Clarksdale welcomes people who travel from all over the world to the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues.  Our downtown has a rich tapestry of venues where you can hear the blues live -- all 365 nights a year.

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To keep our community safe -- and the blues alive -- as people stopped traveling, we created...

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Live From Clarksdale  

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The last "normal" live music was in Hambone Art Gallery, where tourists and locals mingle with live blues (yes, on a small stage next to a small bar -- inside an art gallery) every Tuesday.  It didn't feel normal.

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The next night, Red's closed.  For the first Wednesday in years.  But Lucious Spiller doesn't miss a gig.  He took the party online -- becoming one of the first musicians to stream in the pandemic.

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We worked with him, then every other musician in Clarksdale, and eventually every venue in Clarksdale, to keep the blues alive every. single. night.

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For over a year.

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We wound up streaming for over 400* nights in a row.  The music never died in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

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Read highlights of our journey here, and follow @LiveFromClarksdale on Facebook and Instagram or join our spam-free mailing list for updates.

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*With one sad exception when Ben died and another for Blackout Tuesday.

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Now that we're finally back to "live blues -- all 7 nights a week" in person, Live From Clarksdale continues to broadcast highlights for our friends across the world.  It's a virtual community that interacts with the musicians and each other live on Facebook.

 

As each show is scheduled, we'll keep this calendar updated with where to find them.  Big thanks to the Visit Clarksdale team for sponsoring this project and supporting musicians in our town.

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Thanks to your online tips and Visit Clarksdale's support, we've kept over 55 musicians working.  Not a single one of Clarksdale's core musicians left during the pandemic.  In fact, a couple more have now moved here.

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Thanks to them -- and you -- the blues never died in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

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It's a new kind of virtual travel adventure we're embarking upon together.  Buckle up and join us!

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Current Schedule

All Clarksdale-times: CDT

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Links are also updated on our page at www.LiveFromClarksdale.org

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Saturday 8/6

• 8pm Marquise! Knox! is finally coming to Clarksdale: he'll be at Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi on Friday, and here on Saturday.  Tune in with us online or get! your! tickets! now :)

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Friday 8/12

• 5-7pm Open house happy hour at our Shared Experiences HQ, 121 Delta Ave.  All are welcome to join us in raising a glass to the Sunflower Festival.

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Saturday 8/20: A Day in the Life of Clarksdale

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Watermelon Slim AND 19th Street Red AND the Stone Gas Band AND Bill Abel AND Edna Nicole AND Muddy Alexander all in a single day...  What is this new festival?!

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It's just another day in Clarksdale!  We mean it when we say we have "live blues ALL 365 nights a year"... and not just in one venue, but 4 or 5 or 6.  THIS is why you don't need to wait for the next festival to visit Clarksdale!

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Experience blues bar-hopping and juking with us ALL day at Facebook.com/LiveFromClarksdale   We'll go live at the top of each hour (promptly as possible but please have patience for real Delta bluesmen on Delta Time!) for:

• 10am  Watermelon Slim at the Bluesberry Cafe​

• 11am  Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art

• 3pm  Our first Shared Experiences: Farm Tour kicks off with Howard Stovall and local farmers giving a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Mississippi Delta's world-class ag operations  (in person at 6499 Oakhurst Stovall Road; book online for $5! www.SharedExperiencesUSA.com/farmtours )

• 4pm  Stone Gas Band at Stovall Store

• 8pm  Bill Abel at the Shack Up Inn

• 9pm  Muddy Alexander with Edna Nicole at Ground Zero Blues Club

• ...and if we're lucky, another stop or two elsewhere along the way ;)

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Saturday 8/27

• 8pm Fonky Donkey -- the full Fonky Donkey 6-piece band including sax! -- plays the "Juke Chapel" at the Shack Up Inn.  Tune in to their Facebook page for the first set, or come party with them all night at the Shacks.​

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Saturday 9/3  (Labor Day Weekend!)

• Red's Old-Timers Festival! starts with 95yo Cadillac John and Bill Abel at noon.​  Lucious Spiller will broadcast his set live -- he's almost 60!  Tune in and wish him HBD.

• UPDATE:  Lucious' set is around 7:00pm, and can be found on his FB page:  www.facebook.com/ImNoFool1

 

Thursday 9/8

• 8pm Anthony "Big A" Sherrod hosts Ground Zero Blues Club's Thursday jam night.  We'll broadcast Big A's first set on the GZBC Facebook page.  Come on down in person -- and BYO instrument to join him on the next set!  Yes, YOU can be onstage in this "ground zero" for the blues.  With none other than Big A this week... and always someone great, every Wednesday and Thursday.

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​Saturday 9/24:  Mighty Roots Music Festival

• 10:20pm Cam Cole brings his one-man band to Stovall's late-night stage.  Come join the party online at Facebook.com/LiveFromClarksdale  Or get tix to be here in person all weekend: www.mightyrootsmusicfestival.com

 

Friday 9/30

• 8pm Lala Craig's birthday bash at Ground Zero is open to the public -- and online!  Come celebrate Lala with us, either in person or on our Facebook page.

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Sunday 10/9: Pinetop Perkins Festival

• 6pm  Pro-Am Showcase, including Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Bob Stroger, Bob Margolin & Pinetop students will be live at Hopson and on our FB page.

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Friday 10/14: Tennessee Williams Festival

• 2pm  Curtis Wilkie & Ralph Eubanks in conversation about the civil rights movement in Clarksdale and beyond, streamed live from the Cutrer mansion and on our FB page.

• 4:30pm Coahoma Community College Choir quartet will be streamed live during the festival kickoff on our Facebook page.

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Friday 10/14: Deep Blues Festival

• 8pm Buffalo Nichols in Clarksdale for the first time at the Deep Blues Festival.  Come see him live at the New Roxy or on our Facebook page.

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Saturday 10/29: Hambone Festival

• 2pm Pat Moss brings the blues from Oklahoma to Clarksdale for the Hambone Festival.  The afternoon is free! both at Hambone and on our Facebook page.

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Monday 10/31: Halloween at Bluesberry

• 8pm Mississippi Marshall, Stan Street & Reverend Robert will be live for the Halloween costume party at the Bluesberry Cafe -- come join the fun on Bluesberry's Facebook page.

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Visit Clarksdale to experience live blues nightly (check the Cat Head calendar), and

book a Shared Experience including Deak Harp's Blues Experience and our Black History Experience,

-- both in downtown Clarksdale and available now.​​

 

If you can't travel yet, explore from home via our virtual tour or the Blues Trail Revisited podcast from award-winning filmmaker (and blues fan!) Ted Reed:  bluestrailrevisited.podbean.com

 

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We miss y'all, and can't wait to see you soon.

Till then, we'll look forward to juking up together online!

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