Clarksdale is a town steeped in blues history. Muddy Waters grew up just outside of town, and the house he lived in still stands, sort of. John Lee Hooker was born hereabouts, as were Ike Turner, Sam Cooke and Little Junior Parker. W.C. Handy once lived here. So did Robert Nighthawk, Bukka White, Son House and Charlie Patton. Bessie Smith died here. She was involved in a car accident on Highway 61, which cuts right through town, and was taken to G.T. Thomas, a black hospital. There's a long-lived story that Bessie died after being refused admittance to a white hospital but it's apocryphal.

That one-time hospital is now, and has been for almost 50 years, a boarding house/inn, the Riverside Hotel. The establishment is owned by Mrs. Z.L. Hill, who bought it in 1944 when the hospital was closing. Mrs. Hill, a wonderful woman with many stories to tell, has seen many famous faces at her hotel. Among those who have stayed at the Riverside either short- or long-term: Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk (she still has his suitcase) and Kansas City Red. Ike Turner ("...when he thought he was all grown up") left home and came to stay at the Riverside. Years later, when he'd found success, he and Tina came to play a big concert in Clarksdale. Mrs. Hill went to the show but afterwards, when she went backstage to say hello, Ike was surrounded by a crowd of folks. Mrs. Hill told me, "I didn't bother with that. I knew him, I knew I knew him." When Mrs. Hill's son greeted Turner backstage, Ike asked, "Where's Momma?" Told she attended the show but had gone home, he said, "Call her and tell her not to get undressed. I'm coming over." He, Tina, and their chauffeur later appeared at the door of the hotel and, while Tina slept on the couch and the chauffeur dozed in an easy chair, Ike and Mrs. Hill stayed up until four a.m., talking over old times. It was a delightful honor to get to meet Mrs. Hill. I urge you to look her up when you're in Clarksdale.

There's a great store here, too, that you should check out if you're in these parts. It's called Stackhouse-Delta Record Mart. The owner and resident blues expert is Jim O'Neal; he was out of town (in Chicago, for a blues fest) while I was there but his sister was quite amiable and helpful. They can help you get your hands on just about any blues disc you desire. Also there for me in the clutch was a very helpful woman at the Delta Blues Museum, located at the public library. where you can see the sign from the store where Robert Johnson was killed, one of B.B. King's many Lucilles and assorted other blues paraphernalia and memorabilia. I'm embarrassed to admit that the names of these two helpful women have slipped my mind's loose grip. They know who they are, though, and I thank them for their good deeds.

Looking over the Delta Blues Map that I purchased at the above-mentioned Stackhouse-Delta Record Mart, I realized that I'd missed some pretty cool stuff during the couple of days I spent south of here in Indianola and Greenville and the surrounding area. It seems the Delta has me in its grip; I really should be heading north but - ah, what the heck, it's just a few extra hours, right? So, I headed back down Hwy. 61 to Greenville to spend the night.