JJF ACTIVITIES
Activities run all day. Starting times are variable.
JJF EVENTS
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 - 243 Delta Avenue
The official Juke Joint Festival Headquarters is conveniently located at 243 Delta Avenue in downtown Clarksdale (basically across the street from Nellie Mays).
JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL MERCHANDISE SALES
T-shirts, hats and other cool festival merchandise. 11 am until 6:00 pm
×Where: Juke Joint Festival Headquarters - 243 Delta Avenue
The official Juke Joint Festival Headquarters is conveniently located at 243 Delta Avenue in downtown Clarksdale (basically across the street from Nellie Mays).
FREE Juke Joint Festival KICK-OFF!
FREE Juke Joint Festival KICK-OFF! Start the festival weekend off right....
×Where: New Roxy (main stage)
The New Roxy is a former movie theater located in the historic New World District of downtown Clarksdale. After deteriorating over a 30-year vacancy, this iconic building is being resurrected as a vibrant music, art, and theater venue for you to discover and enjoy.
Step inside to experience the regrowth—original sloping concrete floor, masonry stage, distressed brick walls, space for dancing, drinking, dining—all beneath a gorgeous view of the night sky through the open rooftop.
We are open throughout the year for events such as festivals, theater performances, film screenings and private parties. Two separate areas await your arrival. The front bar features a small, intimate stage (now fully covered and weather-proof) while the open-air main stage provides ample room for larger productions.
Who: Sean 'Bad' Apple
Baptized in the fire water of Clarksdale, MS., Sean “Bad” Apple began his spiritual journey of learning the blues by seeking out the old blues musicians that were willing to share their years of knowledge. Sean is working hard to keep Hill Country Blues alive and well. People are always in for a good show and never leave disappointed when the Bad Apple is on the stage
FREE Juke Joint Festival KICK-OFF!
Official JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL Welcome and annual presentation of the Miss Sarah Awards (JJF), Tourist of the Year Awards (Visit Clarksdale Tourism) & Clarksdale Drummer's Award (Derick Kemp).
×Where: New Roxy (main stage)
The New Roxy is a former movie theater located in the historic New World District of downtown Clarksdale. After deteriorating over a 30-year vacancy, this iconic building is being resurrected as a vibrant music, art, and theater venue for you to discover and enjoy.
Step inside to experience the regrowth—original sloping concrete floor, masonry stage, distressed brick walls, space for dancing, drinking, dining—all beneath a gorgeous view of the night sky through the open rooftop.
We are open throughout the year for events such as festivals, theater performances, film screenings and private parties. Two separate areas await your arrival. The front bar features a small, intimate stage (now fully covered and weather-proof) while the open-air main stage provides ample room for larger productions.
Who: Annual awards presentations
Juke Joint Festival's annual Miss Sarah Awards, Visit Clarksdale Tourism awards and Clarksdale Drummer Award.
Where: New Roxy (main stage)
The New Roxy is a former movie theater located in the historic New World District of downtown Clarksdale. After deteriorating over a 30-year vacancy, this iconic building is being resurrected as a vibrant music, art, and theater venue for you to discover and enjoy.
Step inside to experience the regrowth—original sloping concrete floor, masonry stage, distressed brick walls, space for dancing, drinking, dining—all beneath a gorgeous view of the night sky through the open rooftop.
We are open throughout the year for events such as festivals, theater performances, film screenings and private parties. Two separate areas await your arrival. The front bar features a small, intimate stage (now fully covered and weather-proof) while the open-air main stage provides ample room for larger productions.
Who: Lucious Spiller Blues Band
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.
(Cover may apply.)
12:00 pm
RL SUPERBAD with Ilana Katz Katz
1:30 pm
Bill Abel from Belzoni Mississippi plays the raw gutbucket blues he learned from Paul Jones, T Model Ford, Cadillac John and many other blues legends.
https://www.facebook.com/Bill-Abel-192999535686/
×Where: Deak Harp Harmonica Shop
2:00 pm
Theo 'Boogieman' Dasbach
3:30 pm
Robin Lane is the heart of an act that continually conjures up the memory of Mr. Tater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtGiID3rT_A
×4:00 pm
Steve and Walt’s Front Porch Party (Jam)
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
×4:30 pm
Deak Harp has been playing harmonica since he was 12 years old. His biggest early inspiration came when his brother introduced him to the music of James Cotton.
