Once again
the call of the Blues drew the faithful way down south, to the Delta
land of Helena, Ark. Anticipation of this event kept this writer restless
the night before, a feeling reminiscent of Christmas as a child. An
early departure on a beautiful fall day showcased the natural beauty
of Missouri, with the many shades of orange
and red emblazoned across the land. As the miles passed, and the
cotton began to turn the landscape into a sea of white, the feel of
the Delta began to emerge. At a fuel stop in Memphis, I'm sure it was
Elvis
I spotted working behind the counter. Continuing on for a short drive
down Hwy. 61 brings you to Clarksdale,
Ms., a town steeped in Blues history. It's here that you'll find
the site where WC
Handy lived, right next to the Delta
Blues museum, and so much more. Just next door to the Blues museum
you'll find Ground Zero, the Blues Club owned by actor Morgan
Freeman, who happened to be there all weekend. As you drive along
Sunflower on your way back from the Blues Musuem, on your right you'll
pass the Riverside hotel, where Bessie
Smith spent some of her last days.
Back on Hwy. 61 heading north, you'll soon see the turnoff for Helena,
and before you know it, you're over the Mississippi and in the land
of " Da Biscuit". Things seem
to stay unchanged in this sleepy little river town. The liquor store
that burned several years ago is still standing, as is the architectural
beauty of the Edwardian
Inn just down the street. A few blocks down the road will bring
you to the banks of the Mississippi levee that gracefully create the
main stage ampitheater. Just a few years ago, as we sat on the railroad
tracks that pass along these levee banks, David
"Honeyboy " Edwards entertained me with stories of his
early Helena days.
Thursdays fest entertainment began with Billy
Lee Riley telling the crowd "my gal is red hot, your gal ain't
doodely squat! Following Billy Lee Riley to the stage was a band called
"The Rockin' Highliners",
one of Canada’s top recording and touring acts! A special event
that Stlblues was invited to this year was the Sonny
Payne tribute. Sonny,
who has been on the air with KFFA since the original King Biscuit Flour
Hour radio show took to the airwaves with little known artists such
as Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Lockwood Jr., was honored
and roasted by all his friends who showed up to pay tribute. Bobby
Rush, Little
Milton Campbell, and Anson
Funderbergh were just a few who were on hand for this event! Meanwhile,
back over at the main stage, Larry
McCray was letting the crowd know that it "ain't no use in
your cryin', cause your cryin' won't help you none"! Anson
Funderburgh and Sam Myers were up next on the bill. You can never
go wrong with this band, between the Texas style guitar of Anson and
the gravel & grit of Sam's vocals. Sam remarked to the crowd "ladies,
I want you all to know I'm single again", and then dedicated a
song to Robert
Lockwood Jr., whom he affectionately referred to as "Baldy".
A great ending for the day!
Friday began with blue skies, and the forecast of approaching
rain and winds. A quick trip to WalMart for some weather gear, and then
we were soon fest bound. Sure enough, blue skies turned to grey, and
the rain soon followed. By 3 pm the stages had to close, but not before
Guitar
Shorty did his patented guitar magic (ala Hendrix),
and sang "roll over baby, roll me like you used to do". The
dedicated fest staff of the KBBF weathered the first wave of storms,
and soon had the main stage back in business. The media party was in
full swing by 5 pm, so we ducked in for some warmth , food & fun,
with great music provided by Oreo
Blue. Emerging from that party around 7 pm, we found mother nature
hadn't quite finished! The Festgrounds had emptied in our absence, and
so we decided to call it a day. Unfortunately for us, we later found
that the Marcia Ball act hadn't
completely cancelled, she just moved her show to the Sonny
Boy hall, where we hear she played until the wee hours!
Saturday morning greeted us with clear skies and a cool breeze, with
a hint of warmth on the way. A side trip to Friars Point was decided
upon, and so our days journey began. Friars Point is a historic Ms.
river town, and as the locals told us, Robert
Johnson used to sit and play guitar on a bench
along main street. Hopefully that story is true, otherwise the locals
certainly enjoyed watching the silly tourists taking pictures of a
nondescript wooden bench. Arrival at the fest brought us the sounds
of a very humorous Larry
Garner, followed to the stage by Gary
Primich and his exceptional Austin harmonica sounds. Featuring
a great rockabilly guitarist,
Gary also shared the
stage with Billy
Boy Arnold, adding a nice dimension to his act.
Once again a strong St. Louis showing was there in force.
Paul & Vicky, Lou & Julie, Ken & Pat, Rebecca & Paul,
and many more! Festival bro Dr. Fultzenstien even came up from New
Orleans to once again participate in one of the finest fests to be
found! Sadly, all Blues Fests must end, and the journey begin back
to our daily lives. As I headed back to St. Louis, news of the retalitory
attack on Afghanistan blanketed the airwaves. The very fact that we
are at war makes an event like the King Biscuit all the more special,
and a great way to celebrate America!
Stlblues wants to extend a heartfelt thanks to Jerry Wenzel, Jerry
Pillow, Bubba Sullivan, Liz Harrison, Vinyl
FM, and all the staff and volunteers who give of thier time to
make this event as spectacular as it is, thanks for everything! A
special thanks to the Sonny
Boy Blues Society, who this year assumed managment for the first
time in the 16 year history of the King
Biscuit Blues Festival. And of course, we all owe a thanks to
the artists who carry on the Blues tradition! See you next year...at
Da Biscuit!
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