Legends Sep/Oct 2011 by Shawn King

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September. October 2011

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Contents september / october 2011

Music Publisher.......................... Marianne Todd Executive Editor............................ Jayne Cannon Creative Director.............................Shawn T. King Copy Editor...................................Chris Banks Designer.............................Shawn T. King

Advertising Sales Cat Owen - 601-917-4435 Cat@MississippiLegends.com Ken Flynt, director - 601-479-3351 Ken@MississippiLegends.com Editorial - 601-604-2963 Editor@MississippiLegends.com Contributing writers: Billy Howell, Lhay Browning Thriffiley and Leigh Anne Whittle

4 The House that Blues Built

18 Olga

A San Francisco native finds her musical home in Mississippi

28 Authentic Partying at Frank Jones Corner

The Jackson nightclub nestled in the city’s famed blues neighborhood comes alive

58 Update: The Sucarnochee Revue heads to

Web calendar tech: James Sharp (www.MississippiLegends.com) Email calendar submissions to James@MississippiLegends.com

10 Cover Story: Sela

Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without express permission of the publisher. The opinions and views expressed by our contributors, writers and editors are their own. Various views from other professionals may also be expressed. Neither LEGENDS nor Blue South Publishing Corporation is endorsing or guaranteeing the products or quality of services expressed in advertisements. All advertisers assume liability for all content (including text representation and illustration) of advertisements printed and assume responsibility for any resulting claims against LEGENDS or its affiliates Materials, photographs and written pieces to be considered for inclusion in LEGENDS may be sent to P.O. Box 3663, Meridian, MS 39303. Unsolicited materials will not be returned. LEGENDS is free and distributed through tourism offices, welcome centers, restaurants, theaters, casinos, and institutions of higher education. If your business, agency or industry would like to offer LEGENDS, please contact us at Editor@MississippiLegends.com. For more information, write to Editor@MississippiLegends.com. More information, including a comprehensive, up-to-date calendar, may be found at www.MississippiLegends.com

ﬂAbout our cover Actress Sela Ward of Meridian has signed on for another season with CSI:NY. The Emmy awardwinning actress talked to LEGENDS about her role as Detective Jo Danville and why she still calls Mississippi home. Cover photo by Art Streiber/AUGUST

September. October 2011

Prime Time

Features

LEGENDS would like to give a special shout out to our fine printer, CJK Print Possibilities of Cincinnati, Ohio, and special thanks to Mark Wurm, Jamey Cullup and all the great pressmen at CJK for their outstanding excellence in service, consistent work quality and continued dedication to Blue South Publishing.

nearly destroys his life

Contributing photographers: Chad Edwards, Ken Flynt, Steve Gardner, Thomas Gregory, Kaylin Idora, Pat Steber and Art Streiber

CLARIFICATION: The Robert Johnson photograph appearing on page 17 in the July/August edition of LEGENDS was provided by Hooks Bros., Memphis, circa 1935 © 1989 Delta Haze Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Musicians band together for Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt after a house fire

Even after two Emmys, a Golden Globe and another prime spot on a popular television series, Sela is still a Mississippi girl at heart

32 “The Help” lends a hand to Greenwood Officials estimate its economic impact at $17 million

40 How Greenwood’s residents opened their doors to “The Help”

52 Bradley Gordon: The Mississippi artist who returned to his roots

62 Book Review: Hidden History of Mississippi Blues

Culinary Arts 16 Weidmann’s Returns

The peanut butter crocks and sinful Southern dishes are back!

44 A Taste of Greenwood Appetizers at Giardinas

Mile-high pie at The Crystal Grill Dinner at Luscos

letter from the publisher

Dear Readers, As we put to bed the last edition of our first year in print, I’m reminded of just how good this year has been and what an immensely exciting time it is to be in Mississippi. I am thrilled that Mississippians are boarding the creative economy train – one that will help our arts industry flourish – and it is certainly gratifying to be one of its engineers. I was honored to be part of the state’s recent Creative Economy Summit in Jackson. It was a meeting of some of the best 400 creative minds in the state – tourism directors, Mississippi Development Authority employees, artists, musicians, film makers, developers, economists, business owners – anyone who has a hand in or an interest in telling the world about our best renewable economic resource – our arts and entertainment industry. The message was clear, loud and incredibly simple – Mississippians need not look elsewhere to make this state great. We already have what we need – the thriving history, culture, talent and authenticity that flows freely from the never-ending fountain of our creative people. It’s what visitors want when they arrive at our state line – a true, honest, gritty Mississippi experience. For musicians like Steve Gardner – on his annual musical trek home from Tokyo – and Dudley Tardo, leader of the Legendary House Rockers, this means recognition and support

for years of sweat and tears, dedication in the hardest of circumstances, working long hours, lugging thousands of pounds of gear – for little appreciation or pay. For our communities, this means reexamining and re-evaluating our own backyards, cleaning out the clutter, dusting off what we’ve taken for granted for far too long and putting into the forefront what visitors want most – true Mississippi. People come to Mississippi to hear our great music and eat our Southern cuisine. They come for our genuine hospitality, the ease with which we live, to sip sweet tea with us on our front porches, to submerge themselves in our culture. I resoundingly say we give it to them. For more on this subject, I invite you to review Lhay Browning Thriffiley’s story on Tommy “T-Bone” Pruitt, and see what a boost in creative economy can mean for people like him – as well as you and me. As LEGENDS rolls on down the tracks we invite – and challenge - you to jump on board. Bring with you your ideas, motivation, stories, momentum, expertise, people and places – your very own legends. We’re just an email away... Until next time,

Marianne ABOVE: Steve Gardner, Marianne Todd, Dudley Tardo (Photo by Pat Steber) mississippilegends.com

music feature

South Mississippi’s community of musicians helps a respected bluesman get back on his feet by using what they know best

the faith of a music-loving community AND

THE POWER OF LIVE MUSIC By Lhay Browning Thriffiley Photographs by Chad Edwards

Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt, a celebrated bluesman and favorite local musician, lost his home in a house fire that ignited Memorial Day weekend. He and Verta, his wife of 61 years, now face the difficult task of starting over, grieving their losses while coping with the challenges of aging, and, at least for now, homelessness.

Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt

t was a show of love in a way that musicians know best how to give. Surrounded by countless singers, guitarists and other performers, Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt was the star of a mid-summer performance – but one that he would have rather not had. As the beloved musician rested his 78-year-old frame comfortably in an overstuffed recliner, as if holding court among a room full of musicians, they gathered to raise money for his recent devastation. Performers on stage dedicated songs to him. Blues fans stopped by to shake his hand, or to stoop beside him to have a keepsake photo snapped during the 12-hour event. The Shed, which played host to the event, was fitting not only because it accommodates 1,000 people, but because it occupies the old bottling company on historic Mobile Street in downtown Hattiesburg, just a meander

down the road from where Pruitt got his first taste of the spotlight at The Star Theater. Back then, in 1948, he was only 15 years old. According to Nick Chichester, The Shed’s general manager, donations and raffle tickets raised funds in excess of $8,000, making the event a huge success by local charity event standards. Pruitt, who was born just a few miles up the road in nearby Ellisville, has been a regular performer on the South Mississippi blues circuit for more than 60 years. He is recognized as much by his singing style (half-talking, halfpleading, in his rich Southern drawl) as he is for his nimble electric blues guitar-playing style. His relaxed, down-toearth performances, accented by his soulful flair, make for an easy, authentic Mississippi blues listening experience. On stage, he shuffles renditions of blues classics with his own original blues tunes. mississippilegends.com

“

Musicians will show up unannounced on a weekday with mismatched, secondhand supplies from their own cupboards, fried food in a bag, comfort candy or maybe a six-pack, and if needed, a guitar that’s yours for as long as you need it, often with limited instructions, like “Just don’t hock it, man.”

