Best of Art, Music & Culture Experience a ‘Sip of the South
Vasti : Jackson Bluesman becomes state's music ambassador BLUE DELTA
JEAN CO.
Tupelo-area business finds the perfect fit
WINTER 2017
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Also: Jaimoe Johnie Johnson • Mississippi Opera • Bill Ferris' Top Reads
There’s some
SERIOUS FUN to be had here.
If you haven’t been to GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi yet, you’re missing out on some great entertainment. It’s an exciting experience for music fans of all ages. Show off your moves on the dance floor, test your musical skills in The Roland Room, or check out some of music’s top artist in the Sanders Soundstage. When learning involves music, it’s fun. Seriously.
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800 West Sunflower Road / Cleveland, MS 38732 www.grammymuseumms.org / P: 662.441.0100
GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi and the Mississippi Museum logo are trademarks of The Recording Academy® and used under license.
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PHOTO BY DANNY KLIMETZ
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CONTENTS
features Page 8
Vasti Jackson Mississippi bluesman takes on the role of his career and earns state and national recognition.
Page 20
Page 44
Blue Delta Jean Co.
Jaimoe Johnie Johnson
The authenticity and identity of the Mississippi Delta inspired the name of a popular jeans company.
Allman Brothers Band co-founder remembers life on the R&B circuit and his journey to jazz.
Page 32
Page 52
D'Evereux Foods
Portrait: Tena Clark
A Natchez native turned a family recipe into a food empire that made Oprah's "favorites" list.
World-renowned songwriter and producer pens "My, My Mississippi" in response to controversial bill.
Cover Shot
Vasti Jackson sits at the bar at Hal & Mal's in Jackson during a recent celebration for the Mississippi Blues Trail. Photo by Melanie Thortis
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CONTENTS
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departments IN EVERY ISSUE
4 « Editor’s Note
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5 « Thesipmag.com 7 « Spotlight: Contributors 26 « ‘Sip Trip: Por t Gibson 37 « ‘Sip Kitchen: Cuban Rice Bowls 40 « ‘Sip of Nature: S assafras 56 « 'Sip and Read: Bill Ferris 62 « Small-Town 'Sip 64 « The Last ‘Sip
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LIFESTYLE 16 | Lucy Richardson Janoush Delta 'do-er" honored for making things happen. Contents page photo by Rory Doyle
ART 28 | Sammy Britt Artist helps viewers find beauty in the world through painting. Contents page photo by Rory Doyle
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OUTSIDE 38 | Family Pig Complete Harvest Nathan Beane takes a course on hog farming.
MUSIC 48 | Jubilee Singers Historic music group lives on with Dr. Bobby Cooper. Contents page photo by Melanie Thortis
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CULTURE 58 | Mississippi Opera Quality performances bring a diverse audience to opera. Contents page photo submitted by MIssissippi Opera
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Share your Bulldog spirit this holiday season.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
from the Front Porch
"Without being born here in Mississippi — if I was born in Egypt or Russia, then I would not have this particular gift — maybe the gift of
PHOTOS BY MELANIE THORTIS
music, but not the gift of the blues." — Vasti Jackson, Blues @ Home
TOP: WITH MY SON, GRADY, DECEMBER 2016 BOTTOM: WITH VASTI AT A CELEBRATION FOR BLUES @ HOME
Art. Music. Food. Literature. History. These are not only the resources on which this magazine was built, but they are the very foundation of our state's culture. People come to Mississippi from all over to dance at our blues clubs, eat our Southern food, visit the places that inspired the world's greatest writers and witness the battlegrounds that determined our region's identity. Mississippi is a breeding ground for the arts in all its glorious forms. We are a creative bunch, and our assets — museums, restaurants, concert halls, galleries and front porches — are a testament to the work we do to inspire and entertain the world. We have the great honor of profiling all six recipients of the Governor's Arts Awards. These highly regarded, prestigious awards are an annual 'best-of' presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a beacon of light for our state's arts community. The truth is you really can't beat what we have to celebrate in terms of cultural offerings, and these awards are a wonderful reminder. I am humbled to have already crossed paths with some of the worthy recipients featured. I first met Vasti (pronounced Vast-eye for those of you who don't already know this remarkable soul) Jackson in 2011 at his home in Hattiesburg. I was almost 6 months pregnant with my now 5 (and a half)-year-old son. I was also eight musicians in to a 5 (and a half)-year-long project documenting 31 living blues legends in Mississippi. I was the project manager and oral historian working alongside artist H.C. Porter to create Blues @ Home, which would later become a travleing exhibition and coffee table book of her paintings paired with oral histories on each musician. Every encounter with our state's blues legends was fascinating, eye-opening and priceless. With Vasti, I went to school! He taught me about the actual music — the notes, the sounds — and the unique culture that he, as our state's unofficial blues ambassador, shares with audiences all over the world. Vasti is a talented musician, a wonderful storyteller, a sharp businessman and, above all, a proud Mississippian. What he told me all those years ago still rings true, and it's something I'm reminded of when my son dances to the blues he heard in utero or when he draws a picture or reads a book: We are creative people. We are Mississippians. Let's keep reminding the world what we're made of. Every chance we get!
Cheers, y'all,
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Want a bigger ‘sip? The 'Sip website features additional content, including exclusive stories and extras you don't want to miss! We now have Made in The 'Sip T-shirts and gifts at our 'Sip Shop. Subscribe, find rack locations, read stories online and find out what's happening across The 'Sip. We have all the tools to enhance your experience between issues. Don't miss a 'Sip! Be sure to sign up for our 'Sip e-newsletter to receive all the best Mississippi culture updates and extras. PHOTO BY RORY DOYLE
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GREAT WAYS
When you’re headed to the big game, MDOT Travel Resources gives you the info you need to make it to the tailgate on time. From traffic alerts and road conditions to weather forecasts and more. And you can access it from our mobile app, your computer or by calling 511. Don’t let there be a delay of game. Find out more at MDOTtraffic.com.
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SPOTLIGHT
Publisher/Editor Lauchlin Fields Photography Director Melanie Thortis Consulting Editor Karen Gamble Copy Editor Olivia Foshee Music Editor Jim Beaugez Outside Editor Nathan Beane Writers Gordon Cotton Elizabeth Grey Mary Margaret Halford Susan Marquez LaReeca Rucker Photographers Rory Doyle Danny Klimetz Design Director Erin Norwood Graphic Designer Lauchlin Fields Illustrator Jamie Runnells Proofreaders Sarah Hearn Mary Kent-Walshire Marketing/Sales Director Cortney Maury cortney@thesipmag.com
Account Executive Amelia Perdomo
amelia@thesipmag.com The ‘Sip is a registered trademark of Front Porch Fodder Publishing, LLC. The ‘Sip magazine is published four times a year. Some pieces in this issue were produced in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission.
Owner: Lauchlin Fields 1216 National St. Vicksburg, MS 39180 601.573.9975 www.thesipmag.com editor@thesipmag.com Copyright 2017 The ‘Sip by Front Porch Fodder Publishing, LLC Reproduction of any part of this publication is strictly prohibited.
a big thanks to this issue’s talented contributors ANDY CHAPMAN FOOD WRITER Andy Chapman is an “eatie” not a “foodie.” In 2009, while working as a business marketing consultant, Andy discovered his passion for enjoying and sharing good food when he began tweeting anonymously as @eatjxn in his spare time. Soon after that, Eat Jackson, a local restaurant review site was born. Since then, Andy has founded Eat Y’all, the company that compiled the Mississippi List to celebrate food for the state's bicentennial. Andy lends a recipe for this issue's 'Sip Kitchen.
SALLY GREEN ILLUSTRATOR Sally was born in Topeka, Kan., and grew up mostly in Texas. A graduate of both Louisiana Tech University and the University of Mississippi, with degrees in finance and health information management, she has lived in Vicksburg for 15 years. After making the decision to be a stay-at-home mom, Sally discovered her passion for illustration. She is a self-taught artist whose “happy place” is at her easel, drawing and painting while listening to a really good audiobook. She has painted eight murals at Bowmar Elementary School, where her son is in sixth grade. She hopes to one day write and illustrate her own children’s book. This is her second time illustrating the 'Sip Trip. BOYCE UPHOLT WRITER Boyce is a writer and editor focused on stories about how people shape places — and how places shape up. Born in Chicago and raised in Connecticut, he has lived in the Mississippi Delta for six years. A graduate of Haverford College and current MFA candidate at Warren Wilson College, Boyce is a contributing writer at Delta Magazine, and his journalistic pieces have appeared in Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, Roads & Kingdoms and Mississippi Magazine. Read more at www.boyceupholt.com.
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Vasti Jackson,
ambassador to the blues, forges a path through a complicated history
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There’s no sensory experience like an empty nightclub waiting for its moment.
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The way the neon hangs in the room, drawing attention away from the dark corners where revelries past collect. The way the hurried staff burst from double-doored corridors to set a centerpiece or load beer into a cooler, the anticipation rising as guests arrive. The event on this particular night, 10 years in the making, celebrates the Mississippi Blues Trail, the maze of 194 signposts throughout the state marking significant artists, places and events in the development of the blues. And there’s hardly a person alive who understands the significance of the blues, what it is and what it’s not, more than Vasti Jackson. “I don't mind being called a bluesman — I am a bluesman,” Jackson said. “Not because I play guitar, but because I was born into that struggle, into that lineage, the combination of Europe and Africa converging.” Tonight, Jackson's gig is to serve as ambassador of the blues, a role he’s earned since arriving in the capital city by way of McComb in the late 1970s, as a Jackson State University student. The state, through its Mississippi Arts Commission, will officially recognize Jackson this month with a Governor’s Award for Arts Ambassador. “I am not aware of a more important living artist who has devoted his life to promoting, preserving, embodying and extending the musical legacy of Mississippi,” said filmmaker and friend Robert Mugge in a letter of support for the award. In fact, 2017 may be Jackson's biggest in a 40-year career that has put him alongside luminaries Martin Scorsese, Harry Connick Jr., and B.B. King. Jackson just earned a Grammy nomination from The Recording Academy for The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers, a selffinanced and self-released album of eight Rodgers covers and two originals, recorded at Jackson’s home in Hattiesburg. He’s competing in the Best Traditional Blues Album category with Bobby Rush’s Porcupine Meat, an album he was also deeply involved with creating, as well as more mainstream artists like Joe Bonamassa and Luther Dickinson. Jackson walks through the door at Hal & Mal's, confident and focused, coiffed in a red suit with black and white trim and a matching fedora, carrying a guitar case and eyeing the room for a friendly face — which he quickly finds in two middle-aged men he greets before setting down his case. Then, he pulls out his parlor-sized resonator guitar and a slide, and gets to business.
