JJF ACTIVITIES
Activities run all day. Starting times are variable.
JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL WRISTBAND SALES
JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL WRISTBANDS are required for Saturday night's main event and are VALID SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023 ONLY. Each Wristband includes all 20+ official JJF indoor venue locations (see lineup on this website "coming soon" or in the printed program booklet the week of the event), featuring at least 30 musical acts. BUY $45 PRE-SALE JJF WRISTBAND ONLINE till Wednesday, April 13th, at 5:00 pm Central Time. Limited quantities. All sales final. No refunds. Please note that past festivals have sold out, so buying Pre-Sale is highly recommended. The price (to be determined based on demand) will be raised on April 14th and, if wristbands still remain, the week of the festival. We recommend not waiting till the day of the main event. Sales will end immediately in the case of a sellout. WRISTBAND PICK UP: Wristbands cannot be shipped. Bring your printed email receipt and a photo ID to our Juke Joint HQ Building at 243 Delta Avenue in downtown Clarksdale (across from Nellie Mays) the week of the festival (Thursday through Saturday; times to be published soon) to pick up your Pre-sale JJF Wristbands. See Wristband page and printed program booklet for more information. Thanks, y'all!
×Where: Juke Joint Festival Headquarters
The official Juke Joint Festival Headquarters is conveniently located at 243 Delta Avenue in downtown Clarksdale (basically across the street from Cat Head).
Located at: JOHN LEE HOOKER LANE
Our greatest attraction will be with us for 2 days in 2019, Friday & Saturday
Led by professional rodeo cowboy Tim “WILD THANG” Lepard,Team Ghost Riders is a group of sheep dogs and monkeys, who team together to provide one of the most entertaining traveling acts you will ever see.
"The animals are like family and require 24/7 care to ensure their well-being. When I see the crowd smiling and hear the laughter, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.(Tim)"
×10:45 am
12:45 pm
3:45 pm
5:00 pm
Located at: JOHN LEE HOOKER LANE
JJF EVENTS
BluesSkool: The journey from the drums of Africa to the Blues
×Where: Meraki Coffee Roasters
Thursday Open Mic is open to all ages, levels of talent and skill. We want everyone to come and share a piece of themselves and their love for blues. Til 5pm
Sunday breakfast with Jax Nasser 10 am to 12pm
Meraki Roasting Company - Freshly Roasted Artisan Coffee roasted in house supporting our youth entrepreneurship program. Come visit our roastery to try our current coffee profiles. Pastries made by local vendors. www.merakiroasting.com www.griotarts.com
www.merakiroasting.com www.griotarts.com
282 Sunflower Ave
Meraki Hours:
Monday-Sunday (every day!) 7am to 2 pm
http://www.griotarts.com/meraki
×Who: Hal Reed
Though Blues harpist, singer, and educator, Hal Reed is currently living in Bettendorf, IA, he was born just a few miles from the Mississippi Delta and grew up surrounded by legends of blues music. His playing brims with the stamp of authenticity, having a triple-fisted influence of Mississippi, Gospel and Chicago style blues pumping through his heart.
(Cover may apply.)
8:30 am
Where: Bluesberry Cafe
12:00 pm
Experience the exceptional talents of Higgins Middle School students, where the remarkable Christone Ingram (Kingfish) once studied. Prepare to be inspired by the next generation of stars!
Where: Meraki Coffee Roasters
Thursday Open Mic is open to all ages, levels of talent and skill. We want everyone to come and share a piece of themselves and their love for blues. Til 5pm
Sunday breakfast with Jax Nasser 10 am to 12pm
Meraki Roasting Company - Freshly Roasted Artisan Coffee roasted in house supporting our youth entrepreneurship program. Come visit our roastery to try our current coffee profiles. Pastries made by local vendors. www.merakiroasting.com www.griotarts.com
www.merakiroasting.com www.griotarts.com
282 Sunflower Ave
Meraki Hours:
Monday-Sunday (every day!) 7am to 2 pm
http://www.griotarts.com/meraki
×12:00 pm
Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×1:00 pm
Muddy Alexander
Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×2:00 pm
Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×3:00 pm
"Delta by the Beach" is a three piece blues band dedicated to creating the authentic sound of a Mississippi Juke Joint in California. Song oriented blues, like a hybrid of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters... Our heads are in the Delta but our feet are on the Beach.
https://www.deltabythebeach.com/
×Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×3:00 pm
Johnny Mier
4:00 pm
Lucious Spiller was born in St.Louis, MO. At an early age, he discovered that God had blessed him with a special
gift. His dad gave him a guitar when he was four. Immediately he was a natural, he started out playing in church.