“I mix it all up and try to play something for everybody,” he says. “I’ve been playing 60 years, so I know how to feel out what people out there like.” Like another well-known Mississippi bluesman, Pruitt’s largerthan-life performance is often delivered from a folding chair at center stage. As noted on his website, Pruitt has shared a bill with the likes of Bo Diddley, Ike and Tina Turner, Solomon Burke and Ivory Joe Hunter, yet, unlike the more famous performers, Pruitt never really left Ellisville, leaving his performances unaffected by the trappings of celebrity. When he sings the blues, he is singing the truth as he has lived it for the better part of a century. When his stage band plays live, most often with drums, a bass player and a brass section in the mix, it’s easy to get caught up in the party and forget that what is being experienced is a living example of Mississippi’s single greatest export, our most renewable economic asset: creativity. It’s said that Mississippians are some of the most generous people around, and local musicians and club owners alike have ardently proved devotion to Pruitt. When word of the fire hit the street, Hattiesburg’s music community mobilized. Ben Shemper, owner of Bennie’s Boom Boom Room, was quick to respond by booking a benefit show. “I put it on the first empty spot on my calendar, with just enough time to get the word out. I didn’t even know at first if Tommie could be there. He played; it was a good turnout.” Other venues, including Nick’s Ice House in Hattiesburg, and The Loft on Central Avenue in Laurel, hosted small benefit shows to meet the Pruitts’ immediate needs after the fire. When tragedy strikes, any musician worth a nickel will tell you troubles have only just begun, that the blues are a half a mile up the road and are headed straight to your door. Musicians empathize. The blues is coming to take your woman, your money, your dog and your winter coat. You’d be well-advised to hold on to your guitar. When tragedy strikes your life, your family might phone to check on you. Neighbors might offer kind words if they happen to run into you. Churchgoers might send a covered dish. Musicians, on the other hand, will show up unannounced on a weekday with mismatched, second-hand supplies from their own cupboards, fried food in a bag, comfort candy or maybe a six-pack, and if needed, a guitar that’s yours for as long as you need it, often with limited instructions, like “Just don’t hock it, man.” Musicians are connected by the clubs, stages and spotlights they rotate between, and by an unspoken code. All working musicians share the internal drive to express thoughts and sounds, even when it is cumbersome, exhausting, embarrassing, dangerous or unprofitable, and it’s hard to explain why. And when it comes to playing a music benefit show for a fellow

September. October 2011

musician, performers with little else to share will tuck away their empty wallets, and play their songs for you, for your entertainment, your sorrow, your hope, your loss. It is what they do best. Since the fire, all Pruitt has wanted to do is play. Since he had no guitar, a local musician graciously offered up a loaner with an amplifier, no doubt aware that Pruitt needed the comfort music as much as the income. Another musician offered to call a friend who might be able to clear the burned rubble off of his property. Still another offered to help him find and purchase a FEMA trailer to sleep in. A recent visit to the Pruitt homestead reveals a shocking site: the charred frame of a mobile home stands three feet off the ground, the skeletal remains of the double-wide dragon that ate this musician’s life in a flash. The sweet taste of burnt wood lingers, and it is immediately obvious that it would be impossible and pointless to go through it all, since nothing would be salvageable: no clothes, no papers, not his Gibson P335 that he says he paid $3,700 for back in 1976, nor the leather coat that B.B. King personally gave to him. He’s proud of the coat. “Said his name where they sewed it in, right in the back of the neck, B.B. King,” he remembers. “It was warm, too.”

skilled craftsmen like Pruitt, who might then be able to earn a living wage, so that he could indulge in the finer things in life. You know, like homeowner’s insurance. A regular investment toward the fair exploitation of talent would create jobs for musicians, in turn giving our residents and tourists a choice of ways to spend $20 on a Friday night, in turn stimulating our local economy across the board. You can (and should) support your local music scene with your presence, your dollars and your vote.

Throughout the summer of 2011, money has trickled in to help the Pruitts. The Mississippi Blues Commission, an organization with funds to help qualified blues musicians in times of crisis, awarded Pruitt a $500 grant to help with his losses, and various community members have offered help in financial or in-kind contributions. The “Tommie ‘T-Bone’ Pruitt Relief Fund” accepts donations at any Bancorp South location. The Pruitts were living modestly before the fire, so nearly $10,000 may seem like a lot of money. Still, they have a long way to go. A local music industry veteran for more than 30 years, harmonica player Kerry LeFan has recently tried his hand at coordinating several larger local benefit concerts for musicians in need. “I have seen firsthand that local musicians in south Mississippi are especially aware of each other if someone is in need,” he said. “I have had to turn musicians away because there are no time slots There is a small but feverish group of Mississippians who believe left in the lineup. South Mississippi, its people, and especially its musicians, offer their time, talent and support to each other in a that the future of Mississippi lies in the cultivation and nurturing of way unlike any other place I’ve ever experienced.” its most abundant and available natural resource: its creativity. The Shemper puts it in simpler terms: “How could you not help genius of this new development strategy is its renewability: placing him out? Come on, man, this is Tommie we’re talking about. value on talent as a commodity in a predominantly left-brained economy leads, without fail, to the rise of more and better talent. He’s the real thing, y’know?” L Money invested wisely in creativity leads, without fail, to innovative Lhay Browning Thriffiley is a downtown project manager for Ken Brown & Associates and a graduate thinking, expressive skills and community building. The practice of assistant at Trent Lott Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern Mississippi. rewarding talent can grow exponentially into an epidemic of talent, a thriving industry of talent-manufacturing plants, if you will, which Musicians making a difference can be exported, or dangled as shiny incentives to attract desirable Special thanks to these fine musicians for the unselfish giving of their time imports. and talent to help a fellow musician in need: It’s not warm, fuzzy rocket science: Mississippi needs to learn how Cary Hudson, Wes Lee, Gypsy Elise & The Royal Blues, Vasti Jackson, to view someone like Tommie Pruitt as a potential cash fountain, The Cowboy Blues Band, The Method with Bucky Cole, The King Fridays, an endangered cultural and economic resource who, without the Smuddge, Dustin Chambliss, Megan May, Y’all Blues Band, Adam McPhail, Trase, Dr. E and the Voodoo Kings, The Deltamatics, Jon Sorey, Lloyd necessary infrastructure, is destined to become extinct. Our state “Hurricane” Munn, Mark Mann & the Marked Menn, Scott Chism & the Better could be subsidizing, creating incentives around and investing in Half, Pinebelt Pickers, Southbound Crescent, Thomas Jackson Orchestra mississippilegends.com

September. October 2011

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Cover Story

The “CSI: NY” star has home on her mind By Marianne Todd

Sela Ward says being a celebrity in Mississippi has a homey feel, one of familiarity and kindness. The Meridian-born actress currently stars on “CSI: NY.”

September. October 2011

Photos by Art Streiber

espite two Emmys, a Golden

Globe, a long list of screen credits and three major roles in popular television series, Sela Ward will likely always feel Mississippi tugging at her heart. “Fame is a funny thing,” she says, from her home in California. “When I’m in Mississippi, someone will say, ‘Hey, Sela!’ and my brain starts going a mile a minute wondering if that person is a friend of my mama’s – then I’ll realize that they know me from TV. Southerners are so familiar with each other, and people are really very kind to me.” The “CSI:NY” star is used to fans stopping her to acknowledge their appreciation of her work. When in Mississippi, though, celebrity has a slightly different feel. I have that wonderful middle-level of celebrity,” she says. “I wouldn’t wish that Tom Cruise level on anyone.” When she’s not taping the role of Detective Jo Danville, an expert on psychological profiling, she’s home in Mississippi enjoying the quiet and beauty on the gentle rolling hills of her farm just outside of Meridian. “Going home is always like getting a big hug with a warm blanket. You crawl back into that cocoon with a sense of memories and a sense of community and history and family,” Ward, 55, says. “You can only get that from your roots, and that’s something that really ads a lot to my life. Those experiences are very personal for me – a very important piece in my life that has continuity to it, and it adds to my wellbeing.” Her children, Austin, 17, and Anabella, 13, have romped on the farm since they were born. “They don’t know life without going there,” she said.

“It’s part of their own painting, and it enhances who they are.” Whether in-state or out, Ward remains close to Hope Village for Children, a home for abused and neglected children that she organized in 2002. When home, she visits with the children there and works tirelessly for funding, “to enhance the quality of their lives, and it’s thriving. It’s going fantastic but getting funding is always a challenge because it’s funded partly by state and federal money and half from private donations.” That real-life role resonates with Ward in her “CSI: NY” character, who adopted a young teenager whose mother she helped put in jail for life. The role explores the emotional and psychological challenges of raising an adopted daughter and in one scene last season, Ward’s character was criticized for adopting her daughter out of “guilt.” Ward says the role has been an adjustment and a challenge since she is used to the family drama of “Sisters” and “Once and Again,” her two previous TV series, where character roles were well- developed and scripts are written around relationship issues. Being able to use her native Southern accent helps, she says. “It’s been an adjustment because I’ve never done a role like this. It’s a procedural show, not a relationship drama where you get into all the emotions of the characters,” she says. “Instead of being about characters, it’s about solving a mystery. There’s a lot of new lingo. It’s challenging to develop a character when you don’t have the dialogue to support that – but I am having fun with it. It’s much more challenging than I thought it would be.” Ward has signed on for this season – to premiere Sept. 23 mississippilegends.com

on CBS – and for next season as well if the show is picked up again. Ward says the role is another in a long line of accomplishments she remains in wonderment of. “I walk around on the soundstage and wonder how I even got here from Meridian, Miss., coming from a non-entertainment family,” she says with a giggle. Ward has worked alongside Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and George Clooney, to name a few.

And for all her stunning credentials, Ward credits her Southern heritage as the most prevalent and positive aspect driving her career. “The South is like a country within a country, and that experience makes what I have to bring to the screen so much richer,” she says. “That slice of my Mississippi experience, what I’m able to bring to my performance, has made the difference in my career. It’s something you cannot buy, that you can only read about. I love that part of who I am.”