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Jackson grew up in a family full of fiddle, jug, harmonica and guitar players going back generations and has built a life around his ear and talents. Drums were his first love and what earned him a scholarship to Jackson State, but the guitar is what made him famous. He played his first gigs in McComb at age 13 backing up Big Moody, who lived a couple of blocks away, and earned a hamburger or hot dog and a few dollars every time. His neighborhood, a few blocks off the Summit Street nightclub strip, was full of drummers, so Jackson had more calls to play guitar. But when he auditioned for the high school jazz band, the band leader quickly figured out he had been playing by ear and couldn’t read music. He exiled him until he learned. “He told me later the reason he did that was [because] either I loved it — I had passion and conviction enough to go do it — or it would break me,” he said. “It didn't break me.” By senior year, Jackson was helping transpose instrument charts for stage plays, a skill that helped him at JSU and made him indispensable as a musical director later in his career with Bobby Rush, Wynton Marsalis and others. College wouldn’t last long, as the lure of gigs and life as a professional musician drew him across the country and, eventually, around the world. After recording his first session at Malaco studios in Jackson for McKinley Mitchell, Jackson followed gigs from Atlanta to San Diego to Los Angeles, where he briefly worked with producer Leon Haywood, the man Dr. Dre famously sampled on “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang.” A strike by the musicians’ union brought Jackson back home to McComb, where he happened upon Rush at the Elks Rest Club. Soon, he got a cut on Rush’s hit “Sue,” and began filling in for local bluesman Jesse Robinson with ZZ Hill. “From there, I became like a default guy,” he said. “I was the musical director for ZZ. I was doing a bunch of stuff at Malaco — from working on songs with George Jackson and demos, and doing the Jackson Southernaires and the Williams Brothers and Latimore.”
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Jackson had only heard of Jimmie Rodgers when he received the call to audition for “Jimmie Rodgers: America’s Blue Yodeler,” a play about the Meridian-born “Singing
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Brakeman" that debuted in May 2016 at the Meridian Little Theater. Jackson’s friend Britt Gully, who performs a tribute to Rodgers and had the lead role, recommended Jackson to play Hobo Bill, a character drawn from Rodgers’ tune, “Hobo Bill’s Last Ride.” In the play, he performs several of Rodgers' songs. What Jackson knew about the hoboing life was limited to hopping trains with friends back in McComb and riding them downtown or to a fishing hole. But he had no trouble finding the hobo soul in Rodgers’ music — after all, Rodgers himself drew upon the blues to make what many consider the first country-music songs. As Jackson points out, Rodgers cut “Those Gambler’s Blues” riffs on the blues standard “St. James Infirmary,” and he even collaborated with Louis Armstrong on “Standing on the Corner.” Throughout his career, Jackson has drawn upon his own lineage and influences, as well, for his interpretations of music. Four generations back, Jackson has an Irish ancestor on his mother’s side; his father’s side of the family includes Lebanese and Native American alongside African ancestors. He grew up in McComb knowing, in passing at least, his acknowledged white cousins, who lived in the nicer homes on the other side of the train tracks. “I have this real complicated mix of Irish, African and Hebrew,” he said. “My grandfather was the hard blues guy. My grandmother loved country and gospel music. He taught her to play the guitar, [and] her thing was always with an Irish lilt.” Jackson’s reimagining of traditional country songs for the play and the album, which includes eight Rodgers' covers and two originals, follows the pattern that his African ancestors took when they began singing European hymns — instead of singing the melody straight on the notes and beats, his phrasing is more dramatic, with subtle, soulful vibrato emphasizing Rodgers’ verses. He illustrates his point with an a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace,” first sung according to the hymnal and then sung “with a little bit of Africa” mixed in. “It would have been a pretense to go, ‘dink-donk, dinkdonk’ [imitates the traditional beat of early country music], you know what I mean?” he said. “Jimmie said that he was yodeling the blues, because of the influence he had from African Americans who were sharecroppers when he was growing up.” Jackson had completed an album of original work when he began learning Rodgers’ songs, but instinct drove him to shelve the project to see his Jimmie Rodgers experiment to its conclusion. He recorded his sparse takes at home and released The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers to coincide with his performances in the play. Then, with no record company, publicist or machine behind him, he simply submitted the album to The Recording Academy and got back to work.
"I don't mind being called a bluesman — I am a bluesman." — Vasti Jackson
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“I went back to Europe,” he said. “I was in South America — Chile and Argentina — and Holland and Belgium [playing festivals]. I was going about my thing. I didn't know that it was nominated until I began to see it on Facebook.”
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As well-wishers, blues-scene players and music fans fill up the main room for the Mississippi Blues Trail anniversary celebration, the sound floor rumbles louder. “You've got blues people who don't play music,” Jackson explained. “The music is just a reflection of the culture. [It’s] about survival, improvisation, escape, freedom, you know what I mean? Trying to get an outlet for your Africanism because it's restricted by the dominant European culture. You can't speak your language.” There’s excitement in Jackson’s voice as he switches tracks to consider what it means for a homegrown project like his
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to garner such recognition. He talks fast and clearly doesn’t want to stop, but the draw of his blues family in the next room is too much. He pauses once more before heading into the night’s celebration. "The thing about this that's so important for Mississippi is that this story gives optimism for other people who are recording and writing music,” he said. “You don't always have to have an enormous budget. If the conviction and truth is within the capture of the performance, that's what's most important for roots music. Respect for the music, the integrity of the performance, and those who came before him have propelled Jackson this far. Following that line keeps him tied to the source of his creativity and, as long as that stays intact, Jackson has room to roam. “I’m rooted in the blues,” he added. “I’m not limited by the blues.”
STORYJim Beaugez PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis
“I’m rooted in the blues. I’m not limited by the blues.” — Vasti Jackson
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Lucy Richardson Janoush Arts patron gets things done in the Delta
Lucy Richardson Janoush moved back to the Mississippi Delta from Washington, D.C., in part so she could slow things down. She had lived in the nation’s capital for five years, working as a legislative assistant for congressmen Jamie Whitten and David Bowen and had a taste for the hectic culture in the corridors of power.
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Musically inclined: For more information on GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Clevleand, visit their website below.
grammymuseumms.org
“I wanted to get out of the fast lane,” Janoush said. “There, I didn’t even know my neighbors — here, I know everybody.” But that familiarity is more than just a social perk — it is a tool for getting things done. Consider the Cleveland Music Foundation, for which Janoush serves as board president. When the organization’s bid to open a local outpost of the GRAMMY Museum was accepted, Janoush and her board hopped on the phone with leaders of the museum’s first location in Los Angeles. The first step, they were told, would be to incorporate as a nonprofit. “And we’d already done that,” Janoush said. “I don’t think we could get this museum together (otherwise) — not at the speed we did.” It’s just a difference in cultures: L.A., she says, is all traffic— “and they meet too much. We don’t talk about things, we just do.” Janoush is quick to clarify that this is her perception of L.A. in general; her experience collaborating with the L.A.based GRAMMY Museum has been delightful. With her no-nonsense attitude, Janoush takes after her grandmother, who was a tractor dealer in the 1940s. Women in business were rare back then — especially in the Delta. “That taught me if I made up my mind, I could do whatever I wanted,” Janoush said. “Being a female was not an excuse.” Such insights powered an impressive career. After returning to Mississippi, she worked in the public sector, first with the South Delta Planning and Development District in Greenville and, then, as the executive vice president of the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Development Foundation. Later, Janoush worked as a human resources manager for three major Delta corporations: Brandywine Foods, Inc., a start-up poultry processor; JANTRAN Inc., a river-towing company; and Baxter Healthcare Corporation. “I spent my career being around people,” Janoush said. “Positive people doing positive things. Nothing makes me
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“My parents told me we all have a commitment to leave things better than we found them, and I always try to do what they say.” ~ LUCY RICHARDSON JANOUSH happier than seeing another person happy." Her decision to leave Washington certainly made one person happy. In fact, as much as she was ready for a slower pace, it was love that brought her back to the Delta. “I knew that if I was ever going to get married, (longtime beau) Paul Janoush would be the one,” Lucy said. “And if I didn’t come here, it wasn’t going to happen.” It did happen, and now the couple has two children — Will, 32, and Mary Parker, 21 — and two grandchildren. Janoush has made significant contributions to Cleveland and the Delta through her community service. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi and has been president of a number of organizations, including the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce, the Cleveland Junior Auxiliary and the local United Way. A long life of leadership has, over the past year, delivered a new challenge: she was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. “It’s the only big project I didn’t sign up for,” she said. Her reaction was simply disappointment. “I’m too busy for this,” she thought. “I still have so many things I love to do.” Janoush still travels to Houston every few weeks for treatment. And — not surprising if you know her — there is a prize in this struggle: it’s taught Janoush to take care of herself. Previously, she said, she would rearrange her life around others' needs. Now, nothing will keep her from Houston, treatment and her fierce grip on life. In 2011, three years after she retired, Janoush was asked
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to join the board of the Cleveland Music Foundation, which owns and operates the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “They probably thought I was the only one dumb enough to do it,” she said with a smile. More likely, the board knew her record of getting results. Under her leadership, the foundation raised $20 million to open the 28,000-square-foot museum, which opened last March. After the museum opened, its driveway was named in her honor. And, last year, she was selected as Delta State University’s Alumnus of the Year (she graduated in 1978, magna cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in English). This year the Mississippi Arts Commission will recognize her as an Arts Patron with a Governor’s Arts Award. While Janoush was raised in an art-loving family, it was her mother and siblings who had the artistic talent. “I just know how to appreciate it,” she said. Her community, including Delta State University President William LaForge, recognizes Janoush’s contribution. “Lucy’s dedication and hard work, her vision and passion, her community relations and fundraising prowess, and her focus on bringing a world-class enterprise to our state are without question the most important ingredients that made this massive, game-changing project a reality,” LaForge said in his letter of support for Janoush’s Governor’s Arts Award nomination.
