With everything from the movie Sinners to the recent release of John Primer’s Grown in Mississippi, which was recorded at Gary Vincent’s Clarksdale Soundstage, the city of Clarksdale, Mississippi has been getting a lot of press lately.
But the biggest thing to come out of Clarksdale in the past 22 years, is their annual Juke Joint Festival, which is held every April. It’s been described as “half blues fest, half county fair, and all about the Delta.” No matter how it’s spun, this one-of-a-kind festival is like no other. And if you look beyond the county-fair fun and slew of talented blues players, it’s easy to see how this festival has helped to revitalize Clarksdale.
While there is always a large contingent of fellow Chicagoans, native Mississippians, and American blues lovers, international visitors have also been enticed to make the trek down to the crossroads to experience authentic blues in its birthplace.
Fernando Rolim from Brazil is one of these loyal international blues tourists. After seeing Rattle and Hum, Rolim was determined to know about the roots of U2’s music. When he traveled to Nashville for a U2 concert in 2011, he saw that he wasn’t far from Memphis and Clarksdale, so he decided to head over to the Crossroads.
Rolim only stayed in Clarksdale one night, but he knew he needed to continue with his blues education. He made the obligatory stop at Cat Head Records where he caught wind of the Juke Joint festival from local blues man Sean Apple and Cat Head owner and festival co-founder Roger Stolle.
As Rolim says, “my personal Delta adventures were just beginning,” and he was all in. He’s now been to a total of ten festivals dating back to 2012. Rolim returned this year and was surprised to receive the “International Visitor of the Year” award at the festival’s kick-off ceremony.
Other honorees included Stan Street of the Hambone Art Gallery who received the Ms. Sara Award for his contributions to the community. The Red Paden award was given posthumously to John Henshell, who penned a book about Clarksdale’s revitalization efforts and helped bring over 300 fellow Australians to the Delta.
While Rolim was honored for his many trips to Clarksdale and recognized for helping boost the profile of Mississippi blues artists in Brazil, it was old home week for the Blues Hall of Famer John Primer. He was born in nearby Camden but relocated to Chicago at the age of 18. But now, the 80-year-old blues man is returning to his Delta roots. His Grown in Mississippi release party was held on opening night.
But Primer doesn’t just sing the Delta blues, he worked with many of Clarksdale’s leading lights to make sure Grown in Mississippi came out just right. He had Charlie Musselwhite, Watermelon Slim and Deak Harp on harmonica, Lightnin’ Malcolm on guitar, and Eden Brent on piano. Apart from Musselwhite, all these artists joined Primer on stage at the Juke Joint kickoff party.
This wasn’t a “one and done” for Primer either. He played Cat Head, Ebonay Events, Ground Zero and Delta Blues Alley during his 2025 Juke Joint run. He was joined by his cohort, harp player Steve Harrington Bell.
While Primer relished being a festival first-timer, there are several artists who appear year after year and continue to give it all they’ve got at every performance. It’s not uncommon to see musicians like Lightnin’ Malcolm and Carlos Elliott do multiple shows during the day and then play well into the night.
Elliott, Bobby Gentilo, and Eduardo Ovieda kicked off the festival with a sizzling SRO show at the iconic Red’s Juke Joint that was billed as a tribute to RL Boyce and Red Paden. In true juke joint fashion, special guests like Jesse Cotton Stone also came on board to perform and put on a killer show.
As befits this small-town fest, word-of-mouth plays a huge role in its success. Every year, rave reviews from attendees encourage a new wave of blues lovers to make the trek to Mississippi. Once there, many are already planning how to return the following year.
Word of mouth also plays a role in getting feedback on the many acts that play simultaneously on any given day. You simply can’t catch everything, so it’s key to rely on recommendations and remember these “must-sees” the following year. Juke Joint attendees certainly hope that first-time performers Spit Cup and the Jukes return in 2026 as this Texas-based band received rave reviews from those who witnessed their Friday afternoon show.
In fact, Friday was full of musical highlights including the Bluesberry Café’s 20th Anniversary Extravaganza, which featured the famous names of Burnside and Kimbrough, Duwayne and Robert Senior respectively. Belgian “one woman band” sensation Ghalia Volt was another artist on the bill with Grammy winner Cedric Burnside closing out the evening.