Lucious has performed with countless well known musicians to include Bo Diddly, Larry “Totsy” Davis, Albert
King, Eddie Clearwater, Robert Cray. He has been opening act for such artists as the legendary Ritchie Havens’
Bobby “Blue” Bland and the infamous Tower of Power, Zach Brown, and many others. His music is an energized
mix of new blues and old school injected with a contemporary edge. His songs are brought to vivid life by his
unlimited energy.
https://www.facebook.com/BlueSpiller/
×Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×4:00 pm
5:00 pm
Jacqueline "Jaxx" Nassar is an emerging singer, songwriter, and artist who grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Jaxx is known to mesmerize an audience with her performances whether they are acoustic or with her band. She is a prolific writer and in 2016 collaborated with Grammy Award Musician Timothy Bloom in Los Angeles recording several of her original songs for release in 2017.
Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×5:00 pm
Heidi Holton
5:30 pm
Where: Bluesberry Cafe
6:00 pm
Where: Ground Zero Blues Club
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 23, 2022), IF Juke Joint Festival Sat-night Wristbands are NOT sold-out, then limited quantities will be available for purchase only at the 243 Delta Ave JJF HQ building (only till 8:30pm) AND Ground Zero Blues Club, Hambone Gallery and Hopson Commissary (if/while supplies last). Entry to any/all 20+ JJF Sat-night venues requires a festival wristband. No exceptions. Details on Wristband webpage or in program booklet.
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB: Clarksdale's largest real-deal blues music venue offers "live" Mississippi blues music every Wednesday to Saturday... plus special events during festival time periods. Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Howard Stovall and Eric Meier, Ground Zero Blues Club will celebrate its 5th anniversary in May 2006. Besides the plethora of incredible local blues acts who have performed there, musicians from Mavis Staples and Alvin Youngblood Hart to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bobby Rush have been filmed playing there.
http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
×12:00 am
(Cover may apply.)
In partnership with the Clarksdale Police Dept Quapaw Canoe Company is offering bathroom and shower access to persons camping along banks of Sunflower River in the City Park around our facility and in other places downtown. Bathroom and shower access is $25/tent/night for 2 people, $10 each additional person/night. Proceeds generated are split with our partners the Clarksdale Police Dept. Bring your own tent and sleeping bags. Don’t park on asphalt drive which the police use for access. Camping is in grassy areas of City Park to north of ramp, and any flat grassy places down along the river. Please don’t block gravel road access to Canoe Company. No open fires, but camp stoves, hibachis or small personal-sized BBQ okay. No smoking (city ordinance in public places). Face masks and social distancing. Reserve and pay for your spot on website www.island63.com. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
×Where: Quapaw Canoe Company
All events will meet & take place street level 3rd & Sunflower in downtown Clarksdale all day 9 - 4pm every day Thursday April 13– Saturday April 15. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
×Where: Quapaw Canoe Company
All events will meet & take place street level 3rd & Sunflower in downtown Clarksdale all day 9 - 4pm every day Thursday April 13– Saturday April 15. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
Canoe-Carving Demonstration & Workshop
Quapaw Canoe Company 9 am to 4 pm Thursday-Saturday, April 13th-15th, 2023 Partners: Mississippi Arts Commission, Spring Initiative and GRIOT Arts Location: behind Quapaw Canoe Company along Sunflower River, at Third Street & Sunflower, opposite GRIOT Arts & Merkai Coffee Shop). Duck-Doggie Dugout Canoe carving from 3-ton cypress log. Project partner: Mississippi Arts Commission. All ages welcome. We provide instruction, tools and safety equipment. Children under 18 must be accompanied by parents or guardian. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
×Where: Quapaw Canoe Company
All events will meet & take place street level 3rd & Sunflower in downtown Clarksdale all day 9 - 4pm every day Thursday April 13– Saturday April 15. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
1Mississippi -- Can the River Count on You?