STORY Boyce Upholt PHOTOGRAPHY Rory Doyle
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it's in their jeans Custom garment-makers in Verona keeping denim simple
Nothing is quite as authentically American as a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans — nothing except the Mississippi Delta with its unique cultural and economic history. Verona — Once one of the largest cotton-producing areas in the nation, it's also known as the birthplace of Delta blues and rock-and-roll. Historian James C. Cobb called it "The Most Southern Place on Earth," and some might argue that it is the most authentic place on earth — real and raw. The authenticity and identity of the Mississippi Delta inspired the name of a jeans company founded in Verona by two men who spent time in the Delta during childhood and college. Blue Delta Jean Co., was born five years ago. Co-owners Josh West, 34, and Nick Weaver, 33, have gone from 50 custom jeans orders a year to 50 a day, and they have expanded production in a new building with more space and employees. “Josh and I both had some deep ties to the Mississippi Delta,” Weaver said. “And I think the reason why everybody in Mississippi has a fond spot for the Mississippi Delta is because it keeps us authentic to our Mississippi roots. That one word describes not only a landscape, but a mindset.”
THE PERFECT FIT Josh West, left, and Nick Weaver, right, are the owners of Blue Delta Jean Co.
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Raw
Enter the “war room” of Blue Delta Jean Co.'s Verona offices in Lee County just outside of Tupelo, and you'll see large spools of gray, navy, yellow, red, light blue, black and orange thread on the table along with samples of denim in blues, grays and browns. A dry-erase board is on the wall with swatches of multicolored denim samples taped to it and words that indicate these fabrics will be introduced in 2017. “We have a lot of strategy on the walls,” said West, who moved from behind the table to offer a tour of the facility. The room also features pictures of celebrities and noteworthy customers who have purchased Blue Delta jeans. They include actress Nicole Kidman, Grammy-nominated musician Sturgill Simpson, American Aquarium's BJ Barham, Eli Manning, Alabama Shakes and many Chicago Cubs players, including pitcher Jon Lester, who owns 17 pairs. “What do you do with 17 pairs?” Weaver laughed. “I don't even own 17 pairs.” What sets Blue Delta apart from other jean companies is the price and fit. The raw denim jeans are custom-made and sell for about $500 a pair. Raw denim is not washed, and West described the process. “The order comes in, and our pattern-maker creates a pattern by hand,” he said. “Every person has their own pattern. You can choose your own fabric, cut and style. You will select the color you want for denim.” 22
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The fabric is cut according to the pattern, then transferred to a seamstress. Typically, one seamstress makes a pair of jeans from start to finish. “It's very individualized,” Simpson said. “This jean is brown with baby blue thread, but the next jean she does may be blue with black thread, so she's always changing the thread. It's not an assembly line feel. It's more of a craftsman feel.” While most of the machines are from the 1980s and later, the buttonhole machine used to create the vintage keyhole buttonholes on Blue Delta jeans is more than 100 years old.
Cotton
Blue Delta's office is located in Verona because it's West's hometown and notable for manufacturing. It also has a pool of workers with experience in the garment industry. West attended South Pontotoc High School, where he was a self-described “terrible,” yet affable student. He later attended Delta State University, majoring in English. “I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up,” he said. “Delta State has a really rigorous English program. It was good for me — small classes, really demanding teachers, and I loved it. I did well academically.” West later enrolled at Mississippi State University and earned a master's degree in public policy. During his last semester at MSU, he studied abroad in England in a program through King's College London. He later worked for a
commercial real estate company that took him to Nashville for several years. After marrying, his wife wanted to move back to her hometown of Tupelo to start a family, so West changed careers, working in economic development. “That's when I really started seeing the opportunity for high-end garment manufacturing,” he said. “Nobody was doing garment anymore. It was all done overseas. I approached Nick about the possibility of doing it.” West and Weaver have a history. They met in an eighthgrade science class. “There were probably five or six pretty girls, and we fought over all of them at South Pontotoc,” West said. “We graduated with 64 people, and so we all knew each other.” Weaver had moved to North Mississippi from the Delta. “I come from a few generations of sharecroppers,” he said. “I'm the first generation in my family not to pick cotton. Both my mom and my dad have picked cotton. It's funny how things turn out because now we're dealing with cotton. We're just on the other side of the fence.” Weaver attended MSU and the University of Mississippi, studying history. “I was going to be a really bad history teacher/coach,” he said. “You know that teacher that gave really easy tests, multiple choice and had a whistle? I was going to wear turf shoes and Dickie's khakis. I got into the financial advising world straight out of college and ended up in the software
industry. Josh and I stayed friends throughout.” Both were successful in their respective industries in their mid-20s, and both used their business-development skills to create Blue Delta. Weaver said each admired the other's work ethic. “We were so young and dumb, we weren't worried about failing,” West said. “I think some people get scared, and they don't do anything because they're worried about failing. So what if you fail? We start a jean company and we fail? That's not a surprise. We're so far in now, it would be harder to quit than to keep going.”
Breaking them in
Early on, West said something that resonated with Weaver. “He said, 'We've got to create the value,'” said Weaver. “We can't be a company that is just screen-printing logos on something that we're not manufacturing. I think a lot of people want to start a brand. “They want to stick their logo on something. But if the value was not being created, then some things are out of your control.” Weaver said the deeper he got into the business, the more he realized West was a visionary in 2009 who proceeded with the idea during an economic downturn. “Starting a blue jean company was insane,” he said. “Starting a high-end blue jean company was even more crazy.
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You are steadily squaring the craziness … So this whole 'made local' movement, and the raw denim movement, and putting a new spin on an old product, everything, the timing — we could not have planned this better,” he said. “One year, there were four digits of sales. We went literally from four digits to six digits.” Weaver said they started with four blue denim choices for customers, and they hired a former Levi Strauss seamstress who helped educate the owners about sewing jeans. “I know the women don't have college educations,” Weaver said. “But if you're talking about garment education, those women know more about sewing fabrics than just about anyone. So it was great to pull the education from them.” Starting out, West said they purchased equipment from a Memphis factory and didn't know how to turn on the machines, but they hired the right people who helped them figure things out. The business initially was housed in a 5,000-square-foot building that his grandfather gave him before moving to the current facility that has 9,000 square feet of manufacturing space and four offices. “We walked into a factory for free,” he said. “We would have never made it if we started out paying the rent I pay here. We stayed in there as long as we could.” They started with one full-time employee and now have 15 seamstresses, pattern-makers/designers, cutters and preppers, shipping department workers, stylists and salespeople. West and Weaver are co-owners with West serving as CEO and Weaver serving as chief operating officer. They also have a partner, N.J. Correnti, 34.
Zipping Ahead
West said there are fewer than 10 companies in the U.S. creating custom-made, high-end, denim jeans. The jeans will last half a decade, and Weaver said about 70 percent of their customers buy another pair. “And they tell people about it because it's a great story,” he said. “It's a coffee table piece.” West said he doesn't think Blue Delta Jeans Co., will ever leave the Tupelo metro area. “We have a store in Oxford, and we've talked about making some stuff on-site where we are selling the product, which is great, but we would never get our seamstress base to drive 45 minutes to go to work every day when they are used to driving 15,” he said. “I think we'll make it here as long as I can foresee anyway.” West said the best thing that has happened to the company is it began selling to the largest custom clothing manufacturing retailer in the world — Tom James Company. “If we started 100 times, we would not have been able to get in the door with these people, and they taught us the process and made us build for a bigger market,” West said. “They expected things out of us from a real company,
and they made us grow up,” Weaver added. West said their jeans will never be sold on the rack. If so, one of them “is really dead, or really rich.” “We don't really look at volume as a goal,” Weaver said. “Right now, we're on a six-week wait. We don't want to run up the numbers as big as we can like we were selling rack jeans because we want to be around in 20 years. We are selling a $500 jean. You sell it differently.” West said his dad prefers a $25 faded jean. “He's not our client,” he said. “And he's not inferior because he wants that.” The duo also clarified they are not a hipster brand. “We love hipsters, and hipsters love us, but they can't afford us,” he said. “And there's a lot of hipster brands out there, but we can't hang with them. We're getting old.” The company offers a variety of styles to fit the trends. A current trend, they said, is high-waisted jeans. “That's my favorite jean on a lot of the girls,” he said. “We were in New York recently. They all wanted the highwaisted jean. That's what's in. But we still have people who want flares.”
Hot Button
Weaver said the two have been “creative, stubborn and ignorant” to think that they could start a successful jeans company, but those qualities were a “blessing in disguise.” “Us being so stupid and not knowing what it takes to do all of this was the best thing in the world,” he said. “And if we had a lot of money starting off, we would have opened up a store, made poorly fitting jeans.” The two describe their product as an “affordable luxury.” “You have school teachers who are rewarding themselves because they are on a diet, and they've gotten to a certain weight,” Weaver said. “We have the CEO that is 6-foot-4, a tough fit, and likes everything very particular, buying five jeans at once.” Blue Delta jeans aren’t sold online or as “an impulse purchase” and the owners do not do very much advertising because they believe you can't “advertise an authentic product in an inauthentic way.” “You don't see billboards for it,” Weaver said of Blue Delta. “It would cheapen it. Then it makes it a little bit Dollywoodish or Branson. This (Blue Delta jeans) is not a fast manufacturing, produced rack product. This is not the fiveminute hamburger. If we didn't have the product, then we probably would have been like a bottle rocket. We would have had a little flame and popped, but we really feel like the best is yet to come.”
STORY LaReeca Rucker PHOTOGRAPHY Danny Klimetz
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'SIP TRIP
the ‘
sip
Take a weekend road trip to visit Mississippi Cultural Crossroads 507 Market St. (601) 437-8905 www.msculturalcrossroads.org
Offers free programs in the arts and humanities and provides outlets for diverse cultural backgrounds to celebrate their heritages and gain respect for other cultures. First Presbyterian Church 601 Church St. (601) 437-5428 fpcportgibson.com
“The Hand pointing to Heaven” is the unique feature of this Romanesque Revival-style edifice. Wintergreen Cemetery 613 Greenwood St. (601) 437-8846
c. 1807. One of the most beautiful cemeteries in Mississippi, it was originally the family cemetery of Samuel Gibson, founder of Port Gibson. Grand Gulf Military Park 12006 Grand Gulf Road (601) 437-5911 grandgulfpark.state.ms.us
This 400-acre National Register of Historic Places landmark is dedicated to preserving the memory of both the town and the battle that occurred there. Temple Gemiluth Chessed 706 Church St.
