I've never been to Clarksdale Mississippi, but I have a friend who lives there near the Sunflower River, home of the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival scheduled for its' twentieth edition this coming weekend, August 10th, 11th and 12th.Home to the Delta Blues Museum and actor Morgan Freeman, Clarksdale is a funky eclectic celebration of the arts nestled securely in a river heritage steeped with reverence for muddy water, blues and good times. The headliners at this year's festival include Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush and Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith. The festival features two acoustic stages, a main stage and a gospel stage. The Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival is funded by grants, donations and hard work by Blues Association members, a true bi-racial organization.
This festival has attracted worldwide interest in celebration of blues by collaborating on a sister festival in the Quebec Province of Lanada and featuring as one of this year's performers Rita Engedalen, a 2007 Norwegian Grammy winner. Small world, ain't it?
Sunflower River Blues Association
Box 1562
Clarksdale, MS 38614