“The South is like a country within a country, and that experience makes what I have to bring to the screen so much richer.” A Selection of Sela

sela’s awards

Janet in “The Man Who Loved Women,”1983

Emmy Award, Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, “Sisters,” 1994

Teddy Reed in “Sisters,” 1991–96 Helen Kimble in “The Fugitive,” 1993 Jessica Savitch in “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story,” 1995

CableACE Award, Best Lead Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story,” 1995 Emmy Award, Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, “Once and Again,” 2000 Golden Globe Award, Best Actress in a TV Series Drama, “Once and Again,” 2001

Lilly Manning in “Once and Again,” 1999–2002 Page Monroe in “The New Batman Adventures,” 1999 Sidney Clark/Cheryl Belson in “Catch a Falling Star,” 2000 Dr. Lucy Hall in “The Day After Tomorrow,” 2004 Stacy Warner in “House,” 2005–06 Helen Randall in “The Guardian,” 2006

GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 1, 2011 TOWN CREEK ARTS FESTIVAL AN ALL-DAY CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS

Susan Harding in “The Stepfather,” 2009 Jo Danville in “CSI: NY.” 2010–present

AT THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM of ART 380 South Lamar Street, Downtown Jackson 601-960-1515 or 1-866-VIEW ART FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.MSMUSEUMART.ORG

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3DWW\ *ULIĂ&#x20AC;Q with Buddy Miller 7:30 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 20, 2011

Mary Chapin Carpenter 7:30 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 28, 2011

Point of Grace with Special Guest Jason Castro 7:30 p.m.

Thurs., Nov. 3, 2011

Macbeth 7:30 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 16, 2011

Miles Davis Tribute with Blue Note Records 7:30 p.m.

Sun., Nov. 20, 2011

Blind Boys of Alabama with Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins 6:00 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 10, 2011

Miracle on 34th Street 7:30 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 20, 2012

Junie B. Jones 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 28, 2012

The Pointer Sisters 7:30 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 10, 2012

Evidence, A Dance Company 7:30 p.m. (Ronald K. Brown choreographed songs by Stevie Wonder)

Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012 Garrison Keillor 7:30 p.m.

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cuisine

L Weidmann’s: It’s all about the food Words and Photographs by Marianne Todd

Tradition rolls on, 141 years in the making

ouis Armstrong’s familiar voice is drifting through the overhead speakers as Michael Longmeier sips his favorite afternoon cocktail – a dry Beefeater martini straight up with a twist and a dash of bitters – no olive. Although he is relaxing, the popular downtown Meridian restaurant is abuzz around him, getting ready for the night’s diners. Weidmann’s began its story in 1870, when it opened as an Italian grocery store in the Union Hotel, says current-day proprietor Charles Frazier. It moved to its location at 210 22nd Ave. in 1923 and has since been the scene of Meridian’s vast and diverse social culinary club. It was renovated in 2000 when the Weidmann family closed its doors and a group of investors headed by Sela Ward reopened it, Frazier said. The former Weidmann’s had been widely known for its wonderful delicacies, peanut butter crocks on every table and a famed treasure chest filled with toys for well-behaved children. When the 2000 renovation came about, the restaurant was taken to a new level, gutted of its original interior and made into a swanky fine-dining restaurant. Although the food was delightful, patrons even a decade later still wanted to see a return of the former restaurant, the one that offered them Southern dishes in a more informal setting. When management shifted again in 2010, Frazier stepped in. “My vision was to embrace that history,” said Frazier, whose culinary history includes Italian cuisine dining and a stint with Robert St. John’s Crescent City Grill in Meridian. Frazier started by advertising for the photos that hung on the walls during Weidmann’s glory days and to his surprise, the photos of famous patrons and longtime customers started pouring in. He put the peanut butter crocks back on the tables, a treasure chest of goodies out front and the original antique cash register back behind the bar. Then he went to work on the food. “I started doing research and revived as many old recipes as I could,” he said. “It’s ever-evolving, but I think that’s what a restaurant has to do.”

Together with Chef John Toutellotte, Frazier re-instituted the beloved lemon almond and black bottom pies. They adapted a dish reminiscent of Gloria’s (Weidmann) Special – a grilled cheese sandwich with Swiss and Fontina cheeses on rye with shrimp remoulade salad. They added three more traditional favorites, Filet Ala Weidmann’s, stuffed with bacon and blue cheese, Trout Almondine with almond-butter sauce and catfish with Belvedere sauce. Frazier said they also added a few new dishes and tried 15 different fried green tomato recipes before deciding on one. Redfish Hannah (named for his daughter) is a creation of blackened redfish topped with shrimp and mushrooms in a spicy cream sauce. “We embrace the Southern cuisine, but that by its very nature is eclectic,” he said. “We try to incorporate aspects of the South in all our dishes.” The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner and on weekends is open for brunch. “I heard a man last Sunday raving about the sweet potato waffles, and I had already ordered the eggs Benedict,” Longmeier quipped from the bar. Frazier said the sweet potato waffles with candied pecans and syrup are a new favorite. Customers come to relax for Sunday brunch on the balcony overlooking 22nd Avenue, enjoying stuffed French toast (with strawberries and cream cheese or the Elvis special, with peanut butter and bananas), or a soul food staple, chicken and waffles. The atmosphere is effortless; work by local artists hangs on exposed brick, and classic jazz is the mainstay of music there. Evening hours also see the balcony full. Patrons come for the selection of 80 different kinds of beer, as well as beer-tasting nights and now the newly added wine tasting evenings. “The service is perfect and the food is good,” Longmeier continued. “And to me, it’s the food that counts. In fact, there was a sign that hung in the old Weidmann’s that read, ‘It’s all about the food.’ That’s so true. If I ever find that sign, I’m going to buy it and give it to them.” L

Mon. – Thur., 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Fri. – Sat., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (balcony remains open for drinks until 2 a.m. Mon. – Sat.) | Sun. brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weidmann’s also has meeting rooms for group and corporate dinners and caters for special occasions. For more information, call 601-581-5770 or visit their website at www.weidmanns1870.com. OPPOSITE, COUNTER CLOCKWISE: Crab cakes with Belvedere sauce sit beside a serving of scalloped potatoes and fresh stemed vegetables. Black bottom pie is a traditional favorite, pleasing tastbuds for generations. Fried green tomatoes are smothered in a cajun shrimp sauce. The current proprietor, Charles Frazier (pictured above), began his restoration of the traditional Weidmann’s by bringing back the photos of famous people and longtime customers that hung on the walls of the original establishment.

September. October 2011

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Olga music feature

The story of a

soulful Southern transplant By Marianne Todd Photographs by Kaylin Idora

Olga’s environmentally conscious music is downloaded via drop cards embedded with seeds that can be planted after the music is acquired. “Acoustically, you’ll hear the blues and the Mississippi Delta influence. I write about my experience and I keep it as close to home as possible,” says Olga, a newly-elected Blues Foundation board member who released the 80s-influenced “Whatever You Want,” last month.

September. October 2011

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t’s almost like watching a movie, the mental image of Southern-transplant Olga tearing down American back roads with her kindred spirit, Jessie Mae Hemphill, in the passenger seat. They would be in a red convertible, their guitars in the back seat and hair flying freely in the wind on their trek to New York from Hemphill’s hometown of Senatobia. Fast forward a decade or so and the image changes dramatically. Olga is now in Black Wings Studio in Water Valley with Mississippi’s Cody Dickinson, laying down tracks to a new release, their hair flying in the reverberations of the '80s riffs pumping through the speakers. In reality, both stories exist, although the red convertible is imagined. It’s a testament to the ethereal and fluid Olga (she goes by the sole name), who got her musical start studying with great bands like Los Lobos and great legends like Hemphill and whose deep, soulful voice takes command of the blues, then twists into an '80s-infused upbeat musical dynamic – all in the same day. “Music is cyclical,” says Olga, a San Francisco native, who now makes her home in New Orleans and is enjoying the merits of her new release, “Whatever You Want.” “Everything is cyclical. I hear even shoulder pads are coming back.” For those who didn’t grow up in the ‘80s, the decade passed with relatively no significance. To those who did, pop still reigns, reminiscent of an escape to a bouncy, upbeat, happier and more carefree time. “Both of us grew up in that time,” she says of co-collaborator Dickinson. “Cody is a big pop guy, and I’ve always known that about him. In fact, earlier Allstars records experimented with pop. It was a great time to discover music. Riding down the road and hearing the Thompson Twins or Simple Minds, I’d crank up the radio.” Dickinson, drummer for the North Mississippi Allstars, which recently earned a Grammy nomination, and whose alternative band project is the electric, yet boldly raw Hill Country Revue, at press time was in Russia on tour with his brother, Luther Dickinson, and Robert Plant. “Whatever You Want,” aside from being a trip down Memory Lane, was the catalyst for something larger – a lesson learned for Olga, that there are no holds barred in the recording studio. “This was a whole new territory of exploration and discovery,” she said. “I didn’t realize I could write guitar hooks, but I’d play something and say, ‘We need an extra note in there,’ and Cody would agree. He’d say, ‘Absolutely. Dead on.’ It was great to discover that part of myself, that ability that I had in me.” Olga met Cody and Luther during a performance in Boulder some 17 years ago. She was formally trained in music at an early age, fell in love with the blues through Jimi Hendrix, apprenticed with Maria Muldaur and was coached by the band members of Los Lobos. When she saw the North Mississippi Allstars, she couldn’t deny the pull to the distinct Hill Country Blues sound. “They were my age, and they were white and playing the blues,” she said. “We were kindred spirits. Then through my friendship with them, Luther one day said, ‘You should move to the South.’” Olga promptly packed a truck and headed for New Orleans. It was there that she reached out to Hemphill. “I found her address and wrote her a letter, and to my delight and surprise she wrote me back. She wanted me to call her and come see her.” Olga took the invitation to heart. 22