There was also a live taping of the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, featuring legends Charlie Musselwhite and Kenny Brown. Chicago-based bluesman Downtown Charlie Brown was in fine form at the Den Again while Cadillac John Nolden celebrated his 94th birthday by joining forces with Bill Abel for a show at Cat Head.
Cadillac John might be shifting towards centenarian status, but young talents like 18-year Harrell ‘Young Rell’ Davenport demonstrated an old soul blues mentality at both the Stone Pony Stage as well as his Saturday night show at Ground Zero.
As usual, Saturday was a bit of a blur with a dizzying array of talent spread across 18 venues. For me, the Jesse Cotton Stone Stage was the place to be. It featured Omar Gordon, Lightnin’ Malcom, Robert Kimbrough Senior’s Blues Connection, Little Willie Farmer, and Stone.
The Quapaw Canoe stage was another popular place that hosted the likes of Layla Musselwhite, Prayer Bailey, and the ubiquitous Lightnin’ Malcom. Over at Cat Head, Clarksdale-based artist Super Chikan did a nice acoustic set.
The Red Panther stage also hosted a heavy lineup of red-hot blues artists. Kenny Brown closed out the day with the guitar licks he learned at the hands of RL Burnside. He was back at it for a nighttime show at the Shack Up Inn.
The Shack Up Inn is next door to the old Hopson Plantation where Lightnin’ Malcolm lit up the night in the backyard area. Inside, Super Chikan and his Fighting Cocks put on a high-powered performance.
While this was going down on the outskirts of town, there were more than 20 stages hosting music in the downtown area, so FOMO is real in Clarksdale. I missed seeing “Heartbreak Hill” featuring Nikki Hill and her husband Matt who played the Ooze Bar. Chicago-based photographer Mike Hoffman said he was “blown away” by their show.
Meanwhile, American Blues Scene photographer Michael Lepek hit a few of the Saturday night stages and captured these images.
After such a jam-packed Saturday, it’s a wonder how we rallied on Sunday. But it was a beautiful day with a full slate of great music at the annual Cat Head mini blues festival. Highlights from our Palm Sunday Funday included the usual spirited performance by Reverend Peyton and his big Damn Band and Charlie Musselwhite accompanying daughter Layla. Sean “Bad Apple” was also on the bill and came dressed to kill in his Sunday best.
But Cat Head wasn’t the only stage in town. The Bluesberry Backyard Café was also bursting with blues talent including Cash’s Juke Joint. These guys hail from the musical nexus of Macon, Georgia and are fast becoming a festival favorite.
Along with the hits, there were some notable moments missed on Sunday. Apparently, Libby Ray Watson’s shack is where it’s at on the Sunday afternoon of Juke Joint. Mike and Brenda Hoffman along with their music loving wing woman Melissa Cook happened upon this potluck featuring live music by Libby Rae Watson and the Hoodoo Ramblers.
Hoffman summed it up on social media, when he said, “the spread reminded me of our old farm picnics” as he praised the “southern hospitality” as well as the uniqueness of the music, that included one fellow playing a saw. All three agreed that this was one of the weekend’s highlights, so it was a shame to miss this.
Besides a heaping helping of southern hospitality, this festival is a fine way to strike up long-lasting relationships with everyone from community members and fellow attendees to the many musicians who appear there every year. Phil Duffin, who has been coming to the Juke Joint Festival since 2009, said that he and his wife Nancy have forged friendships with artists like Lightnin’ Malcolm, Carlos Elliott, Jesse Cotton Stone, and international visitors like Rolim. It’s this camaraderie with artists and friends from all over the globe that make the Juke Joint Festival so special.
Another Juke Joint tradition is the Big Red’s Blues Jam that is held at Red’s every year to close out the festival. This year, it was hosted by Anthony “Big A” Sherrod and featured a rotating cast of special guests.
Although the 2025 Juke Joint Fest took place over a month ago, its spirit lives on in the love for the many musicians that play there, the town folks who warmly welcome us every year, and the spirit of community that can only come from being among your people and listening to music that moves you. Call it Mojo, or perhaps Mississippi Magic, but whatever “it” is – it’s something that lures myself, and so many others, to Clarksdale year after year.
