JJF EVENTS

Robert Kimbrough Sr continues the Cotton Patch Soul Blues style created by his father, the legendary Junior Kimbrough. From an early age, Robert was steeped in the sounds and life of North Mississippi and its distinctive style of blues. Growing up, Robert listened, first-hand to Mississippi blues royalty that played with his father at home, at Junior’s Juke Joint Club, and the ever frequent weekend house party and porch jam session. The blues was simply part of everyday life as a Kimbrough. Robert continues his father’s musical tradition, along with some of his siblings. You can often find many of them sharing the stage on any given night in Mississippi. The Kimbrough name, along with the Burnside name, is part of a blues dynasty that remains strong today, bringing people from all over the world to see and hear them play. The Cotton Patch Soul Blues style that Robert plays is a straight link to the music that his father originated in North Mississippi. It is a deep soul sound that can be linked back to his ancestors coming from the cotton fields, singing and ‘hollering‘ as they worked in the tall rows of Mississippi cotton. This distinct and somewhat underground style of blues is rooted in hypnotic, rhythms and dance-able grooves. The Black Keys released an entire album in 2006 of Junior Kimbrough cover songs called Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough. Up until the mid 80s, the only way to hear this music was to visit a church-turned-blues-den founded by Junior Kimbrough in Chulahoma, MS that unfortunately burned down in 2000.

Angel "Cash" Ocasio, Jr., a prominent figure in Macon's music scene, leads Cash's Juke Joint, a powerhouse band delivering soul-stirring music. Rooted in Blues, Sacred Steel, Soul, Funk, and Rock, their groovy fusion captivates audiences. Hailing from Macon, GA, the band, comprised of seasoned musicians, boasts a rich history playing diverse venues. Cash's Juke Joint has shared stages with icons like Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott and The Legendary Wailers, showcasing their raw and uncut sound. Known for getting straight to the nitty-gritty, experiencing the dynamic vibes of Cash's Juke Joint live is a must for music enthusiasts.

Sunday April 12th, Meraki, The Hodge Podge Collage, 11:15 AM

Lou Shields armed with his 1931 National Resonator and his 1930s archtop guitars captivates his audiences with his unique front porch style. A prolific songwriter, Lou performs original songs inspired by Country Blues, Delta Blues and American Roots. Lou is a must see.

Laura "Lala" Craig is a female blues artist whose rollicking path to the Delta landed her at the Crossroads of her passions for love and music, fulfilling her dream to become an entertainer and share her harmony with partner, Dino Musso.

Downtown Charlie Brown, a Chicagoland favorite, is a regular at landmarks like Buddy Guy’s Legends and The Desplaines Theater in Chicagoland. He performs at venues across the country, including Ground Zero in Clarksdale and Biloxi, Mississippi, on King Biscuit Time in Helena, Arkansas, Bluesberry Café in Clarksdale, and XCAl in Ashburn Verginia. You can see him at festivals across the United States. He was referred to as “Chicago’s Delta” by American Blues Scene and was also featured in Living Blues, and BG Blues and Music News Magazines. His band’s focus is Delta and Chicago Blues.

“From sizzling slide guitar…to nitty-gritty harp blowing…to a gruff, resonating Okie twang, Slim delivers acutely personal workingman blues with both hands on the wheel of life, a bottle of hooch in his pocket, and the Bible on the passenger seat” (HARP Magazine). Slim was raised in North Carolina listening to the housekeeper sing John Lee Hooker songs. In the Vietnam war he wound up in a hospital bed where he taught himself upside-down left-handed slide guitar on a $5 balsawood model using a triangle pick cut from a rusty coffee can top and his Army issued Zippo lighter as the slide. Slim has been a truck driver, forklift operator, sawmiller (where he lost a partial finger), firewood salesman, collection agent, funeral officiator and at times a small time criminal. His colorful songs and raw talent reflect his many adventures and misadventures. Very entertaining!

Guitarist, Jesse Cotton Stone, is a Colorado-Born, American Highway-Raised, Blues Man. He began teaching himself to play blues guitar by ear, starting at the age of 11. And he's been pickin' his guts out all over the U.S. since 1994. Jesse has toured from Colorado to the Bayous of Southern Louisiana several times and has performed multiple shows at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, AR., the Juke Joint Festival and Deep Blues Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi, not to mention Juke joints Road houses and other small venues throughout the region.

Hosted by the torchbearer of the Clarksdale sound— Anthony "Big A" Sherrod!