September. October 2011

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Jessie Mae Hemphill back in the day. Olga couldn’t resist her. (Photo by Steve Gardner)

“I would go up and stay with her,” she said. “It was like hanging out with Grandma. She would cook for me. I would help her with her bathing and her hair. I have a lot of funny stories about driving around with Jessie Mae. Once we took a road trip to New York. Martin Scorsese was doing a documentary and one of the producers called me and wanted Jessie Mae to be a part of it. The Allstars were there, and that spurred the whole project that we wound up doing.” Olga’s lyrics stem from her experience living in the South, she says. The release is simple -- about accepting the past and moving forward. “It’s the yin and the yang,” she said. “My experience living the South, living in Mississippi, spending all that time with Jessie Mae. Sometimes we’d argue; sometimes it was a challenge, but in the end there was still that connection and love that, at the end of the day, that’s what stays with you. Everything I write is bluesbased and truth-based.” “Whatever You Want” easily translates pop into an acoustic blues sound, Olga says. “Acoustically, you’ll hear the blues and the Mississippi Delta influence. I write about my experience and I keep it as close to home as possible. I think the more directly you associate music with yourself, the more people can connect with it.

Olga with Cody and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. “They were my age, they were white and playing the blues. We were kindred spirits.”

“The songs on this album are rooted in the truth and as I know it in my life, rooted in the blues,” she says. “But we changed the sound so a broader audience can experience them, hopefully in a positive way. “This record has been a process of finding my soul again and reminding myself of what I need to do with my life. It really took on quite a life of its own, quite naturally and unexpectedly, and I am thrilled with where it has led me.” Olga, as of last month a newly-elected member of the Blues Foundation, played several instruments on the release including guitar. The studio’s owner, Winn McElroy, filled in the spaces between her instruments and Cody’s drums. Listeners won’t find the release on CDs as Olga opted for a new, more earth-friendly marketing strategy with “Whatever You Want.” Instead, seed-embedded drop cards are sold as a musical component. The listener simply goes to a specified website, enters the code on the drop card, downloads the music – and then plants the seed-embedded drop card from which wildflowers will grow. “It’s a hip way to pass around music,” she said. “No one is buying CDs anymore, so we’re embracing the whole digital thing. It’s symbolic of the music and the project and of what life is ... out of the seed comes life, and that’s what music is.” L

“Whatever You Want” is distributed online via iTunes and Amazon and other online retailers via wav and mp3 files. Liner notes and videos are also available. To get a drop card, or for more information, visit Olga's website at www.laolga.com. 24

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feature

T Authentic Partying

Frank Jones

Corner

knows the blues, has the food to prove it. Words and photos by Marianne Todd

he inviting aroma of barbecue is wafting through the air in Jackson’s historic blues district. The distinct blue cinder block building on the corner of Farish and West Griffith is playing host to amateur barbecue cooks, musicians and artists as the Frank Jones Corner Beer & Bones Festival gets under way, even during the heat of the day. Inside, judges taste brisket, chicken and burgers; outside, music lovers are spread out on the patio and lawn. Artists are peddling their talent in the shade of tents. The band M.O.S.S. is enduring the heat on the stage. It seems everyone is into the groove, and as day turns into afternoon and afternoon into evening, the corner known for its authentic blues and killer Southern food, bursts with people. “We are a real representation of a Mississippi juke joint,” says co-owner Daniel Dillon. “We keep the music alive even after the commercial industry takes over.” Dillon and co-owner Adam Hayes began the blues lunchto-all-night music club Frank Jones Corner in 2009. Former classmates in culinary school at Hinds Community College, Jackson campus, Dillon had reached across the ocean to Hayes with the entrepreneurial proposal. At the time, Hayes had been in Germany, cooking on a military base and Dillon, who had been working at a local country club, wanted a partner who shared his love for cooking and music and his vision for what Jackson needed – revitalization of its historic blues district. They found the perfect building in what at the time was a decayed part of town. They tracked down the owner and rented it for a year. “From the beginning we decided we wanted to fit the late night blues juke joint genre,” Dillon, 35, said. “That would be our area. I knew the place as Phil’s Cafe when I was a kid. It was the first place my little brother ever played the bass guitar, and they always did good numbers there. It was a local favorite and

a lot of people identified with the building that had been Phil’s, so we enlisted the former owner, Ken Shiles. He gave us a lot of good advice ... and some tables and chairs.” After consulting with a few more local club owners and restaurateurs, the pair learned they would need to provide lunch service to anchor the business and build a customer base. The move proved to be a good one. These days, Dillon and Hayes have broadened their lunch fare to include dinners on Wednesday through Saturday nights “for the older, adult crowd who wants to come out, eat dinner, get their blues fill and go home.” They serve Southern staple food – burgers with caramelized onions, crab cakes with fresh aioli on toasted sourdough bread, pulled pork, fried cheese grits, mushrooms, pickles and onion rings, freshcut fries (with or without chili and cheese), sweet potato fries, salads, pastas, seasonal seafood dishes and homemade desserts. “Everything comes from scratch, nothing comes out of a bag, and everything is made fresh to order,” says Adam, 29. “If you’re in a big hurry, call ahead. If you’re not, sit and listen to the live music. Take a nice break and hang out.” At night – and into the wee hours of the morning – the club comes alive in a different way. Dillon’s musically accomplished father, Sherman Lee Dillon, structures the live entertainment around authentic blues acts. “His interest has always been entertainment,” Dillon says. “During the day we have one-man acts and we have bands at night and on the weekends. All the musicians we use come through him.” At midnight, the club -- dedicated solely to blues -- lights up. Customers enjoy Frank Jones’ original pineapple-infused vodka, created with the Mississippi-made Cathead Vodka, and the Mississippi Mud Slide, a White Russian variation created with Cathead Vodka, coffee liquor and Irish cream.

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Kudzu King’s Tate Moore, employees from Cathead Vodka and Magnolia Brewing Company, artist Theresa Haygood of Creative Minds Studio, Chuck Stevens and Tony Causey of Somethin’ Diff’r’nt Sauce, Susanna Ashy, 4, knows how to cool off, artwork by WyreWorx hangs in the moonlight, the Jackson jam band, M.O.S.S., takes the stage ABOVE: Daniel Davis, 4, takes a break in the midday heat while cooks outside compete for the best barbecue.

September. October 2011

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one, it’s always been about the truth – from the food we cook to the music on stage and how we interact in business. That’s how we operate on Farish Street.” L

TOP LEFT: Judges Howard Beallon, Louis Bruno, Reynolds Boykin and Melvin Davis judge F. Jones Corner’s Beer and Bones cook-off TOP RIGHT: Ju Ju Ail gives a thumbs up while cooking LEFT: Mosaic artwork by Teresa Haygood RIGHT: Cigar box guitars by artist Archie Storey of Jackson

September. October 2011

“It’s a great bargain for $5 a cup,” Dillon says. Jell-O shots are also a favorite. Well into the morning hours, the dance floor stays alive with writhing and gyrating bodies, all a nod to the upbeat blues growing pervasively in the area. Guests are not distinguished by age or race as the music transcends all social barriers – as noted on one of the club’s signs “No Black, No White, Just the Blues.” Since buying the property in 2010, Dillon and Hayes have purchased the building next door, property that once belonged to famed Trumpet Records, and the “peas-and-carrots” pair say they plan to build a blues museum there one day. Across the street, crews are constructing another club amid the city-owned properties surrounding Frank Jones. Dillon says it’s the first of many that will come to the area. “This is a two-block entertainment district that is going to one day be a Beale (Memphis) or Bourbon (New Orleans) street,” Dillon says. “There will be nothing but bars, restaurants and clubs five to 10 years out, and we’re already doing our part. We’ll be the staple, no matter how many businesses come and go.” Hayes agrees. “We’ve got the drive and the vision. We may not have the money some other folks have, but we have other things to make this happen. We’re dedicated to what we’re doing. We’re authentic, and from day

“Have you looked around downtown Jackson lately? A lot has changed. Some things have not. The “City of New Orleans” still grinds down Mill and across Capitol. We all still look up at the old clock and wonder if it’s right. But recently, the old Capitol building has been standing a little straighter, the King Edward has been shining a little brighter and the faint sound of libations of yesterday echo down newly bricked roads. In the world there is no other Farish Street like this one. Small towns are fading into history and by God our Capitol Street is the “Main Street.” Frank Jones Corner will bring new energy to a good fight. Mississippi is steeped in strong culture and rich heritage. To be one of “us” is to have a keen sense of a few things: 1. Good food. 2. Good music. 3. Good people.” ~ Frank Jones Corner website.