Deak followed Cotton's band along the east coast for close to five years before Cotton offered Deak a job driving his van. For the next six years, Deak toured with the James Cotton blues band, eventually opening acts and playing along with "Superharp" himself.
Where: Deak Harp Harmonica Shop
6:00 pm
8:00 pm
RL Boyce, Carlos Elliot Jr & Bobby Gentilo
Where: Red's Lounge
Red's Lounge? It's the definition of a real-deal Mississippi juke joint. Don't expect to be spoiled with amenities. All you need is a been-there-done-that owner, some beers as big as your head and some "live" blues you'll never forget. (Oh, and MAYBE something out front on the grill.) This is how blues became blues... how the music grew up out of the cotton fields and onto a round piece of vinyl. Speaking of which, the building itself was called "Levine's Music Center" back in the day, and it's where Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm bought the instruments that played the first rock 'n roll song. Yeah, Red's is the real thing for sure...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reds-Blues-Club/163702543685722
×8:00 pm
Blues jam with Earnest Guitar Roy
Where: Ooze Bar
The new Ooze Bar (in former Rock & Blues Museum location next to Hambone) is the new blues bar/toy museum inspiration of The Mojo Hands leader Chris Mullens!
https://www.instagram.com/themojohands/?hl=en
×8:00 pm
Lala & Element 88 (Blues Jam)
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
×8:00 pm
"Blues and soul just speak to me the loudest," says Crosse, who's spent the past two decades paying her dues at festivals, clubs and honky tonks across the American South. Originally from Louisiana, she's now an in-demand player in her chosen hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where she and her band have backed blues heavyweights including Bob Margolin, Guitar Shorty, Jody Williams and James "Super Chikan" Johnson. For years, Crosse has appeared regularly at the world-famous Ground Zero Blues Club. Early in 2015, she toured Europe and the UK as a member of the Blues Caravan 2015 "Girls With Guitars" tour and was also part of the Jim Gaines-produced album of the same name.
She's been fronting the same band for the past eight years: Heavy Suga' & the SweeTones. The current line-up includes Crosse's songwriting partner and significant other, drummer Lee Williams (B.B. King, Big Jack Johnson), keyboard wizard Mark Yacovone (Kenny Brown, Maria Muldaur) and guitarist Dan Smith (Anson Funderburgh, Smokin' Joe Kubek). The songs convey the comfortable feeling you'd expect from four friends making music together. "Our band is a unique thing. We're very tight and close, like a family band," says Crosse about choosing her own musicians over session players.
Where: Hambone Art & Music
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday night (April 15, 2023), 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.
HAMBONE: "Hambone Art Gallery" and bar, Artwork by Stan Street , is located at 111 East Second St.,between Madidi's and Theo's Rock and Roll Museum . Formerly Conerly shoes [ co- owned by Charlie Conerly, quarterback of the New York Giants and Old Miss.] Before that, the building was the old Delta theatre. Owners Stan and Dixie Street moved to Clarksdale from So. Florida. Both
blues musicians, they were drawn here by the city's historical roots. Stan is a poster designer for many roots and blues festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Artwork is mostly musical, but the Gallery also has landscapes from the Delta, Abstracts, and ecclectic Found Object
pieces.
9:00 pm
9:00 pm
12:00 am
Midnight Jam and red beans and rice
Where: Red Top's Club 305
Blues musician Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen's new late-night blues club and recording studio (across from historic Greyhound Station), downtown.
(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.
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.
Where: Shared Experiences HQ
New Shared Experiences HQ (121 Delta Avenue) in the former Atmos Energy building across from the Carnegie Public Library! Home of LiveFromClarksdale.org as well as Civil Rights Tours, Farm Tours and more. Founder: Colleen Buyers.
https://www.sharedexperiencesusa.com/
×Where: Shared Experiences HQ
New Shared Experiences HQ (121 Delta Avenue) in the former Atmos Energy building across from the Carnegie Public Library! Home of LiveFromClarksdale.org as well as Civil Rights Tours, Farm Tours and more. Founder: Colleen Buyers.
https://www.sharedexperiencesusa.com/
×7:00pm-9:00pm Calling all artists, musicians, dancers, comedians, and poets to showcase their talents.
×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
×
Juke Joint Festival® name and logo are registered trademarks of Clarksdale Downtown Development Association. All rights reserved.
FREE sidewalk performances! Please tip your musicians, y'all
13 Third Street. Harmonica students playing.
Colorado-born, American highway-raised, bluesman.
235 Yazoo Avenue
