There is no better way for Blues fans to experience the Mississippi Delta than travelling
by car down Highway 61, known as The Blues Highway. As you travel throughout the
Delta with its endless cotton fields, small towns and meandering rivers, you will see
the land that many famous Bluesmen call home. To truly find the soul of the Blues take
the back roads to old plantation sites, such as Stovall Farms and Hopson Plantation in
Clarksdale and Dockery Farms in Ruleville, where if you listen carefully, you can still
hear the lamenting sounds of the slaves' field hollers and spirituals resounding with the
deep African rhythms of their ancestors.
You can travel any day of the week, but we recommend trying to plan your holiday
around the days of the week set out below to ensure you experience the live blues in
Cleveland, Clarksdale and Greenwood which is not performed every night.
Day 1 (Monday) - Memphis
Arrive in Memphis, renowned as the ‘Home of the Blues’ and the ‘Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll’, for your two
night stay. Spend your evening on Beale Street, where W.C. Handy first penned the Blues music of the
Mississippi Delta. Stretching for several blocks, you can enjoy bars, nightclubs and restaurants offering a
variety of food and live music, including traditional Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Day 2 (Tuesday) - Memphis
Make your first stop the Highway 61 (Third Street in Memphis) Blues marker in front of the Rock & Soul
Museum. "Rock n Soul: Social Crossroads" examines the history of Memphis music and its impact on
cultural change, and why rock 'n' roll and soul begin in Memphis, and why blues music, which began in the
neighbouring countryside come to Beale Street before going to the world. You will see stage costumes,
instruments, photographs, and vintage jukeboxes from the 20's – 70's and you can listen to the recordings
on your personal audio guide.
Explore the shops and boutiques of Beale Street by day. The world-famous street also features a life-
like statue of W.C. Handy, and you can visit the W.C Handy House, a small wood-frame house displaying
artifacts and memorabilia which give insight into Handy's life and music. Located on the street that Handy
made famous, this turn-of-the-century home depicts the humble beginnings of this musical genius.
Enjoy a second evening on Beale Street and be sure to hear live Blues at BB King’s or Rum Boogie Café.
Day 3 (Wednesday) - Memphis to Clarksdale,
approx. 75 miles
Drive south on historic Highway 61 – known as the Blues Highway – to Clarksdale in the heart of the Delta,
where you will spend one night. A hundred years ago, this was a dark, swampy land populated by poor
sharecroppers. Clarksdale has a rich Blues heritage. Names like Muddy Waters, Charley Patton and Robert
Johnson dot the musical landscape here. Their legacies continue to inspire and entertain millions of people
worldwide.
Visit the site of Stovall Plantation where McKinley Morganfield, aka, Muddy Waters was raised and
discovered by folklorist Alan Lomax who recorded him for the Library of Congress in 1941. Muddy Water's
cabin is now housed inside the Delta Blues Museum at the train depot in downtown at Blues Alley. Be sure
to allow two hours at this wonderful museum dedicated to both the preservation and interpretation of the
Blues.
Clarksdale has a thriving live music scene with clubs open every weekend and festivals scattered throughout
the year. Enjoy a night of Blues in one of the local Juke Joints: Ground Zero, Annie Bell Lounge or the
Hopson Plantation Commissary.
Day 4 (Thursday) - Clarksdale to Cleveland
approx. 35 miles
Tutwiler- 15 miles south of Clarksdale – is the burial site of famed Blues harmonica player, singer and
songwriter Sonny Boy Williamson. Visit the grave site and the Tutwiler Murals denoting the site of the
train station where W. C. Handy had his first taste of the Blues in 1903. Handy's chance meeting with
an unknown Bluesman, who was scraping the blade of a knife against the fret board of his guitar while
singing "where the Southern crossed the Yellow Dog," began his journey to Memphis where he became
known as the first musician to pen the Blues.
Continue on to Ruleville to visit the Dockery Plantation, known throughout the "Blues World" as the true
birthplace of the Blues. On the way you will pass Parchman Penitentiary, which has the dubious honour of
being mentioned in a number of Blues songs and having housed some of those very Bluesmen.
Dockery Plantation is now farmed, however, the family allows visitors on the property to see where Howlin'
Wolf, Henry Sloan, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, "Pops" Staples, and many more bluesman were
mentored by the master, who lived and worked at Dockery, Charlie Patton. Blues legends Bukka White, Son
House and Robert Johnson claimed Patton as their primary influence. Born in 1891, Charlie Patton died in
1934 under mysterious circumstances in Indianola. It's the way of the Blues.
Visit the Delta State University Center for Culture and Learning in Cleveland to view the life-masks of award
winning blues musicians and find your way to drive by Po' Monkeys, one of the last remaining authentic juke
joints in the Delta. Folks at the University will give you directions to Po' Monkeys in Merigold, about 8 miles
outside of Cleveland. Spend one night in Cleveland.
Day 5 (Friday) - Cleveland to Greenville
approx. 36 miles
After a leisurely morning, head south on Highway 61 from Cleveland to Greenville – which is located on the
eastern bank of Lake Ferguson, an oxbow lake left from an old channel of the Mississippi River. Two floating
casinos are located on the lake near the downtown area, with a third just west of the city near the Greenville
Bridge.
Nelson Street was a historic strip of blues clubs that drew crowds in the 1940s and 1950s to the flourishing
club scene, listening to Delta blues, big band, jump blues and jazz and where record companies looked for
talent. It was the equivalent of Beale Street in mid-1900s Memphis.
The second historic marker designated by the Mississippi Blues Commission on the Mississippi Blues
Trail was placed in front of the Southern Whispers Restaurant on Nelson Street in Greenville, a stop on
the “chitlin” circuit in the early days of the blues. The marker commemorates the importance of this site in the
history of the development of the Blues in Mississippi. Spend one night in Greenville.
Day 6 (Saturday) - Greenville to Greenwood
approx. 53 miles
Travel to Indianola, the home of the most popular bluesman ever, Riley B. King to visit the new BB King
Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
Nearby, the Mississippi Blues Trail marker outside Club Ebony says BB King, Count Basie, Ray Charles,
James Brown, Ike Turner, Bobby Blue Bland and Howlin' Wolf were among the musicians who have played
here since 1945. This authentic Juke Joint, in BB King's hometown is now owned by the great Blues Man
himself.
In late afternoon you will reach your destination for the day in Greenwood where you will be staying for
the night. In historic downtown visit The Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery that houses an
important collection of Blues memorabilia. The museum's focus is on Robert Johnson, who allegedly sold his
soul to the devil for the ability to play the guitar like no other. Greenwood is the final resting palace of Robert
Johnson and you can see his grave just outside of town at the Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Day 7 (Sunday) - Greenwood to Menphis
approx. 130 miles
Drive north to Memphis for your flight home.
Day 8 (Monday) - Arrive in London
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