Want to go?

Frank Jones Corner at 303 North Farish St. is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wednesday from 7 p.m. -midnight; Thursday from 10 p.m.-4 a.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. -4 a.m. For more information, visit Frank Jones’ website at www.fjonescorner.com

Coming up:

• Oct. 17 - Robert Johnson Festival on the back stage of the Corner. • Nov. 9 - Weekend event with Canadian and Northeastern musicians and bands celebrating the annual Sherman Lee Dillon Birthday Bash.

TOP: Artwork by Jackson artist Tony Davenport MIDDLE: Daniel Dillon and Adam Hayes opened Frank Jones Corner in 2009 BOTTOM: The Kudzu Kings of Oxford take the stage

mississippilegends.com

Putting Greenwood on the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;movie-making

mapâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

By Jayne Cannon

Photo by Thomas Gregory/City of Greenwood) 34

July. August 2011

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n the Sunday before Christmas 2009, Bill Crump was at his Greenwood home, half-dreading the arrival of a stickyfingered mob at his wife Jane’s annual gingerbread cookie-making party. The phone rang, and he grabbed it. A clerk at the Alluvian Hotel was on the line. A group of people staying at the hotel were asking questions about a building owned by Crump’s employer, Viking Range Corp. Eager to get away from the cookie crowd, Crump said he’d be right over. That trip was the beginning of a journey that put Greenwood on the movie-making map, changed the way the state does business with film makers and pumped as much as $17 million into the local economy. The visitors were looking at Greenwood as the filming location for “The Help,” a novel published by Mississippi native Kathryn Stockett less than a year before. At the time of the visit, Crump had never heard of the book, and his visitors had nothing but “a script, a screenplay and a dream,” he said. But, Crump, director of governmental affairs at Viking, was a tireless proponent of economic development in Greenwood, and he knew an opportunity when he saw it. “A town the size of Greenwood can’t just sit around and wait,” Crump said. “We have to expand our scope. As far as I was concerned, this was just the perfect, perfect match.” Tish Goodman, owner of Bowie Realty in Greenwood, felt the same way. Around the same time, she answered questions and showed a few houses to those same strangers. They seemed not to want to share details, and she respected their

enthusiastic, and producers Tate Taylor and Brunson Green were sold on Greenwood. But once they got backing from DreamWorks to make the movie, the decision on a filming location came down to money. Producers fell in love with look and feel of Greenwood, and they told Crump many times that the town perfectly captured what they wanted. Greenwood, a town of 18,000, was an ideal stand-in for Jackson in 1963. But the decision would be up to DreamWorks and it was a decision that would be based on dollars and cents. Greenwood, Crump feared, could not match the financial incentives offered by Louisiana. AT&T Mississippi and Entergy Mississippi kicked in $40,000, which could be used to pay for office and warehouse space. These funds sweetened the pot a bit, but the studio was interested only in the bottom line, and Crump knew it. But one night in the spring of 2010, cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt came to town. At dinner, Crump told him that he really hoped DreamWorks would pick Greenwood, and Goldblatt quietly responded, “Bill, you don’t have one thing to worry about.” Crump said he wanted to scream and jump for joy but he had to keep the news to himself. “For weeks I knew and I couldn’t say a word,” he said, laughing. In July 2010, filming began. And right away, Greenwood began to change. It wasn’t unusual to run into Emma Stone at Sonic, or Viola Davis and Allison Janney at Walmart. Hotels and restaurants were full. The hardware store, gas stations, grocery stores and the bookstore were doing a brisk business. The visitors bought jewelry, artwork and furniture in Greenwood.

“I wish we had a movie filmed here every day” privacy. But as they toured around town, she heard remarks like “perfect for Hilly’s house,” and “This could be Skeeter’s house,” and Goodman – who had read the book and recognized those character names – asked, “Are you going to make a movie of ‘The Help’?” Support from Greenwood was swift and 36

September. October 2011

“I think everybody experienced something,” Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams said. “It was like a B12 shot for Greenwood.” The town’s sales tax report for July 2011 told part of the economic impact story, McAdams said. In July 2010, the town collected $100,000 more in sales tax than it did this year.

DreamWorks couldn’t resist the charm of the Mississippi Delta town, even though nearby Louisiana was offering more economic incentive. To help, AT&T Mississippi and Entergy Mississippi kicked in $40,000 to attract the production company to Mississippi. (Photo courtesy Greenwood CVB) mississippilegends.com

Greenwood residents were thrilled to have a major motion picture filmed in their sleepy Delta town. Look for the faces of these extras when watching The Help: (from left to right, front row) Kathryn Pittman, Angela Curry, Paige Hunt, Andrew McQueen, Emelia Joseph, Amelita Porter, Jo Claire Swayze; (second row left to right) Susan Gregory, Tish Bowek Goodman, Nick Joseph Jr., Mary Hoover, Ella Carpenter; (third row, left to right) Jack Johnson, John Paul Walker, Thomas Gregory, Sylvester Hoover and Henry Carpenter. (Photograph by Marianne Todd)

September. October 2011

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Bill Crump of Viking Range Corporation was instrumental in inticing DreamWorks to choose Greenwood for the filming of “The Help.” (Photo by Ken Flynt)

Cast members and producers chipped in $25,000 toward building a learning center in Baptist Town. The homes there were depicted as maids’ homes in the film. (Photo by Marianne Todd)

September. October 2011

“I wish we had a movie filmed here every day,” the mayor said. Crump saw the impact in another way. During filming, he was talking with a local restaurant owner who told him that he’d “never seen so many $50 bills in my life.” The comment gave Crump an idea. He checked with DreamWorks and found out that crew members were given a $50 daily per diem, paid in cash. Then he checked with local banks to find out how many $50 bills they’d been processing. The first bank to report to him said they’d deposited $10,000 in $50 bills with the Federal Reserve from January to June, but that in July alone, they’d deposited $35,000 in $50 bills. “I had marked money,” Crump said. The discovery was an important one, and it’s since changed the incentive package the state offers to filmmakers. Before “The Help,” film companies were offered rebates on money spent in the state, but per diems were exempted. The reasoning, Crump said, was that the money probably wasn’t being spent locally; in all likelihood, it was being sent back to California and spent there. But Crump’s financial detective work proved otherwise, and now the state will offer rebates on per diems. “This will have a major impact and will help us bring more business to Mississippi,” Crump said. “For the first time, we could see exactly what the movie was doing to Greenwood.” Aside from sales tax, shopping trips and per-diem dollars, the film’s economic impact can be felt in other ways. Local residents were used as extras and paid for their work. Local homes were used for filming; the homeowners were paid and in some cases, improvements and changes were made to the homes, using local tradespeople and supplies. Locals were used to help with film, traffic direction, catering and more. And in Baptist Town, an area of Greenwood that’s rich with African-American history, the impact continues. Baptist Town was home to Honeyboy Edwards, Robert Johnson and later, Morgan Freeman. Its blues history is legendary and has earned it a stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Community leader Sylvester Hoover, who owns Hoover’s Store in the neighborhood, gave “The Help” cast his Delta Blues Legends Tour before the filming started. He helped producers scout locations in Baptist Town and they could see how the area struggles. And “The Help” wanted to help. Cast members and producers chipped in $25,000 toward building a learning center in Baptist Town. They added to that with $150,000 raised by a premiere event in Madison in late July. “They didn’t look down on our area,” Hoover said. “They looked at our area. They loved it here, and they want to help. They want to come back. God sent them here. I know that.”

Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams said Greenwood received a B12 economic shot from “The Help”—to the tune of $100,000 increased sales tax revenue. (Photo by Marianne Todd)

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Jack Johnson stands in the dining room of his Greenwood home, where many scenes in “The Help” were filmed. The cast and crew were delightful—and Bryce Dallas Howard who played the mean-spirited Hilly Holbrook—was particularly kind and appreciative, he said.

re-plastered the 54-year-old pool, where an important scene in the movie takes place. “They did a lot of nice things,” Jackson said. Jackson, who grew up in Greenwood, played there as a youngster. He bought the house in 1989 and says that today, the house is his “hobby.” “I don’t need all this room, but I do love this house,” he said. “I was very complimented that they wanted to use my home.” He was surprised by the long hours the cast and crew put in and added that, “Everyone we met was gracious and friendly.” “I’m a big fan of Sissy Spacek,” he said, sitting at the table in his spacious kitchen. “Now she was sitting right here where I am, and that was a real, real thrill. She was just absolutely charming. They were all just as nice as they could be.” Howard, whose character “lived” in Jackson’s home, won his heart too. “She was nice and said such cute things,” he added. “She was

Jo Clare Swayze holds a memento from the film, given to her by one of the actors whom she danced with during the party scene.

Helping out "The Help" Greenwood’s residents open their doors to Hollywood By Jayne Cannon Photographs by Marianne Todd

ack Johnson isn’t a big movie fan. His hometown, Greenwood, doesn’t even have a theater. But his home is now starring in a major motion picture. Johnson’s 5,300-square-foot, 96-year-old home is featured prominently in “The Help,” the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel about changing times in a Southern town. Johnson’s house is home to the character of Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, in the movie. In April 2010, Johnson answered a knock at his front door. Steve Maples, a location scout for the movie, told Johnson he “liked the way the house presented itself from the street,” and asked the surprised homeowner if he could look around. “He must have taken at least 500 pictures that day,” Johnson 42

September. October 2011

said. “He took worlds and worlds of pictures.” Maples impressed Jackson right away. “In addition to being a very professional person, Steve is a very, very nice person,” Jackson said. “I thought it would be different, and I said they could use my house.” Jackson’s wife, Sandra, died in 2007, and he said he’s sure of one thing: “If Sandra was alive, this would never have happened,” he said. “She was a very private person. She would never have allowed this.” Jackson was paid $1,000 per day for each day filming took place at his home. Before and after filming, he received $500 per day as the crew prepared the house, then returned it to normal. The crew re-covered some furniture and added wallpaper (“the best-looking wallpaper I have ever seen”) to get the look they wanted. They also built a fence and

Billy and Aubry Whittington allowed film makers to use their farm house, which portrayed Skeeter’s home. Keeping the grass unmowed as film makers requested nearly drove him crazy, he said, but all of the cast and crew were remarkably kind and easy to work with.

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just as appreciative as she could be.” The exterior of Billy Whittington’s house appears in the film as the home of Skeeter, played by Emma Stone. Whittington’s yard played a starring role; the producers wanted his grass taller than he keeps it, so he fertilized, watered daily and didn’t mow for about six weeks. “I cannot figure out why they wanted that grass so tall,” he said. He was amazed, he said, by the number of people it took to film. “We’re on five acres, and my front lawn was just filled with people,” he said. “We had everything here but the dancing bears and jugglers. We just enjoyed it, the day-to-day of it, and the whole thing. The cast and crew were just fun.” His wife, Aubry, baked blueberry muffins for the crew , and the family gave the cast the run of the house. “(Actor) Chris Lowell knew where the peanut butter was,” Whittington said. “He’d come in and make a sandwich … They were just the most cordial and appreciative people.” It was a positive experience, Whittington said. “We are just delighted at the way it turned out,” he said. “I hope it’s going to help tourism. I think this puts us on the map in a somewhat nice way.” L

discover Downtown GreenwooD Fincher’s Inc. 301 Howard Street 662-453-6246

The Alluvian Hotel & Spa Rachael’s

201 Howard Street 662-453-0266 www.rachaelsboutique.net

Lynbar Jewelers

318 Howard Street 866-600-5201 www.thealluvian.com

209 Howard Street 662- 453-2741

Giardina’s

w see the place where no , ie ov m e th en se ve You’ e book to life. DreamWorks brought th

GreenwoeotdH..o.llywood.

”m where “The Help sit us online. ing location map, vi e film

For a free copy of th

September. October 2011

318 Howard Street 662-455-4227 www.thealluvian.com

Fincher’s Antiques

The Mississippi Gift Company

215 Howard Street 662-455-4552

300 Howard Street 1-800-467-7763 www.themississippigiftcompany.com

shop

•

dine

•

stay

Experience Art in the Evening preSentS

art Alfresco

October 6, 2011 5pm- 8pm

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Take a stroll downtown and join our participating merchants for an evening of original art, live music and refreshments.

mississippilegends.com

cuisine

a taste of Greenwood LEGENDS recently decided to take a culinary excursion to Greenwood. The heart of the Delta was chosen for the location of the filming of The Help. DreamWorks studios traveled into the small town the summer of 2010 to recreate a time and place of 1963 Mississippi, complete with Southern women laying out a spread of fried chicken, sliced tomatoes and congealed salads. To this day, our state is known for its hospitality and the ability to provide enormous amounts of it with meals that make you feel more comfortable than your grandmother’s quilt. That’s exactly how we felt during our visit to three unique restaurants in Greenwood. Now cozy up and let us take you there. ~ Leigh Anne Whittle

LEFT: Josh Crump gives Leigh Anne a taste of Giardina’s catfish cakes created by Chef Nick Seabergh. BELOW: Giardina’s resonates culinary excellence from the moment patrons enter the door.

executive chef Nick Seabergh was every bit as divine. The flaked Mississippi-raised catfish was combined with petite diced green and red peppers and lightly covered in panko bread crumbs. It was moist and delicious. Crump says he knew Giardina’s had created a unique dish with an item that most restaurants just fry. Needless to say, I cleaned my plate, not a spring green or a drop of comeback sauce left. Shucked Hot Tamales are another fabulous menu item (Yes, I ate two appetizers!). Soft cornmeal tamales, perfect in size and texture, were nestled in a light tomato sauce with just enough “kick.” The sauce alone could have been poured on anything and would have been delicious. (I ate it with crackers as well). I wanted to try so many more choices on the menu, but had to save room for my other Greenwood culinary samplings. Crump made the

dining experience an unforgettable one – the food was some of the best I’ve eaten, and the comfort and relaxation coupled, with true Southern hospitality, made me feel a welcomed guest. “It’s always good to hear that the customers had a good time,” he told me. “That’s why I do what I do.” And that, my dear readers, is why I do what I do ... eat in Mississippi. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen. ~Leigh Anne

Giardina’s

the shining

culinary pearl of the Mississippi Delta

estled in quaint downtown Greenwood and tucked within the beautiful Alluvian Hotel is the shining culinary pearl of the Delta’s heart - Giardina’s. The steak and seafood restaurant started in 1936 as an Italian grocery store owned by Joseph Giardina. Currently at its third location, Giardina’s strives to provide

regional flavors from the Delta, says assistant manager Josh Crump. Crump seated me in an elegant yet comfortable dining area with crisp white table settings and a view of a lush courtyard. Menu in hand, I began scanning the appetizer section while sipping on a glass of red wine. Seventeen tantalizing items to choose from – and

seventeen pages of award-winning wines - was definitely a great way to start out. Mississippi Delta Catfish Cakes with Mixed Greens and Comeback Sauce jumped at me like a fish out of a stream. Now, I’ve been to a restaurant in the Baltimore Bay and dined on fresh Maryland crab cakes, but I have to note that this delicate creation by

Giardina’s: 314 Howard St., Greenwood | 662-455-4227 | Located in The Alluvian Hotel | Website: www.thealluvian.com Executive Chef: Nick Seabergh; Hours of operation: 5-10 p.m. daily; Price range: $12-$29

September. October 2011

mississippilegends.com

cuisine

a taste of Greenwood

Mile high pies at

The Crystal Grill D

essert is the end of the meal but is the beginning of indulgence. Especially when the waitress at The Crystal Grill in Greenwood brings you a piece of pie that hits the ceiling! This darling Southern diner is simply a delight to visit. Family-owned-and-operated for nearly 79 years makes it an antique treasure to behold. Of course it has been remodeled over the years yet I still felt as though I had gone back to an era that was displayed in the production that was filmed here last summer. I can just see the characters in “The Help” gathering ‘round one of the tables sipping fresh coffee and savoring the sweet pies made from scratch. That’s precisely what I got to do. Owner and chef John Ballas sat with me and we talked about the restaurant that now seats 250. I couldn’t wait to dive into the desserts that

the waitress placed on the table. Coconut Cream Pie at least four inches high stood out the most. Toasted coconut was garnished all over the meringue. The Lemon Icebox Pie was so pretty, it was a shame to eat. But I was on a mission so I had to partake. The pie was slightly sweet, slightly tart, slightly flaky, and just perfect. There’s more. Chocolate Pie is my absolute favorite, and they serve it at the Crystal Grill. I took my time with this one and didn’t much want to share with anyone. As I tasted the pie my mind went back to my grandmother and I almost rushed to the kitchen to see if she was in there. It was that good. All of these pies and more are served by a wonderful wait staff at this historic diner. Some of the employees have been there for more than 50 years. That was understandable after experiencing the food and friendliness the Ballas family extended to me. I plan to stop by there in the future to try the appetizers, salads and entrees as I continue to eat in Mississippi. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen, ~Leigh Anne

ABOVE: Rivers Coleman has been waiting tables at The Crystal Grill for more than 50 years. RIGHT: Chef John Ballas holds one of his mile-high coconut cream creations. The Crystal Grill: 423 Carrollton Ave., Greenwood | 662-453-6530 | Website: www.crystalgrillms.com Owners: John and Beverly Ballas; Chef: John Ballas; Hours of operation: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday; Price range: $8.95-$27.25

July. August 2011

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cuisine

a taste of Greenwood

LEFT: The pompano is deep-bodied and mackeral-like with flaky, white meat. BELOW: Andy Pinkston and his son, Drew Pinkston, prepare dishes in the kitchen.