Quapaw Canoe Company 9 am to 4 pm Thursday - Saturday Thursday-Saturday, April 13th-15th, 2023 In partnership with 1Mississippi - MRN - Mississippi River Network Ongoing Exhibit and Southern campaign headquarters for the 1Mississippi River Citizen Program. Come on over and learn about how you can help protect and better the waters of America, our drinking water, swimming water & lifeblood of the nation. Become a River Citizen and join us in making the Mississippi River sparkle like the beautiful “Queen of Rivers” that she is. Contact: Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479.
×Where: Quapaw Canoe Company
All events will meet & take place street level 3rd & Sunflower in downtown Clarksdale all day 9 - 4pm every day Thursday April 13– Saturday April 15. For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company or info@island63.com, John Ruskey 662-902-7841, Mark “River” Peoples 662-902-6479, Lee Perlow 312-246-3223, or Whit Smith 870-919-6654.
Yoga + Live Music w/ Alice Hasen
($25 Suggested) 10 - 11 AM Pre-registration suggested: www.deltayogacollective.com/schedule
×Open 11am-3pm Saturday April 15 106 Sharkey Avenue near 1st Street Admission is a donation of any amount
×Where: Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum
Dedicated to the seminal Mississippi Delta history of one of America's greatest playwrights.
https://tennesseewilliamsrectorymuseum.com
×Experience a fun-filled public line dancing event, where you can groove to the beat and make lasting memories with fellow dance lovers!
×Book signing with Robert Mugge!
INSIDE CAT HEAD STORE: Award-winning filmmaker Bob Mugge signs/personalizes his new book "Notes from the Road" that tells the stories behind music documentaries like DEEP BLUES and LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES. (Please pay for your book before having Bob sign it for you.)
×Who: Robert Mugge
Award-winning music documentary filmmaker Bob Mugge just released his new book "Notes from the Road" that tells the stories behind music documentaries like DEEP BLUES and LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES.
Where: Cutrer Mansion
The mansion was built in 1916 by Memphis architect Bayard Cairnes for Clarksdale attorney J.W. Cutrer and his wife Blanche Clark Cutrer, daughter of Clarksdale’s founder, John Clark. The dapper Jack Cutrer was very flamboyant and equally famous for his legendary parties and fiery politics. Not to be outdone, Blanche often threw extravagant yard parties and opulent masked balls, usually to the accompaniment of a full orchestra or swing band. Such events often attracted a young Tom Williams, who later became the celebrated playwright Tennessee Williams, to the Cutrer home as a child. Williams most likely came to the Cutrer Mansion on parish calls with his beloved grandfather, Rev. Walter Dakin. The Cutrers and their home, which they called Belvoir, inspired character names and settings in several of Tennessee Williams’ plays including A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Orpheus Descending and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
3-5 PM Memphis-originated Jookin, a fusion of various dance styles, gained worldwide acclaim through ambassador Charles "Lil Buck" Riley's exceptional skills in this "urban ballet."
×Where: Cutrer Mansion
The mansion was built in 1916 by Memphis architect Bayard Cairnes for Clarksdale attorney J.W. Cutrer and his wife Blanche Clark Cutrer, daughter of Clarksdale’s founder, John Clark. The dapper Jack Cutrer was very flamboyant and equally famous for his legendary parties and fiery politics. Not to be outdone, Blanche often threw extravagant yard parties and opulent masked balls, usually to the accompaniment of a full orchestra or swing band. Such events often attracted a young Tom Williams, who later became the celebrated playwright Tennessee Williams, to the Cutrer home as a child. Williams most likely came to the Cutrer Mansion on parish calls with his beloved grandfather, Rev. Walter Dakin. The Cutrers and their home, which they called Belvoir, inspired character names and settings in several of Tennessee Williams’ plays including A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Orpheus Descending and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Blues Wizard's Slide Guitar Workshop
Workshop is FREE WITH JJF WRISTBAND, or $10 WITHOUT. For more info, email Keith Kifer at blueskk2001@yahoo.com
×5-7 PM Whether you've honed your jookin skills in the class or feel ready to flaunt your abilities without it, join the competition to display your talent or appreciate the performances as a cheering spectator.
×
Juke Joint Festival® name and logo are registered trademarks of Clarksdale Downtown Development Association. All rights reserved.
235 Yazoo Avenue
Hobson back yard stage
FREE sidewalk performances! Please tip your musicians, y'all