Built in 1892 by a community of Jewish immigrants from German states and Alsace-Lorraine, it is the oldest surviving synagogue in the state. Rosie's Cafe 1123 U.S Hwy 61 (601) 437-5272
A road-side eatery that serves simple, Southern fare with good service. A favorite dining spot for locals and travelers.
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ART
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C LE VE LA N D
Sammy Britt '
Delta painter explores visual truth'
Light, color and shape See more of Britt's paintings on his website or email him at sammybritt@cableone.net for information about his workshops. sammybritt.com
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Sammy Britt’s studio sits a few miles north of Cleveland, surrounded by farmland and a classic Delta bayou. He often paints outdoors and has watched, since 1996, new homes sprout in the fields where cotton did before. The studio, too, has changed — what was once a derelict tenant shack with no heat and no indoor plumbing has become a cozy retreat. Britt and his wife, Linda, stay there when family visits their home in town. The Britts have three children and seven grandchildren.
P
Painted in pastel colors, ornamented with dentil molding (in some cases, even with scraps of Britt’s paintings), the studio is like nowhere else in the Delta. And yet, it does not feel out of place. It is the product not of whimsy and imagination, but of looking into the world and seeing clearly what is there —and what belongs. Britt, born in 1940, grew up in Ruleville in the back of a grocery
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ART
Right: Artwork by Sammy Britt Left: Artist Sammy Britt sits inside his studio just outside of Cleveland.
store that his family owned. He was a doodler — he repeated first grade in part because he spent too much time drawing — although his early artistic inspirations, including Norman Rockwell and comic books, might not suggest the sort of art he creates today. That style emerged intact in 1963 when Britt was a 23-year-old art student at the Memphis Academy of Art. He scraped together enough money to spend a summer in Provincetown, Mass., at the Cape Cod School of Painting, studying with an artist/teacher about whom one of Britt’s professors at the Memphis Academy of Art raved. That teacher, Henry Hensche, may be better known among professional artists than casual art fans. But Britt describes him as a rare, true innovator. Hensche is, Britt said, the sole painter to move the art movement beyond the developments of Realism and Impressionism. He had a new way of seeing the world. It all comes down to light — and to what Britt calls the “visual truth.” It’s a truth that one is not simply born seeing. “Everyone knows we have to be taught to talk,” Britt said. “Well, we also have to be taught to see light and color.” Indeed, Hensche taught vision like language, emphasizing three elements: light, color and shape. That order matters, said Britt. “Light enables us to see the color, and the color lets us see the shape,” Britt said. Artists get trapped, he said, when they focus too much on their subject, the composition, even their imagination. It’s the light itself that gives life to a work of art — capturing a particular quality of light at a particular time of day, in a particular time of year. Each of these moments has its own “light key,” which establishes a set of relationships between colors. After painting with Hensche, Britt said, the world could never again be dull. His new practice required looking deeply, setting aside preconceived notions — and truly taking account of what is before one’s eyes. “Sparring with nature,” Britt said, “you’re not going to win. But you walk away with at least a feeling of ‘I learned something.’” In order to study with Hensche, Britt repeatedly returned to Cape Cod and, later, to Louisiana, after Hensche moved. But even after his first summer, it was clear how he wanted to paint — a style that, in the mid-1960s, was out of step with the trends of abstraction and pop art. That first summer also made clear that he wanted to teach, and how he wanted to teach. Britt’s step-by-step program is modeled after Hensche’s and requires students to master one element of vision before moving to the next. Britt began teaching at Delta State University in 1966, after completing an MFA at the University of Mississippi, and stayed until he retired in 2002. Through that long tenure, and through his many workshops across the state, Britt has deeply influenced the contemporary art scene in the state. That influence perhaps was best displayed at a 1999 exhibition at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel. It included a lineage of artists, beginning with Hensche’s own mentor, Charles Webster Hawthorne, descending through Britt, and
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ART
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“Sparring with nature, you’re not going to win. But you walk away with at least a feeling of ‘I learned something.’” ~ SAMMY BRITT
concluding with three of Britt's own students. All were inspired by his influence to travel to Cape Cod and study under Hensche, as well. It’s such influence that Britt credits with his recent accumulation of awards. Last year, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters. This month, he will receive a Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Arts. “The honor is really to those I have taught,” he said. “They’re the ones being recognized.” Britt said that teaching has made him a better painter and, while his paintings bring value into the world by helping viewers find beauty, teaching is far more valuable. Britt instills
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in his students the idea that each has a God-given talent. As Britt sits in his studio, sharing his story, collections of knick-knacks sit near the two north-facing windows, bathed in the lengthening afternoon light. Once the items and their arrangement seem right to him, they will become the subjects of indoor still-life paintings. “In our greatest artistic moment, we can merely create a weak illusion of God’s great creative genius, but that tiny glimpse of God’s beauty is more than enough to share with another soul," Britt said. STORY Boyce Upholt PHOTOGRAPHY Rory Doyle
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Natchez hot in
Natchez native Ashleigh Aldridge heats things up with hot sauce company
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D
ressed in a hazmat suit, respirator and goggles, Ashleigh Aldridge looks like something from a science-fiction movie. Risking burns on her face, she begins mixing ground Bhut Jolokia peppers from India into a vat of other ingredients to make another batch of Pepper Sauce Fantome, a sauce made with D’arbol, Pequin and Bhut Jolokia (ghost) chile peppers. “This one has a little heat in it,” she said with a laugh. The sauce is also infused with lime and garlic and is a favorite among heat enthusiasts and foodies. It’s just one of the products produced for Aldridge’s company, D’Evereux Foods in Natchez. “A little of the ghost pepper powder goes a long way, so we just use it in very small doses,” she explained. “Oddly, it smells like dried grapefruit.” Armed with a degree in marketing from the University of Louisiana Monroe, Aldridge started her company with a hot sauce recipe and a $10,000 loan, both from her dad, Courtney Aldridge. “This wasn’t always the plan,” she recalled. “After college, I had planned on moving to Australia to get a master’s degree. The summer after graduation I met my boyfriend, and I had to decide whether to go or stay.” Love won out and, knowing that her dad’s hot sauce was a winner, Aldridge decided to start a company that would produce and sell the sauce. D’Evereux Foods, named after the historic mansion her family owns, was founded in 2014. In addition to manufacturing hot sauce, Aldridge opened a storefront in downtown Natchez where she also sells a mix of Southern, regional and international food and kitchen items. “We have a full tasting island where we do food samplings daily,” she said. The first year, the company manufactured only the original hot sauce. “The next year, we added two more sauces and three pepper jellies,” she added. A major manufacturing shift occurred when her pepper
jams were selected in 2015 as one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” in O, The Oprah Magazine. Aldridge was at the Atlanta market when Oprah Winfrey’s media reps stopped by her booth to sample her products. “They asked for me to send product in to them and, about a month later, I learned that I had made the top 100,” Aldridge said. “A while after that, I learned I had made the final list, but I couldn’t tell anybody until it was announced.” Knowing that she would have to ramp up production significantly, it became necessary to get another loan, this time from the bank. “It was a tricky situation. I was only 25 years old and I had not been in business very long. I had to be careful, telling only one person at the bank why I needed the loan, and that person had to sign an agreement not to tell anyone else,” she said. At the time, Aldridge had made only one batch of the jam to take to the Mississippi Wholesale Market in June. “I went from making 1,000 jars to 70,000 jars,” she said. The jam had been manufactured in Natchez, but Aldridge had to seek a manufacturing facility elsewhere due to the volume they sell. “I am very proud to say that all our products are manufactured in the United States, with ingredients sourced and made in the U.S. — except for the Bhut Jolokia peppers, which we import from India,” she said. Aldridge explained that the huckleberries used in one of the jams are hand-picked in Oregon. “They wouldn’t hold up well enough to be shipped to Mississippi, so that’s another reason we had to find another facility to manufacture the jams,” she said. In addition to the Pepper Sauce Fantome, the D’Evereux Foods line now includes Pepper Sauce Rouge, a smoky and spicy blend, and Pepper Sauce Fermente’, a bold and tangy blend. There is also Strawberry Jalapeno Jam, Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam and Huckleberry Jalapeno Jam. The products are sold wholesale to more than 200 businesses in about 20 states. In addition, there is a full line of products for sale on the company’s website, www.devereuxfoods.com. The site
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Ashleigh Aldridge, founder of D'Evereux Foods
Spicy Strawberry Pulled Pork Sliders
• 1 (3-5lb) pork shoulder • 1 (9 oz.) Jar D'Evereux Foods Strawberry Jalapeno Jam • 1 medium onion (grated) • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce • 1 Tbsp honey • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard • Salt & Pepper to taste • Line your crock pot with plastic liner or spray with nonstick cooking oil. • Grate onion into crock. Rinse, pat dry, and place the pork shoulder in the crock. Season liberally with salt and pepper. • Whisk remaining ingredients in a small bowl and add to the crock. • Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. Once the meat begins to easily fall apart when pulled with a fork, shred or cube the meat and return the crock for another 30 minutes. Serve on slider buns! ** Recipe courtesy of Ashleigh Aldridge of D'Evereux Foods**
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also has recipes, including one for crab and shrimp dip that was Mississippi Magazine’s recipe of the year. “It’s a recipe my mother and I developed,” Aldridge said. “It is really, really good.” Doing business in Natchez has been a great experience for Aldridge. “I can’t imagine doing this anywhere else,” she said. “Natchez was founded in 1716, and our family has been here since 1717, so we’ll be celebrating our 300th anniversary this year! I am a ninth generation Natchezian. I know so many people here, and they have all been very supportive. And Natchez is just a fun place — it’s a river town and, with its architecture and attitude, it’s like a mini New Orleans.” Aldridge has big plans to grow her business. “I’m going to start doing cooking classes called ‘How to Boil Water with Ashley,’ perfect for kids, college students, brides, as well as both locals and tourists,” she said. “We’ll do online classes and demonstration cooking with guest chefs. I’m excited about the possibilities.” And the boyfriend who kept her in Natchez? “He’s still my boyfriend, and he was definitely worth my staying here,” she said. STORY Susan Marquez PHOTOGRAPHY Adam + Alli Photography and Karry Hosford
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™
2017 MEMBER
the
Mississippi 201 places to eat. stay. play.
list ™
presented by
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'SIP KITCHEN
Cuban Rice Bowl WITH A Mississippi TWIST
Recipe by ANDY CHAPMAN
This recipe, provided by Andy Chapman of Eat Y’all, is a different approach to a brunch dish served up at Atchafalaya, an uptown New Orleans bistro.