Go back in time at

Luscos

usco’s, open since 1921, seemed to be the perfect choice for a good entrée and an abundance of Delta history. I sat down with Karen Pinkston, wife of owner Andy Pinkston, a fourthgeneration member of the Lusco family. Karen took me back to a time when the diner was a grocery store and very small menu-restaurant. Sitting at an oldfashioned soda fountain-style counter I listened as she told the story of a widow

with three children who cooked for the public to feed her family. “Soldiers, planters and local businessmen frequented the original restaurant and would sit in the private booths to partake of Papa Lusco’s home brew” says Pinkston “In the midst of Prohibition, word quickly spread and it became quite the gathering place.” What sets it apart is that we haven’t really changed anything. We try to keep it original and historically accurate,” says

Karen. Today her husband and son do the cooking for regular customers and visitors from all over the states. The Pinkstons take pride in the fact that the cooking is done by family members only. Specialties include steaks, seafood and fried chicken. After speaking with Karen, I was able to take a peek in the kitchen, my favorite part of a restaurant. The fresh whole pompano caught my eye – and in fact

Lusco’s: 722 Carrolltown Ave., Greenwood | 662-453-5365 | Owner: Andy Pinkston; Chefs: Andy Pinkston and Drew Pinkston Hours of operation: 5-10 p.m. daily; Price range: $11-market price, *All items and prices subject to change, *$3 charge for splitting single-order entrées

September. October 2011

I caught its eye – it was staring back at me! It took me back to when I used to fish in my grandfather’s quarry in Kentucky. I decided I had to try one of those. Andy Pinkston and son Drew were preparing for the evening’s customers by hand-battering onion rings, a signature item at Lusco’s. It was hard to narrow my entrée choice, so the Pinkstons generously allowed me to sample steak, broiled shrimp in special sauce and that pompano. The pompano is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and narrow base. There are 20 described species. I ordered my pompano “wet,” which meant it was served in Lusco’s fish sauce. Zesty, yet mild, it complemented the pompano’s flaky white meat. This sauce and many others may be purchased at the restaurant. The best taste of the evening was the Broiled Shrimp with Lusco’s Shrimp Sauce. Customers are a bit spoiled by these mediumsized shrimp; served peeled and with tail off, Lusco’s does everything but feed them to you. After consuming all the shrimp, I had to devour it by soaking bread in it. The steak menu at Lusco’s consists of many varieties of hand-cut beef. Ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, T-bone and porterhouse are cut in-house and grilled to the customer’s preference. I tasted the ribeye that was topped with crabmeat and found it rich and delicious. The Pinkstons say a visit to Lusco’s is “a gift of love from us to you, including freshness, quality and flavor.” I sure enjoyed eating the fish with the get-back stare. Yet another delightful meal as I eat in Mississippi. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen, ~Leigh Anne

Eggplant Romano Lusco’s

Blend tomatoes in food processor until slightly chunky. Place in boiler or

1 large (16oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes

Cook over medium to low heat for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring

3 medium eggplants

occasionally. Peel eggplants and slice to ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle with

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and soak briefly in cold water. Drain; then pat dry. In large skillet,

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

cook eggplants in hot oil over medium-high heat until golden brown and

Fresh basil leaves or 1 ½ tsp. dried basil

tender. Drain, then layer half of eggplants in casserole dish. Spoon

Fresh pod of hot pepper, chopped

sauce over eggplant, then sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with

Salt to taste

eggplant, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes or

½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

until heated through.

large skillet and add oil, sugar, salt and chopped hot pepper. Add basil.

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• September 2: Sucarnochee Revue, 7pm September 8: Taste of Home Cooking School 6:30pm; booths open at 4:30pm September 10: Ernie Haase Signature Sound, 6pm September 14: Moscow Ballet Auditions, 3pm September 17: JTR Productions Presents “A Real Woman is Hard 2 Find,” 7pm • October 7: Sucarnochee Revue, 7pm October 15: Shrine Magic Show, 10am October 21: Jefferson Performing Arts Society Presents “Petite Rouge,” 7:30pm October 24-31: Temple Creepy Tours, 7-11pm

September. October 2011

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artist profile

The Delta artist who returned to his roots By Jayne Cannon

Bradleygordon

Photographs by Dean Demming

September. October 2011

ake a typical small-town Delta boy, add hunting, fishing and football, throw in a set of drums and two teaching stints in Asia. Bring him back to Clarksdale and put a paintbrush in his hand. Somewhere, in all of that, an artist was born. Bradley Gordon majored in art at Ole Miss and taught art in Japan and Taiwan. He returned to his roots and opened The Gordon Gallery at 233 Delta Ave., right in the heart of downtown. Coming home wasn’t something he planned on doing -- it just felt right to him – and so did taking up painting, something he’d never done before. Last fall, his first show in the gallery space, “Returning to the Delta” opened, featuring a selection of the paintings he calls “contemporary wildlife paintings.” His collection includes Labrador retrievers at attention by the water, hummingbirds perched on a branch, a line of turtles on a wet log, a row of wild turkeys in the night, mallards gliding in a pond and bucks of all descriptions, all images from his growing-up years. From a distance, Gordon’s paintings look like typical wildlife art. But get closer, and the vibrant color and brushwork make his work stand far from the crowd. At the bottom right corner of each painting is his distinctive signature: “Gordo.” It was one of his early efforts, “Spooked Buck,” that caught the eye of Chris Heaton. The large painting was hanging in the gallery window when it caught Heaton’s eye. “I’d just never seen anything like it,” she said. “I am not the kind of person who is going to like a painting of a deer. But this was truly the most

beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I just flipped out when I saw it.” She went in the gallery and fell in love with Gordon’s work. An enthusiastic community booster, Heaton loves the gallery – and Gordon – for encouraging people to come downtown and appreciate art. Not long after she saw the painting, her husband, Cliff, surprised her with it. It’s been hanging in the family’s hunting camp in Miller Point, but she intends to bring it home soon. “I miss it,” Heaton said. “I love nature, and Bradley just captures the innocence of the animal. I love his color. He is just so talented. We are just so excited to have him in Clarksdale.” Gordon’s work is marked by distinctive brushstrokes and color. He’s having fun with his technique. “I like to think that I’m finding the balance,” said the 33year-old artist. “It’s a journey of discovery for me.” In school he didn’t take color theory, he said; he’s teaching himself these days by looking at where lights hits and doesn’t hit, and creating from there. He’s trying to “enjoy the paint,” he said. “I want to lose myself in the paint. Bright colors, texture … that’s the artsy side of me.” L

Gordon is returning to teaching roots by offering classes at the gallery. His work can be found online at

www.thegordongalleryonline.com

Minutes from Memphis, Tennessee and Tunica, Mississippi, DeSoto County is the place to explore a new world of music, sports, shopping, dining and more. For a free vacation guide, call 662-393-8770 or visit SoDeSoto.com.

Meeting Facilities

Children’s Attractions

Bonsai Nursery

Shopping

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interesting! www.soDesoto.com

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mississippilegends.com

September. October 2011

mississippilegends.com

POINT A way,

not the highway

POINT BE AMTRAK.COM 58

September. October 2011

Amtrak and Enjoy the journey are service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.

