSmo and Demun Jones Music. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 day of show. For more information visit crossroadsrena.com or call (662) 287-7779.

Sep 2 ... The Green Market at the Corinth Depot is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Crossroads Museum in the C.A.R.E. Garden green space and is free to the public. Browse 75 high-quality, handmade-only vendor booths featuring an eclectic mix of regional arts and crafts. Features live music and gourmet eats. For more information visit corinth.net/calendar.

DeSoto, Miss.

Aug 11 ... Matchbox Twenty Twentieth Anniversary Tour at the BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove. Come see the worldfamous band Matchbox Twenty with special guest Matt Nathason perform live. Tickets start at $29.50. For more information visit sodesoto.com/events or call (662) 892-2660.

Aug 26, 27 ... Repticon Memphis Reptile and Exotic Animal Show at the LANDERS Center. Repticon is a reptile event featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages and merchandise, as well as live animal seminars and frequent free raffles for prizes. Exciting, educational, family-oriented fun. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12 and free for ages 5 and under. For more information visit repticon.com or call (863) 268-4273.

Sep 8 ... Classic Music Festival at the LANDERS Center. Featuring special guests Fantasia and Kenny “BabyFace” Edmonds, hosted

by Jammin Jay Lamont. Tickets are $127, $97, $87 and $57. For more information visit sodesoto.com/events or call (662) 4702131.

Destin. Fla. Sep 2 ... American Legends Labor Day Music Festival at the Mattie Kelly Amphitheater. Join them for a night of music at the Mattie Kelly Amphitheater, Northwest Florida State College. Musical guests include local artists: Temptations Revue featuring Reggie Reed; Ron Adams-Shadow of the King; Josh Sirten-A Sinatra Tribute. For more information visit mattiekellyartscenter.org or call (504) 250-4679.

Sep 10 ... Hispanic Fest 2017 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Hispanic Fest is a family-oriented, cultural and educational festival that showcases the very best of Hispanic music, folkloric dances, arts and crafts, exhibits and the flavors and aromas of Hispanic cuisine, and will include live bands, singers, top DJs, delicious food, a variety of vendors, folkloric groups, a fashion show, a kids zone and more. For more information call (850) 368-3505.

Greenville, Miss.

Sep 16 ... The 40th Annual Delta Blues & Heritage Festival 2017. The festival, begun in 1977, is now the largest blues festival in the Delta and the oldest in the world. Always held on the 3rd Saturday in September, the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival features blues artists from near and far. Tickets start at $20. For more information visit deltabluesms.org or call (662) 335-2943.

Sep 22 ... 7th Annual Sam Chatmon Blues Festival 2017. Downtown Hollandale is the place to be for the annual Sam Chatmon Blues Festival. Bikes, barbecue and the blues. Live performances. For more information call (662) 827-2241.

Sep 29 - Oct 1 ... 5th Annual Mighty Mississippi Music Festival & 18th Annual Highway 61 Blues Festival 2017. Come for the excitement and entertainment surrounding the 4th Annual Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, which is now held in Greenville on the banks of the Mississippi River in Warfield Point Park, featuring food vendors and music by St. Paul and Broken Bones, Turnpike Troubadours and Shovels and Rope. Tickets start at $80 for adults for a three-day pass and $22.50 for children under 12. For more information visit mightmississippimusicfestival.com or call (662) 335-7275.

Greenwood, Miss.

Aug 3-5 ... Shakespeare Summer Scene Fest. For five weeks, kids will be trained in Shakespeare’s plays and Elizabethan stage conventions, set construction and scenery/costume design. The boot camp will culminate in three nights of performance at Greenwood Little Theatre. Featuring veteran stage actors, a professional carpenter, and renowned artists and designers, the Shakespeare Boot Camp will be one of the Delta’s foremost arts education program for youth. Tickets start at $5. For more information visit greenwoodlittletheatre.com or call (662) 947-1075.

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Grenada, Miss.