Slice and dice. This is my favorite part! There’s not a lot
RECIPE
then use a butter knife to cut a ¼ inch grid pattern across
to do but enough to feel productive. Cut each tomato in half. Halve and remove the seed from the avocado
Serves 4
each half of the avocado, going down to the skin without
Ingredients:
disposing of the top and bottom of the vegetable. Thinly
1 cup Missimati white basmati rice 2 cups water 1 8-oz. can unseasoned black beans ½ cup cherry tomatoes 1 ripe avocado 3 radishes 1 green onion ¼ cup Queso Fresco Cilantro Lime Kosher salt
breaking through the skin itself. Thinly slice each radish slice the green onion — both the white and green portion. Coarsely chop a handful of cilantro leaves and slice the lime into four wedges. Assemble the dish. Serve ½ cup of cooked rice into each of four bowls, then top rice with black beans, tomatoes, radishes and green onions, each equally divided. Using a cereal spoon, scoop the avocado out of its “shell” and onto the top of each rice bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh ground black pepper
Crumble the queso fresco — which adds more salty flavor,
Method:
with cilantro and a lime wedge — a hint of summer flavor
Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add rice, a
so keep that in mind — over the top of each bowl. Garnish anytime of the year!
large pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until water is absorbed and
Visit thesipmag.com/sip-kitchen for Andy’s full
rice fluffs with a fork. While rice is cooking, wash and dry
explanation, plus some tips and tricks to put some
all of the produce. Rinse black beans and warm in a small
additional tasty spins on this recipe.
bowl in microwave for 1 minute.
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OUTSIDE
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The Family Pig
VI C K S B U R G
Homesteading offers 'whole hog' lifestyle
Growing up on a small farm, I always wanted a homestead where I could raise and harvest animals. As a boy growing up, I watched and learned from my father.
PORTRAIT BY MELANIE THORTIS
I
NATHAN BEANE THE ‘SIP OUTSIDE EDITOR
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Winter 2017
I heard countless tales of his experiences working with his dad slaughtering and butchering pigs during his childhood in western Kentucky. From cooking fresh cracklins in a cast iron pot on harvest day to the taste of cured country hams aged in smoke barns, these tales ignited my desires to learn traditional hog processing methods. Now, I am raising and caring for heritage pigs in my own backyard. I’ve butchered numerous chickens, squirrels and wild turkey to larger animals, including deer, wild pigs and even black bear, but I am not a butcher. And, while I may have aspired to be a butcher in a different life, as I love processing wild game, this is the first time Beane Farm has had domestic swine that will eventually be transitioned from farm to table. A year ago, I purchased a pair of Berkshire piglets with a plan to raise a breeding pair that would produce litters of piglets. This way, I could raise my own heritage pigs and be solely responsible for their diet, health and vitality. I always create a close bond with the animals I raise and, while harvesting them is not at all easy, I’m at peace knowing the animal’s life was good and that it provides nourishment to mine. This is the circle of life we
the‘
all must embrace, and this strategy removes the industrial treatment that commercial livestock must endure. I prefer to care for the animal I eat from start to finish. Traditional methods of hog butchering, unlike any method I’ve used before, retain the skin and fat of the hog, both increasing the savor and overall quality of meat. I truly see the value of using the whole animal — especially one I’ve raised and affectionately cared for since weanling size. I purchased several how-to books on traditional hog butchering and, through Internet research, soon discovered an opportunity of a lifetime where I could experience handson training for all aspects of hog butchering. I stumbled upon a class called ‘The Family Pig,’ offered by Farmstead Meatsmith, a personal slaughterhouse, butchery and charcuterie service for small homesteads and farms in the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest. I contacted the owners, Brandon and Lauren Sheard, and learned they had expanded their butchering knowledge into a unique business of teaching others how to do everything related to slaughtering, butchering and curing meats using traditional methods. This discovery seemed serendipitous — almost fate — and I had to do it. My first challenge was to convince my wife, Heather, to support the idea of traveling to Vashon Island, Wash., for a “vacation.” Since we rarely take real vacations, this was a great travel opportunity for us. She just wanted no part of the class and butchering of pigs. And, while she did agree to the trip, I had to agree to experience nearby Seattle with her for a couple of days following the class. We perused Pike’s Place market and had a coffee date at the original Starbucks. ‘The Family Pig’ traditional butchering course covered every aspect I had hoped, and more! From ensuring a proper treatment of the beloved farm animal at time of slaughter to employing best practices of scalding and scraping the hog carcass to begin processing. From the start of the course throughout, each class member played an essential role in this labor-intensive task of slaughter, butchering and learning the art of charcuterie from the two hogs processed during the course. Day One: Slaughtering and preparation of the animal for butchering indoors. It was a full day, working up two pigs,
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OUTSIDE
and we learned all aspects of killing humanely, scalding and scraping, proper evisceration and splitting of the carcass for butchering. Day Two: We took the split carcass of both pigs and in small groups of three to four, each group worked up and processed an entire half of a hog. We learned precisely where each cut was to be made to quarter the animal for the butcher cuts we required. From hand-cutting pork chops, preparing slabs of bacon for smoking and curing and even preparing a hindquarter for aging into prosciutto, we learned all aspects of hog utilization. Day Three: On the final day, we learned the art of charcuterie, including how to cure meats without nitrates and how to age meat safely and efficiently. We prepared various styles of sausages, made pates and crepinnettes and even made blood sausage. We covered dry curing and brining techniques, as well. Charcuterie day was, by far, the most rewarding to me. Not only did I learn the proper techniques of curing and aging pork, I gained confidence in performing all aspects of hog butchering and processing. This experience will certainly improve my methods of processing wild game at home. The ideas and recipes running through my head for home-curing and smoking bacon, various styles of sausage and, eventually, curing and aging my own prosciutto are endless. Homesteading isn’t just a hobby. It’s a lifestyle and one even a busy, career-driven guy can find time to enjoy. Beane Farm is constantly evolving — from growing fruits and vegetables, to raising chickens and beekeeping. The new addition of heritage hogs only improves our chances with selfpreservation and sustainability. Having pigs at home provides invaluable resources to not only feed my family, but to have fresh farm-raised meat that we cherish over any store-bought source. If you have any questions about how to keep and raise pigs in your outside space or want to learn more about butchering at home, please contact me at outside@thesipmag.com.
Oink! Oink! STORY Nathan Beane PHOTOGRAPHY Nathan Beane
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ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE RUNNELLS
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'SIP OF NATURE
Winter 2017
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'SIP OF NATURE
N SASSAFRAS: (Sassafras albidum)
Sassafras is a medium-size tree found along fence lines and woodland openings throughout most of Mississippi.
Its fragrant bark and uniquely shaped leaves make it one of the easiest trees to identify. Sassafras can have three different leaf shapes: elliptical, mitten-shaped and threelobed — sometimes all three on the same branch. In the spring, sassafras trees have globe-shaped clusters of bright yellow flowers at the end of the twig and, in autumn, the leaves exhibit a range of brilliant colors from yellow to bright red and sometimes purple. Sassafras has a rich history and, for centuries, all parts of the tree have been used for various purposes. The wood serves as a natural insect repellent and was used in chicken coops and bedroom furniture during Colonial Times. The roots can be boiled and were once an essential ingredient in many flavored sodas and tonics. In fact, they are literally the ‘root’ in root beer. The leaves, which have a smell reminiscent of Froot Loops cereal, are edible. File’ powder, an essential ingredient in any Southern-made gumbo, is made from the dried and ground
leaves of sassafras. The name ‘gumbo’ is believed to have derived from the Choctaw word for file’ – kombo. When camping, I often use a percolator or kettle to steep tender twigs of sassafras to create a spicy and citrus-flavored tea. For those who enjoy the flavor of licorice, freshly washed and brewed roots of sassafras also make an excellent tea. Sassafras, because of its versatility, decay-resistant wood and flavor of its leaves, young twigs and roots, make it a useful tree.
g by nathan beane
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U
E PLAY T A LIS M I T LT
THE
I P P I S S I S S MI 1817-201
As Part Of Mississippi Today’s Celebration Of The State’s Bicentennial, We Will Highlight The Songs And Artists Who Have Put Mississippi On The Music Map.
Vote
FOR YOUR FAVORITE MISSISSIPPI SONG Each Month FEBRUARY THROUGH NOVEMBER 2017. CHOOSE FROM Four Songs About Mississippi Or By Mississippi Artists.
7
Listen
To The Songs Via Spotify And Vote For your Favorite On Mississippitoday.org And on Twitter. The 10 Monthly Song
Winners Will Make Up
The Ultimate Mississippi Music Playlist.
vote online at mississippitoday.org 42
Winter 2017
MISSISSIPPI
MCHAN
WEB DE SIGN. AND SO MUCH MORE.
CUSTOM RENOVATIONS AND NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION
NEW YEAR. NEW YOU. NEW WEBSITE.