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music feature

Images from the

Sucarnochee Revue

Photographs by Marianne Todd

Update... When LEGENDS last visited the Sucarnochee Revue, host Jacky Jack White had announced plans to take the popular international radio show to Mississippi Public Broadcasting. That was in November. The show is filmed before a live audience at Meridian’s Temple Theater the first Friday of each month and has become so popular with television viewers, producers have announced they are moving it to a prime time slot beginning Sept. 1. The new television show schedule is 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 p.m. Saturday. “We are very excited and grateful about the positive response,” White said. “MPB plans on shooting new episodes in the fall and bringing even higher levels of production to the

show.” Key Ivy, line producer, said MPB will spend more time back stage with musicians during the new season. In addition to filming acts of songwriters and performers, camera crews will feature more behind the scenes interviews and footage where viewers will get an authentic glimpse of what happens between performances. The Sucarnochee Revue has garnered international interest with its live performances of country, rock, blues, gospel and bluegrass. L

Want to go? Live Sucarnochee Revue performances begin at 7 p.m., the first Friday of each month, at Meridian’s Temple Theater. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.jackyjack.com

“Can’t Get no Grindin’” popularly known at “What’s the Matter with the Mill?” is led by Steve Gardner of Tokyo, right resonator guitar. Gardner was in Meridian with Nashville bluesman Bill Steber, resonator guitar left. Gardner and Steber make a yearly musical trip to Meridian and are favorites on the Sucarnochee Revue, an international radio show recorded live from Temple Theater the first Friday of each month. Joining them are vocalists Cheryl LuQuire, Britt Gully, tuba player Patrick Rettger, drummer Dudley Tardo, host Jacky Jack White, Track 45 and Jessical Strenth and friends.

September. October 2011

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Bill Steber, saw, Steve Gardner, resonator guitar, and Patrick Rettger, tuba, perform on the most recent Sucarnochee Revue. The international radio show has just won a prime time television slot on Mississippi Public Broadcasting – 7 p.m. Thursday. The show can also be seen at 11 p.m. Saturday.

September. October 2011

Above left: Jessica Strenth is a regular performer on the popular radio show, taped live and broadcast to 59 countries. Above right: Sentaor Videt Carmichael enjoys playing mandolin alongside John Sweeny, a popular gospel musician from Meridian. Center: Steve Gardner and Bill Steber pose outside Meridian’s Temple Theater during a break in the show. Gardner, a Mississippi native based in Tokyo, and Steber, a Nashville bluesman whose songs are often heard on XM Radio’s Bluesville, make a yearly trek to Meridian to perform. Left: Cheryl LuQuire performs a hauntingly beautiful version of Magnolia. Right: K. K. Johnson plays violin alongside her siblings, Benjamin and Jenna Johnson. mississippilegends.com

book review catalyst for his learning to sing the blues.

Hidden History of Mississippi Blues author Roger Stolle publisher The History Press pages 128 review by Billy Howell

f you don’t know a lot about blues music and the Delta musicians who birthed it, lived it and kept it alive - in spite of the more popular modern American musical genres spawned from it - then “Hidden History” can rectify that in as little as 119 pages of easy-tounderstand text. Roger Stolle, a transplanted Mississippian, and owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale, has penned a short, wellarticulated portrayal of the blues and the Delta musicians for whom it was and still is a way of life. The foreword, preface, and introduction alone are worth picking up a copy at Stolle’s store in downtown Clarksdale, or ordering via his website: www.cathead.biz. Stolle begins by discussing how the death of Elvis Presley dramatically changed the life of a 10-year old Ohio boy who grew up in a home with little music. The ready availability of Elvis’s music after his death in 1977 fueled Stolle’s interest. He quickly discovered Elvis’s musical roots and his ties to Mississippi and the blues. Stolle recounts his first trip to Mississippi, years after The King’s death, to hear bluesman Junior Kimbrough play in his juke joint near Holly Springs. Stolle learned many lessons the first night he heard blues played in Mississippi. He writes, “The main one I took home was that you can take the blues out of Mississippi, but you can’t make it feel the same.” Six years later, Stolle left corporate America behind and “charted a course for a fabled land.” Landing in Clarksdale, his mission was to assist “the last generation of cotton-farming, mule-driving, juke joint-playing bluesmen deeply inhale the final breath of this amazing tradition we call Delta blues.” Stolle is well known around the Delta for his organizational and promotional skills on behalf of the old school, real-deal, been-there, done-that blues musicians who are now too quickly passing on. “Blues is a genre now,” Stolle writes. “It used to be a music and a

September. October 2011

“The blues come from hard times,” Brock said. “Blues come from a feeling that you got when you didn’t have nowhere else to go, and the blues walked into your soul and into your mind, and it just accumulate like grass grow out of the ground. It just growed up in you.” Stolle devotes two chapters to the making of blues records and the beginning of increasingly widespread radio play, including mention of the renowned King Biscuit Time blues radio and Clarksdale’s own WROX radio. Stations and Internet streaming sites where live blues can still be heard today are noted in the book. Two chapters feature intriguing examinations of the myth surrounding the Crossroads and Robert Johnson’s supposed Faustian deal with the devil and the definition and discussion of what constitutes a “real” juke joint.

culture.” He quotes prominent blues historian William Ferris: “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” How true. Stolle’s business acumen, encyclopedic knowledge of the blues and tender heart are well displayed throughout the book. He not only wants blues to survive in the rawest and purest form possible, but he desires that the producers and artists be able to receive ample remuneration and recognition for their musical and cultural accomplishments. Stolle fulfills his aim to introduce new fans to blues history, revive the passion for blues in those already acquainted with it and to have fun doing it. The book is segmented into seven chapters and one of the calling cards for Mississippians and Mississippi appreciators interested in the blues is Stolle’s balanced approach in analyzing cause and effect without disparaging the haves or the have-nots. Stolle allows the lives and the music to enjoy center stage.

The final chapter features interviews with a number of culturally authentic Delta bluesmen. One cannot help but be fascinated with Stolle’s portrayal of the “good and bad” aspects and character traits of the musicians who created and are still faithful to the cornerstone of American music--the blues. In summation, “Hidden History” provides a fun and informative romp in a figurative cotton field replete with anecdotal stories, authentic lyrics, great photography by Lou Bopp, and some insight into the hard times that birthed a form of music responsible for just about everything heard musically in America and often around the world today. Enjoy! L

Photo of Roger Stolle by Ken Flynt/LEGENDS

Billy Howell is the editor/writer of the Clarksdale-based Delta Bohemian (www.deltabohemian.com), an online literary and quirky micro-magazine and the innkeeper of the Clark House Residential Inn in downtown Clarksdale.

In the first chapter, Stolle discusses the advent of the blues and chronicles some conflicting seminal events in the history of this cultural phenomenon. There is much for the reader to glean from his blues history discussion Chapter two, “Cotton Lives,” delineates the effect cotton had on

“When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” the African-American culture and consequently, the blues. Stolle, not a farmer or a native Deltan, acutely understands and conveys the connection between land and music. Delta bluesman Big George Brock, almost 80 years old and still able to play a wicked harp while frolicking on his back on stage, worked in the cotton fields in his youth and says that difficult labor was the mississippilegends.com

What’s shakin’ around the state?

LEGENDS has the most comprehensive calendar of Mississippi arts and entertainment events in the state! Updated daily, visit us at www.MississippiLegends.com to see what’s shakin’ in Mississippi. Click on calendar to view events, or hit “Submit Your Event” to post what’s happening in your neck of the woods.

September Biloxi 9

Billy Ray Cyrus

Beau Rivage Casino Resort, from $24.95

www.billyraycyrus.com 228-386-7444

Washington County Convention Center

www.deltablues.org 888-812-5837

Courthouse Square, featuring Luke Bryan, Country Music Award’s Top New Solo Vocalist

www.hmscoc.com 662-429-9055

MSU Riley Center, 6 p.m., $59-$65

www.msurileycenter.com

Nineteen antebellum mansions, Jazz & Juleps, Stone House Musicale.

www.visitnatchez.org 800-647-6742

BancorpSouth Arena, 7:30 p.m., $35-$90, adult. $28-$72 child.

www.bcsarena.com 662-841-6528

The O’Jays

Soul and R & B, Harrah’s Casino

www.harrahstunica.com 800-946-4946

Fire & Feast

Food, arts & crafts, music, BBQ competition. Yazoo County Fairgrounds.

www.yazoo.org 662-746-1815

Discussions, plays, walking tours, music, food, honoring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Mississippi native Tennessee Williams

662-627-7337

Greenville 17

Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival

Hernando 16-17

Water Tower Festival

Meridian 17

Charlie Daniel’s Band

Natchez 2-14

Fall Pilgrimage

Tupelo 6-8

Cirque Du Soleil Dralion

Tunica 9 Yazoo 9-10

October Clarksdale 14-16

Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival

28-30

Hambone Festival

Historic tours, events at the Delta Blues Museum, Rock ‘n 662-253-5586 Roll Heritage Museum, Street Party, Halloween Costume Party, soul food and acoustic blues music. Free

Jackson 15

Three Doors Down

Mississippi Coliseum. Tickets start at $32.

Visit Ticketmaster

Mississippi International Film Festival

Russell C. Davis Planetarium

601-665-7737

MSU Riley Center, 6 p.m.

www.msurileycenter.com

$20 per person. Haunted Hearse Tour, $25 per person for a group of six.

www.hauntedvicksburg.com 601-618-6031

Meridian 8

Patty Griffin

Vicksburg 28-31

Haunted Ghost Tours

September. October 2011

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September. October 2011