Sep 19 ... Grenada’s Downtown Jubilee will be held on the historic square from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Hosted by the Grenada Area Chamber of Commerce, this event is a family day of music, arts and crafts, children’s activities, car shows, and much more. For more information visit grenadamississippi.com or call (662) 226-9745.

Holly Springs, Miss.

Sep 8-10 ... Hummingbird Migration & Nature Celebration, one of the Southeast’s biggest nature festivals featuring renowned guest speakers, live animal shows, wagon rides, nature-themed arts and crafts, native plant sale and up close views of Rubythroated hummingbirds being banded and released. For more information, visit visithollysprings.com.

Jackson, Miss.

Aug 18,19 ... Jackson Rhythm and Blues Festival. On August 18-19 the Fifth Annual Jackson Rhythm and Blues Festival takes place in Downtown Jackson inside the Jackson Convention Complex. This Boomin’ festival presents a mix of Rhythm and Blues artists to celebrate Jackson’s rich contribution to the fabric of music. Festivalgoers will experience 30 performances on 5 stages satisfying their senses with a Boomin’ lineup, quality sound, delectable food and an engaging ambiance. Tickets start at $55.

Reserve your space now! For more information visit jacksonrhythmandbluesfestival.com or call (601) 960-1891.

Lafayette, La. 2nd Saturdays ... ArtWalk. See the Art, Buy the Art. During 2nd Saturdays of the month, explore the Downtown Lafayette Cultural District as art galleries display works by the best of local and regional artists. Take a tour of the galleries from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m., as Downtown Lafayette comes alive with more than a dozen galleries, museums restaurants and shops offering live music, food, drink and of course, art for purchase. For more information visit downtownlafayette.org or call (337) 291-5566.

Meridian, Miss.

Aug 19 ... One Night in Memphis. The No. 1 Tribute to Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis & Johnny Cash recreates their legendary jam session and presents them as they were at their peaks: wildly energetic, supremely confident and breathing fire.

Tickets start at $22. For more information visit msurileycenter.com or call (601) 696-2200.

Aug 26 ... Idle and Batty Pat perform live at Meridian Underground Music. Their love for music goes far beyond the latest listening devices to explore the true essence of artistic expression. Join MUM as they embrace this movement, exploring, sharing and preserving raw, authentic musical stylings. Show is free to the public. For more information visit meridianundergroundmusic. com or call (601) 485-1363.

Sep 3 ... Da Bomb 100.1 presents the Bomb Kick-off Celebration at the Temple Theater. Featuring artists H-Town, Tucka, Jwonn, Zapp and Friends, and Anthony Hamilton Introduces the Hamiltones. Tickets start at $25. For more information visit templetheater.wordpress.com or call (601) 693-5353.

Morgan City, La. Sep 1-4 .... Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in downtown, a four-day extravaganza of family entertainment, including live music by local and national acts, a huge arts and crafts show and sale, a children’s village, Cajun Culinary Classic, the Blessing of the Fleet and Water Parade. FREE. For more information, visit cajuncoast.com.

Natchez, Miss.

Aug 17-20 ... The Addams Family at the Natchez Little Theatre. The Addams Family features an original story, and it’s every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met. Tickets start at $20. For more information visit natchezlittletheatre.org or call (601) 442-2233.

New Albany, Miss.

September 21... New Albany Garden Club presents An Evening in the Faulkner Garden from 5-8 at the Union County Heritage Museum. Take a stroll through the Faulkner Literary Garden while enjoying live music; food and beverages by Tallahatchie Gourmet; a preview of the Faulkner and Folk Art Exhibit; Plein air painting, pottery demonstrations and more. For more information and tickets call 662-538-0014 or visit ucheritagemuseum.com New Orleans, La. Aug 2 ... Incubus’ 8 Tour with special guest Jimmy Eat World. Multi-platinum alt-rock icons Incubus are coming to Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their major label album debut, Incubus has released a brand new album “8” just in time for its first headlining North American tour since 2015. For more information visit champions-square. com or call (504) 587-3663.

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