Licensed Residential Builder, Electrician, Plumber, and Septic Tank Installer 601-529-3263HVAC ••• www.mchanconstructionllc.com
LET'S WORK TOGETHER. AND CREATE. frontporchfodder.com
•
601-573-9975
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Subscribe TODAY and never miss an issue! 2-for-1 gift subscriptions avaialble online at
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SPRING 2016
a sip of life from the most soulful state
$4.95
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UNIQUE DELTA
LODGING TREE
Cool digs rule Clarksdale area
HOUSE
PASCAGOULA
OUTSIDE:
Jack’s by the Tracks serves drinks and eats, juke-joint style
magic spot in Mendenhall
Canning Deer Meat
meal-planning for outdoorsmen
Dairy
FARMS
DIVE BAR
Morgan Freeman Actor takes ‘best shot’ at improving state’s education
$4.95
Love +Lance Bass focusing on love, unity and peace in his beloved home state
AMERICAN IDOL
TRENT HARMON Amory singer takes win for Mississippi on show's last season THE COAST
SHED BBQ
Family creates unique dining spot
Local farm families 'milk it' statewide
Also: Smyda Woodworking • Jackson Bassist Nellie Mack • Tom's on Main in Yazoo City
SUMMER 2016
Experience a ‘Sip of the South
Also: HGTV in Laurel • Cedric Burnside Project • Tupelo’s Café 212
Also: Widespread's JoJo
• Hernando's Area 51 • Raymond Battlefield
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Winter 2017
Allman Brothers Band co-founder remembers life on the R&B circuit
OCEAN SPRINGS — Jaimoe Johnie Johnson or Jaimoe, as he’s known to fans today, was on his way to New York to play in the jazz clubs when friend and soul musician Jackie Avery convinced him to stop in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Jaimoe had already lived through plenty of highs and lows in the music business by then, after backing legends Otis Redding and Percy Sledge across the United States at venues like Harlem’s Apollo Theater and the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. He knew he was done with R&B — but something special was happening in Muscle Shoals. “The next morning when the sun rose, I was getting off the bus in Muscle Shoals,” Jaimoe said. “I went to the studio and I said, ‘I'm looking for Sky Man.’ He was over in a studio getting ready to do a session. “I go over there, and just like Jackie told me, you've never seen anybody look like he look and play like he play. You've never heard anybody play like that.” Sky Man was famed guitarist Duane Allman, and that fateful meeting was the beginning of The Allman Brothers Band. Born in Ocean Springs in 1944, Jaimoe spent his youth in Mississippi City, a town on the Gulf Coast in what is now Gulfport. One of his earliest and most pivotal memories was seeing the Keesler Air Force Base drum corps performing on the brick streets in Biloxi. The sound of the drums reverberating off the bricks made a lasting impression. “Mother would give me 50 cents a week to get piano lessons,” Jaimoe remembered, “and I figured out that, if I saved that 50 cents a week, I could buy myself a drum." By the time he advanced to 10th grade at Thirty-Third Avenue High School, an all-black segregated school, he was playing drums in the school marching band. But he was the only drummer who wasn’t also on the football team. One day, the band director pressed him to choose between sports and music. “I was standing there looking at the football going on, not paying attention [to the band], and he goes, ‘Whatcha gonna do?’ He said, ‘Why don't you go head over there? You're not doing anything here right now.’” Jaimoe did and lasted just four days playing football before returning to the marching band. In 1961, his mother bought him a Slingerland drum kit, and, before long, he was gigging locally at yacht clubs and dance halls along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 45
RIGHT: Members of Allman Brothers Band, from left, bassist Oteil Burbridge, the late Butch Trucks, drummer Jaimoe Johnie Johnson and percussionist Marc QuiĂąones, gather backstage after a show in Atlanta.
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“Basically, how we played was improvising on what is, you know? That's what we did, and that's what I do now. Improvising on what is." He joined Otis Redding’s band in 1966. While the performances made him a stronger player, the business side wasn’t quite as strong. He had his first taste of music-business math —his weekly salary arrived minus deductions for travel, lodging and food — but not his last. “You know, people get a break, they sell a few records, they start getting paid better, and some of 'em become so knocked out by what's going on they forget what the hell is going on,” he said. Some artists treated him well, such as Percy Sledge, who covered all those ancillary costs of touring life. But his experience performing with Clarence Carter over the 1968-69 holiday season decided his fate. Roger Redding — Otis’ brother, who had signed on to manage Carter — docked $25 from his wages the first week for “driving costs,” a fee charged to musicians to pay for their transportation from gig to gig. “I couldn't believe that,” he laughed. “I didn't come up in that kind of school. That's what led to the phone call, going down to Alabama. That incident right there.” After two days in Muscle Shoals, in late January 1969, when Jaimoe thought he'd be on his way to New York, he had his drums set up in studio B at Fame Recording. Between sessions, Duane Allman would bring his amplifier over to jam. The combination of Jaimoe’s Max Roach- and Tony Williams-inspired drumming and Allman’s slide-guitar work and jazz phrasings showed him he had arrived exactly where he wanted to be. “He'd roll that [Fender] Twin out of the studio over to where I was, and I found out what jazz is. Music that comes out of this country is jazz,” he said. “Music that makes you happy, sad and the rest of it. Jazz is American music — hillbilly, hip-hop, rhythm and blues — it's all jazz. And I learned it in search of jazz." Within a week, bassist Berry Oakley arrived and joined the jam sessions. Allman had invited some of the studio’s other session players to jam, but the group’s improvisations scared them away, according to Jaimoe. “Basically, how we played was improvising on what is, you know? That's what we did, and that's what I do now. Improvising on what is," he said. The Allman Brothers Band coalesced and moved to Macon, Ga., and began building a reputation as a
free-thinking, multi-racial jazz-influenced rock band. The group’s 1971 live set, At Fillmore East, is considered one of the most important live albums of all time, and a founding document of the jam-band scene. The album was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1999. The Allmans lasted a decade, enduring the deaths of Duane Allman and Oakley along the way, before breaking up in the early ‘80s. When the band regrouped in 1989, Jaimoe became a stabilizing force until the band played its final four-hour gig at the Beacon Theater in New York in October 2014. The Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and, the next year, received a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their hit song "Jessica." Jaimoe, who will receive one of the state’s top arts honors with a Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Music, is credited as the drummer for four of Rolling Stone magazine’s top 100 guitarists of all time: Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes and Dickey Betts. “Jaimoe's lasting contributions to American music and his place in GRAMMY history prove he has no intentions of slowing down, and I will continue to support his work with great admiration,” said GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live Executive Director Bob Santelli in his letter of support for Jaimoe's Governor's Arts Award nomination. “For his almost half-century body of work that has created enjoyment for music lovers all over the world, I can think of no other Mississippian more deserving of this award.” Today, Jaimoe, who has family on the Coast and visits often, lives in Connecticut and stays active in music with Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band. His band combines aspects of his R&B past with freewheeling jazz and jam song structures. With a brass section, keys, guitar and bass, the band covers everything from The Allman Brothers Band to John Coltrane and standards. "I ask myself a lot of times, why did I go east instead of west?" he said, referring to where most of the music business was centered then. "But when I look back at it, it's all lined up. Like A-B-C." STORY Jim Beaugez PHOTOGRAPHY Submitted
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Jubilee Singers
Music lover cherishes 44 years of directing choir When Dr. Bobby G. Cooper drove up to the new building on the Utica campus of Hinds Community College, he could hardly believe what he saw. “Dr. Bobby G. Cooper Fine Arts Building,” the sign read.
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“I just didn’t believe it,” he said. He knew that often buildings are named for individuals, “but to have one named for me — I was just overwhelmed. I really was in disbelief. I really was.” It was most likely no surprise, however, to the thousands of students he has taught — “They are beyond number” — for his tenure is the longest of anyone in the Hinds district. This is his 44th year on the Utica faculty. Probably foremost in his legacy is bringing back the Jubilee Singers, a group that was first organized in the early 1900s by the founder of the college, Dr. William Holtzclaw. The Alabama professor hoped to begin a school along the lines of Tuskegee, which was begun by Dr. Booker T. Washington. Holtzclaw wrote a book, “Black Man’s Burden,” and told of a group of young men who sang spirituals at Utica. He called them the Jubilee Singers. J. Roseman Johnson, a brother to the famous black poet James Weldon Johnson, visited the campus and made a book of the songs he heard. Cooper read Holtzclaw’s book, and he acquired a copy of Johnson’s songs. He thought about those early singers before putting together a quartet in 1980. They were a hit at their first performance, in Raymond at the Hinds employees’ banquet. Cooper has expanded the group to about 15 young men. Their repertoire is not only spirituals, but they have expanded to just about everything in the genre of music. But, Cooper said, “The basic is our roots, the spirituals.” The men have sung in many parts of America and also in Italy. The requirements to be a Jubilee Singer aren’t very strict, Cooper said. The singers don’t have to know music, but they
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do have to audition and “to be able to stay on pitch.” Cooper’s own love of music began when he was a mere 4 or 5 years old. He grew up in Bolton and, before his mother died — when he was only 9 months old — she gave him to his uncle and aunt. They were the only parents he ever knew. “I wanted to play so badly,” he said, that he would sit on the back steps “with a little wooden apple crate, and I would pretend I was playing a piano.” The family didn’t have one — they couldn’t afford one — but Cooper’s mother worked for a Bolton family who planned to move. They didn’t want to take their piano, so they gave it to Cooper’s parents. There was a lady in Bolton who knew a little about how to play a piano — “Not much, but she did what she could to get me started.” Cooper’s education began at the Bolton Colored School. His mother was the janitor at the white school, and he would help her in the afternoons. She also worked for the Grahams and Grants in the Hinds County town and they “just kind of took us in. I knew all the white folks in town, and we had what we wanted. I had a wonderful childhood. I was poor, but I really didn’t know it.” After completing studies in Bolton, Cooper enrolled in the Tougaloo Prep School in Jackson at Tougaloo College, though, he said, “I really don’t know how I got there. There was tuition. I don’t know where my people got the money to send me.” The first year he commuted, riding to Jackson with some people who worked in the Capital City. He would then ride a school bus from the train station to the Tougaloo campus. He excelled in his studies and in his senior year he was asked to live in the home of the principal, right off campus, who was retiring. After her death, her children, who lived in New Orleans, asked him to remain in the house, so, for his college career, he was able to stay at the school. His early teaching career began at E.T. Hawkins High School in Forest. He was there for six years before writing an application for a grant to improve the teaching of music in the Scott County schools. That led to an offer of a scholarship,
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singing jubilee TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT: Dr. Bobby Cooper, director of the Jubilee Singers at Hinds Community College in Utica, leads the group during rehearsals recently. BOTTOM RIGHT: A handbook of spirituals performed by Utica's Jubilee Singers
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Utica's Jubilee Singers, directed by Dr. Bobby Cooper, rehearse for an upcoming show in the choir room at Hinds Community College.
and he enrolled at the University of Illinois to continue his education. But a series of events kept him from it. He saw a former music professor from Tougaloo who told him to go to Clinton, where the music teacher had been hired, and to tell the principal that he, Cooper, would be the music teacher because the professor had decided not to take the job. The principal could hardly believe it, but, after a phone call, he hired Cooper. “That was so many years ago,” Cooper said. “It was just the beginning of integration, and I had only one black face in the choir at Clinton.” A visit to see an old friend in Forest led to his next educational adventure. Black teachers were being interviewed for the opportunity to seek advanced degrees and, though the applications were full and all possibilities of being accepted were closed, he was interviewed and, a few weeks later, was given a scholarship to pursue a specialist’s degree at the University of Colorado. Once that was completed, his professor said that he was so close to a doctorate that there was no point in his going back to Mississippi, “so I stayed and got my doctorate.” In 1972, Cooper joined the Utica faculty when the college was part of a program, Opera South, which included Jackson State and Tougaloo. The walls of his office are crowded with plaques and awards honoring him for his achievements in the field of music, but he laughs about the other times when there have been bloopers. He advises his students, when that happens. “Just keep going. Don’t stop. Keep rolling. You can laugh about
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it later.” He has his favorite numbers sung by the Jubilee Singers. They include “Amen,” the spiritual “Witness” and “In This Very Room,” as well as “Ave Maria.” On weekends, Cooper will be found at the piano at Asbury Methodist Church in Bolton, where he is a life-long member. He and his wife, who also has a doctorate and has retired from Jackson State, have two daughters and a son. Only one, Chris, is a musician — but not professionally. He has his doctorate in agriculture and teaches at the University of Tennessee. There’s a tradition among the Jubilee Singers. Once you’re a member of the group, even in years to come, you’ll always be a Jubilee Singer. Cooper hears from many of them, some who have become teachers and professional musicians. Recently, one of his graduates, Cedrick Smith, who was Cooper’s accompanist and music arranger, has joined the faculty at Utica. At 78, Cooper said he thinks about retirement at the end of each school year, “But, I don’t know. I just take it one year at a time.” Though other schools have offered him positions in past years, Cooper said, “I’m so happy I stayed and made a career out of it. I have loved it here at Utica.”
STORY Gordon Cotton PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis
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MY, MY MISSISSIPPI
TenaClark
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he soil is rich in Mississippi. The history and social foundations of the state make it fertile ground for storytelling and a hotbed for artistic inspiration. But sadly, the very reason Mississippi makes an excellent muse is the same reason that keeps it from moving forward. “Mississippi is a beautiful, creative, amazing place. But, to many, we’re also the No. 1 hate state because we’re so stuck in the past. That is not a legacy we want to leave behind,” said Tena Clark, founder and CEO of DMI Music and Media Solutions Clark, who has had an illustrious career in the entertainment industry, is a Waynesboro native and a proud University of Southern Mississippi alumnus who knows a little something about leaving a legacy. Her brand on popular culture is significant. She is a nationally recognized and Grammy-winning songwriter and producer. Clark's musical journey began when she was 5 and would visit New Orleans with her mother, a songwriter from the big band era. Clark's first professional gig was playing drums at the famed Roosevelt Hotel. She was 15. Her innumerable career highlights include penning award-winning country hits, contributing to multi-platinum movie soundtracks, writing for TV shows and creating the national campaign theme, “Have You Had Your Break Today,” for McDonald’s. Through her success, Clark has always remembered her roots in Mississipppi. In homage to those roots, Clark produced Church: Songs of Soul and Inspiration, which included classic soul artists Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan and contributions from Pulitzer Prize winners Dr. Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. A stratospheric anthem from this collection, “Way Up There,” written and produced by Clark and performed by Patti LaBelle, was nominated for a Grammy. Clark's work on the original Broadway cast recording of The Waitress is up for a Grammy award this year. Her company, DMI, has developed strategies and programs for brands, including Build-A-Bear Workshop, General Mills, Walgreens, Kohl’s, AARP and Lucky Jeans. While she’s been away from her beloved state for more than three decades, it has remained close to her heart. “I would be so proud to bring people from all over the country here, to tell CEOs and business owners worldwide that Mississippi is absolutely where they should build their businesses, shoot movies, grow corporations – that life here would be great. But I can’t say that right now. And we are better than that,” she said. Clark is referring to the recent passage of legislation that would provide special legal rights to those who oppose marriage equality and encourage discrimination against the LGBTQ community. HB1523 was signed by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant during the 2016 Legislative session and blocked by
U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves minutes before it was to take effect on July 1. The law would have allowed Mississippi residents — including state employees, religious groups and private companies — to refuse certain services to the LGBTQ community, protecting them from penalties or retaliations. Supporters claim it would have protected religious freedoms by not forcing those who have strong moral convictions against homosexuality to provide services to same-sex couples. But opponents saw it as a blanket permit for discrimination and a violation of civil rights. Bryant is appealing the injunction, and Clark views it as a final attempt to hold on to the discrimination promoted by the “Old South” perspective associated with Mississippi. “Through my entire 30-something years in L.A. and during my travels in the music and entertainment industry, Mississippi is always a state that is looked at in a negative way. I feel like I’ve constantly been on the defensive and trying to protect and defend the abuser, so to speak,” she said. “I try to tell people that this kind of hate is not OK. Things are different in Mississippi now. Things are getting better. That was then; this is now.” In response to the disappointment and frustration she was feeling from the recent legislation, Clark did what she does best – she wrote a song. “For me as a songwriter and composer, I’m not the kind of writer who can sit down and just write something. I have to feel the emotion well up inside of me, and it eventually just pops out. There are very few songs in my career that I feel like I just held a pen and it wrote itself, but I really felt like this was one of them," she said. The result was “My, My Mississippi,” a gospel tribute that sounds like – as Clark describes – a summons straight from the cotton fields of old Mississippi. “It’s not mean-spirited in the least. I do not hate my state, but I hate what my state seems to have come to represent and what those governing it are trying to do to people in the name of religion,” she said. Clark said she knew she had done the right thing when she received such positive reactions to the song. “Right after I wrote it, I emailed six of the top singers I work with to see if they could meet and cut the song a capella, then I would just double or triple the voices to sound like a mass choir. What I didn’t know is that this had gone viral. When I showed up for the recording session, 63 singers had also shown up. I had tears coming down my face. I knew how important this was,” she said. Clark worked with GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign to organize a rally and march in December to speak out against the legislation. The march began on the steps of the Mississippi State Capitol and ended at the
My, My Mississippi Music and Lyrics by Tena Clark Oh, Oh, My, My, Mississippi What ‘ya thinkin’, what ‘ya drinkin’ Don’t you know your ship is sinkin’ fast Oh, Oh, My , My, Mississippi You keep hatin’, we keep waitin’ Don’t you wanna heal your past Well, the mighty Mississppi keeps rollin’ Rollin’ all through the lands But you keep swimmin’ backwards Afraid to take your brother’s hand Oh , Oh, My, My Mississippi Love your neighbor, show them favor Don’t make the same mistake Oh, Oh, My, My, Mississippi Why ya stallin’, Grace is callin’ One day it may be too late Well the sweet Magnolia's cryin’ Cause she knows how good it can be She’s waitin’ for the hearts to open Open up and set them free Oh, Oh, My, My, Mississippi What ‘ya thinkin’, what ‘ya drinkin’ Don’t you know your ship is sinkin’ fast Oh, oh, My, My, Mississppi You keep hatin’, we keep waitin’ Don’t you wanna heal your past Well the mighty Mississippi keeps rollin’ Rollin’ all through the lands But you keep swimmin’ backwards Afraid to take your brother’s hand Afraid to take your sister’s hand Afraid to take God’s children’s hand I don’t think that’s what God had planned.
“My, My Mississippi” is available for purchase on iTunes with proceeds benefitting the Human Rights Campaign.
"I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere but in Mississippi. It's a place that I love, and I only want to see the best for it." — Tena Clark
governor’s mansion, where local choirs combined voices to perform “My, My Mississippi.” “I came to Jackson because this is the soil that I grew up on. I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere but in Mississippi. It gave me wonderful moments, wonderful times and some hard times, too. It’s a place that I love, and I only want to see the best for it,” she said. Clark said after Gov. Bryant signed the bill into law, she desperately tried to reach out to him to express her disappointment with no success. “I just couldn’t believe it. It just hit me in the gut. Are you really serious? Don’t you think that we have this long history that we keep trying to get away from by saying we’re not like that as a state anymore?” she said. “People are just tired. People want equality, tolerance and love. It’s sad to me to see a contingency that continues to try to oppress, control, and even try to make out a guest list for heaven in their minds.” Clark said she feels like a law that specifically allows discrimination in the name of religion goes against what God would want in his followers. “I happen to be Christian. I happen to be Episcopalian. I happen to be gay. And to decorate hate with bows and wrapping in the name of religion makes me climb the wall. I can only speak for my faith, but Christ was about inclusion and love and mercy and grace. Boy, in this bad religion, I find nothing of that,” she said. After graduating from Southern Miss in 1976, Clark spent a few years in Jackson before hitting the road with various bands and leaving Mississippi for good. Although
she still had family here and would occasionally visit, it wasn’t until her own daughter followed in her footsteps by attending her alma mater that Clark realized she had passed along her Mississippi roots to her child, who was born and reared in L.A. “I come back to Mississippi quite often, but I have to tell you, this has made me not want to come. And I know a lot of Mississippians – celebrities too – who feel that way. They’re just disgusted; they’re hurt; they’re angry; and they’re sad. There are a lot of emotions that go with it,” she said. “Mississippi can stay in this mode and keep this legacy of hate and discrimination, or they can, as the song says, not repeat the past and not be afraid to take your brother’s or sister’s hand. Whether it’s racism or homophobia or whatever the oppression may be, much of it comes from fear, ignorance, bad religion, or even something dark within,” Clark said. Her hope for the future is that people worldwide come to know the wonderful parts of the state – the food, the talent, the originality, the brilliance – that often get overshadowed by the negativity. “People tell me I shouldn’t worry so much about Mississippi since I left 35 years ago,” said Clark. “But I still pay taxes in Mississippi, I still have property in Mississippi. I still support my university in Mississippi. And, I still write songs about Mississippi.” STORY Elizabeth Grey PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis
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'SIP AND READ Noted scholar, author, historian and folklorist William "Bill" Ferris served as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Clinton and was the founding director of the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The Vicksburg native’s love of Mississippi arts and culture runs deep and has made him this year’s recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. Ferris, our Portrait feature for The ‘Sip’s Spring 2015 issue, contributed his top literary loves by his fellow statesmen and women for this issue. Read up! 1.) A Worn Path by Eudora Welty Welty “captures the mystery of Phoenix Jackson’s journey on a lonely path as she thinks about her life.” 2.) Spotted Horses by William Faulkner “The greatest humor ever written" 3.) Black Boy by Richard Wright Wright made his mark with his “gripping account of growing up black in Mississippi.” 4.) Airships by Barry Hannah Clinton native Hannah’s “brilliantly written collection of short stories” 5.) Fay by Larry Brown “A powerful account of a teenage girl who leaves her home in North Mississippi " 6.) North Toward Home by Willie Morris “The classic account of a Mississippian who seeks his fortune in New York while painfully missing his home.” 7.) Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey Trethewey’s “eloquently written poems about black and white worlds in Mississippi” won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. 8.) Light on the Piazza by Elizabeth Spencer “A hauntingly beautiful account of a mother and daughter in Italy where their Southern roots reveal themselves in powerful ways.”
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Want more? Visit thesipmag.com/sip-sounds for an exclusive 'Sip Sounds, where Bill Ferris talks us through his Top 10 musical moments from Mississippi artists. We've also created a 'Sip Sounds Playlist.
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CULTURE OUTSIDE
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J AC K S O N
Mississippi Opera
Opera group touts diversity and inclusiveness
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To those who are unfamiliar with it, opera might seem a bit stodgy and dull. But for people like John Christopher Adams, it’s anything but that. Adams, a 34-year-old insurance agent in Ridgeland, was originally interested in mathematics in college, but wound up studying music at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. And, when he found himself moving back to his home state in 2011, he got involved with the Mississippi Opera to do his part in connecting others to the art form he’s come to love so much. “There’s this stigma with opera that’s it’s some highbrow art form,” Adams said. “We try to take it out of the opera house and take it into a nice lounge setting so people can see how accessible it really is.” Several years ago, the Mississippi Opera began hosting performances at a Jackson bar called Underground 119 and aptly christened the event “Opera Underground.” Since then, the series has moved to Duling Hall in Fondren and has become known as “Cabaret at Duling Hall.” “This past year it was an extraordinarily good show,” said Tippy Garner, executive director of the Opera. “We’ll do Broadway tunes, things from the Great American Songbook. It will vary depending on the performers, and we’ve had standing room only.” One of those performers was Adams, and his concert included selections from Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., so he could “show the flexibility” that opera singers can have. “It’s not as stuffy as everyone thinks,” Adams said. “I’m a country boy from Rankin County that used to herd cattle. If it can work for me, it can work for anybody.” Though Adams grew up singing, he didn’t take it too seriously until college, when he was talked into being a music major. He went on to study music in graduate school at the University of Cincinnati before traveling the United States and Europe singing with opera companies and working other jobs. But his high level of training and natural talent aren’t
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uncommon in Mississippi performances. “There’s a huge pool of talent in the Metro area, and really all over the state,” Garner said. “It really is amazing the quality of talent we have here.” Adams agreed with Garner on the caliber of the performers in the area, but added that Mississippians have something to set them apart from the rest of the country’s singers. “There’s this grace that comes with being Southern, being very polite in the way we treat our colleagues,” Adams said. “I was always told that one of the best things you can be as a good opera singer is a good colleague, and Mississippi comes from the best stock when it comes to that.” The Opera’s showcasing of Mississippi talent is nothing new. In fact, it has been around since 1945 and has even played host to numerous famed performers over the years. At its start, the Opera was one of only 12 companies of its kind throughout the nation. Today, it is the ninth oldest continuously running opera company in the country. But this year, the Opera is being recognized for the work they put into keeping the arts alive in Mississippi. They are the recipients of a 2017 Governor's Arts Award for Artistic Excellence. “I was thrilled,” Garner said about learning of the award. “I felt like this was something the company really should be recognized for. We are in our 71st season, and I remember thinking in our 70th that I really wish someone would put our name forth, so it was just really nice.” And keeping that musical tradition alive through young people is a major part of what the group tries to do. “If you can teach music at an early age, that person will have a love for their entire life,” Garner said. “They’ll enjoy theater and operas as an adult, so audience development is very important to us.” Adams said each dress rehearsal is open to students from area schools at no cost. “We try to give the kids some exposure, which is amazing,
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CULTURE Top: Ginger Gorman and John Christopher Adams perform in a Mississippi Opera production. Bottom: From left, Crystal Morris, Emma Wilson. Edwin Davis (seated), Rachel Alexander, Jessica Ziegelbauer and Jamie Ferguson
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Top: John Christopher Adams performs in a Mississippi Opera production at Duling Hall in Jackson. Bottom: Constantinous Yiannoudes as Rigoletto and Sara Jane McMahon as Gilda in Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto at a 2008 Mississippi Opera production at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson.
"If you can teach music at an early age, that person will have a love for their entire life. They’ll enjoy theater and operas as an adult, so audience development is very important to us.” ~ TIPPY GARNER
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because that’s something I didn’t get,” Adams said. He also added that students in schools across the state get a chance to try their hand at mainstage roles through the Opera. One of the shows in the upcoming season is “Bulldogs on Broadway” and will feature faculty and students from Mississippi State University. “When you are a smaller opera company, it’s incumbent upon you to find new singers, and you won’t always have the budget of the Metropolitan Opera,” Adams said. “So we expose students to those mainstage roles, students from Mississippi College and Southern Miss are doing roles with an opera company. Experience is invaluable for singers.” And, though their season doesn’t have as many performances as the nation’s largest companies, they aren’t lacking in value. “We have a smaller season than some of the others,” Adams said. “But we jam pack a lot of performances into that.” The smallness of the company also helps break the stereotype of opera as an inaccessible, less that exciting art form by allowing room for experimentation and newness. “Our audiences are so open and willing,” Adams said. “They’re forgiving and nice to try things out with. It’s such a safe space.” STORY Mary Margaret Halford PHOTOGRAPHY Submitted by Mississippi Opera
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. "Punctuated by occasional stark landscapes or interiors that defines the Blues, Porter then takes the work to a completely new level, offering us an explosion of color and texture with her mixed media originals. Blues @ Home is a veritable gumbo of ethnography, biography, portraiture and fine art."
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SMALL TOWN 'SIP
Gardening Resolutions (This is the Year!) By Alexe van Beuren
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Winter 2017
buy shoes, but me? I fall fast and hard for a zephrine drouhin, a peerless pink climbing rose (It can grow in part shade! Practically thornless!). Or a Mount Airy Fothergilla (the most darling white feathery blooms you can imagine). A tea olive in full bloom (That scent. That scent!). A new form of low-growing flowering quince, a snowball bush, a mock orange. I still don't have any wisteria, or a ginkgo tree, but would they actually work out? That Japanese climbing hydrangea I had to have two years ago is just sitting there, not doing a thing. So this year, I am going to take a deep breath, and let my perennials be. I'm going to enjoy what I have instead of chasing something new. Number two: Plant more of the annuals that I know work. Plant fewer new things, but tend them well. Zinnias, I can do. Basil, we get along. Lettuce, carrots, spinach — these things work for me. So, I shall plant more, to stave off the feeling of disappointment if my new seeds don't work out. But, hope springs eternal, so I shall trial the cockscomb and stock and borage but in a fairly small place, well-weeded and watered, so the newbies have a fair shot at life. (In the past, I had a bad habit of scratching at some dirt, hurling seeds on there, and leaving them completely alone. Nine times out of 10 this does not lead to success.) Last, but not least — think less, do more. I know what has to be done. I know seeds need
daily moisture to germinate, and it is easier to keep weeds at bay by hoeing every other day rather than letting them get a toehold. (That way lies madness: sweat, dirty clumps of grass, complete exhaustion.) I know to apply mulch when the weather is hot and to pick my cucumbers at least every other day. This year, I am going to think less about doing my garden work, and do more. After all, I am never sorry I have spent an hour in the garden. Winter, feel free to depart. I am ready. At least, I think so.
Alexe van Beuren grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She moved to Water Valley, Miss., in 2006 with husband Kagan Coughlin of Vermont. They have two Mississippi-born children, Annaliese and Caspian. In 2010, Alexe opened the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery, which has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, Garden & Gun and, most importantly, Miss Betty's Week. Alexe and her business partner, Dixie Grimes, authored the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from A Southern Revival in 2014. She contributes to The 'Sip regularly as a columnist for SmallTown 'Sip.
PORTRAIT ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIBORNE COOKSEY
We are in the depths of winter and, yet, I'm pretty sure spring is seeping in around the edges despite the season. Birds trill in the morning. Daffodils are pushing their way up, my Pearl bush has fat green buds on the tips of its winter-bare branches, and there's a suspicious greening of the lawn. I have to confess, it's very pleasant. But there is the nagging niggle in the back of my mind that somehow, someway, we will pay for it. Winter is the time of year I notice the boxwood that outline my cutting garden. It is when I am inordinately grateful for the resurrection ferns on the oak trees and the throw carpets of moss underneath them. My eyes get so hungry for green in winter — I look back at snapshots from the summer and just marvel at how lush the trees and grass were, and I don't much remember noticing. For gardeners, winter is perhaps the most delicious season of all. We sit inside with stacks of catalogs, wondering at what could be, blithely ignoring the realities of quack grass and deer and thick steaming humidity. Every gardener I know says every winter: this year, I shall keep on top of my weeding. This year, my garden shall be the best it has ever been! I make lots of resolutions with my gardens. (Mostly, the plants ignore them.) But in no particular order, here they are. Number one: I shall not buy any more plants. Oh, I get plant crushes. Other women
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weathered pines
photo by Melanie Thortis TH OR T I S P HOT OGRAP HY.C OM
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Winter 2017
T I S I V
S M , H T N I R O C
ER V O C S I D AY • L P • E N I SHOP • D
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MAY 5
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History is only half our story.
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D O W N LOA D O U R V I S I T CO R I N T H A P P FIND US. FOLLOW US. SHARE US.
LET THE RHYTHM M O V E
Y O U
The cultural influence of Mississippi has long resonated beyond state lines. Its renowned legacy includes not only music and literature, but also the visual and performing arts. From the soulful sounds of Muddy Waters and B.B. King to the rock 'n' roll of Elvis Presley and the country twang of Jimmie Rodgers, everyone knows Mississippi has the beat. For those in search of a more refined sound, Mississippi offers orchestras and operas performing within Duling Hall and Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, the Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland or Mississippi State University’s Riley Center in Meridian. Meaningful lyrics flow in tandem with profound literature, and Mississippi is blessed there, too, as the home of William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and countless others. Similar to our unique landscapes, the arts in Mississippi are visual treasures immortalized by artists like Walter Anderson, Andrew Bucci and Theora Hamblett. The state continues to be a canvas, ready to inspire. For anyone hungering for art, Mississippi has a place for you at our table.
Find your rhythm at visitmississippi.org.