“Little Willie” Farmer is a self-taught guitarist, who developed a style that is closest to the Memphis Blues, a mixture of Soul and Blues. He writes and performs original music and has produced several CDs. He performs in clubs, festivals, and for private parties and also does Blues education workshops, having worked with Johnnie Billington, and Jerry Fair in the Montgomery County School District, the Montgomery County Arts Council and Action Communication and Education Reform’s Cultural Arts and Multimedia Project.

http://www.arts.ms.gov/artist-roster/artist.php?n=farmer_little_willie&r=artist-roster

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/

Roots music all the way from The Holy Moly in Clarksdale (via Melbourne, Australia)!

Richard "Rip Lee" Pryor didn't have to go far for his blues pass. He was born into it, he is the son of the legendary Snooky Pryor. Rip started at a young tender age blowing his dad's discarded harmonicas and mimicking his records. Rip played guitar in several local soul bands while in high school. In 1994, he started playing blues guitar with his dad, netting a spot on Snooky's CD recording "Mind Your Own Business" and also a Japan tour. Rip formed several blues bands in the Carbondale Il area, singing and blowing harmonica. In 1998, he recorded a CD "Pitch a Boogie Woogie" playing all instruments on 8 of the tracks. Later he got into doing his solo act playing guitar and harmonica. With the hassle of music and a day job he got out of the music business in 2000. After retiring from his day job in 2008 and a bout with bone marrow cancer in 2010, Rip is back and very strong. He has been working steady with his One Man Blues Show touring South America, Europe, playing various local venues and blues festivals throughout the US. Rip recorded a CD in 2014 with Electro-Fi Records "Nobody But Me". Rip plays Chicago '50's style blues with a vengence.

http://www.ripleepryor.com

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is the proprietor of one of the oldest juke joints in Mississippi, the Blue Front in Bentonia. In the mid-2000s he began performing blues actively after many years of performing casually, and has already garnered several awards and many accolades. He is a practitioner and conscious advocate of a distinctive blues style from his hometown whose most famous proponent was blues pioneer Skip James.

http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=holmes_jimmy

One of Mississippi's hidden treasures: a contemporary hill country bluesman, lifelong resident of Pontotoc, who has created his own distinctive version of the harp-blowing, guitar-grooving one-man band. Although he's long past the dues-paying stage, Bean has played with some of the most important bluesmen to come out of Mississippi in the past two decades.

http://www.hillcountryharmonica.com/terry_bean.html

Known primarily as the rhythm guitarist and vocalist on Ted Nugent's early (and best) solo albums, Derek St. Holmes has also subsequently lent his talents to recordings by other artists and by the dawn of the 21st century, finally launched his own solo career. Hailing from a small city not far from Detroit (Riverview, MI), St. Holmes became originally interested in music via his mother, who sang regularly in a church choir. Not long after, St. Holmes picked up guitar and began to sing himself and was influenced by the usual Brit-rock suspects of the '60s (the Rolling Stones, the Beatles), but also soul and blues artists (Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King). By the early '70s, St. Holmes was fronting a local Michigan rock outfit called Scott, who opened up several shows for Ted Nugent. Nugent's singer at the time left the Motor City Madman high and dry and several auditions were arranged with St. Holmes, all of which proved unfruitful. Just as St. Holmes was about to relocate to the West Coast to try his luck there, a final audition was arranged and this time, St. Holmes and Nugent decided to unite.

https://www.facebook.com/DerekStHolmes/

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_hJEpig1Qk

Nicknamed "Little Boogaloo" by her Mississippi Delta mentor Boogaloo Ames, Eden Brent is much more than her signature boogie-woogie piano and juke-joint blues holler. She is a celebrated songwriter and dynamic performer, with numerous nominations and awards including eleven Blues Music Award nominations since 2009 and three BMA trophies. Her most recent Yellow Dog Records album, Jigsaw Heart was nominated for BMA Acoustic Album of the Year, continuing a streak of nominations for her last three albums.

https://www.edenbrent.com

Blue Mother Tupelo - the husband and wife team of Ricky Davis (acoustic & electric guitars, dobro, vocals) and Micol Davis (piano, tambourine, vocals) - began performing as a duo in 1995. Soon thereafter, drummers, bassists, harmonica players, fiddle players and other friends would sit in. BMT primarily performs as a trio with guitars (acoustic & electric), piano, tambourines & drums, percussion. Ricky & Micol also perform in the original duo format as well. Unique, passionate, inspired and unaffected by musical genres, Blue Mother Tupelo is pure heart and soul.

https://www.bluemothertupelo.com

John Mohead was born in Memphis Tennessee blocks from the Mississippi River. Mohead, as he is known to friends, spent his childhood in the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, learning to play the blues from first generation masters like harmonica virtuoso Frank Frost and shuffle king Sam Carr. Mohead learned his country licks living on Moon Lake from family members of Conway Twitty. Mohead penned his first Billboard charted song at the age of 18 and followed that up as a staff writer with Patrick Joseph Music in Nashville. Not one to follow the crowd, Mohead left music city and headed south to Clarksdale Mississippi and teamed up with blues guru Jim O’Neal, founding editor of Living Blues Magazine. Mohead has opened or played with everyone from Bob Dylan, Little Feat and Robert Randolph, to Ray Wylie Hubbard, Billy Joe Shaver and Sam Bush. After years of touring, Mohead quietly turned his attention to family life raising two boys and began pursuing his other passion for food, opening his own “funky fine dining” restaurant called Kathryn’s which he still operates. Thankfully his first passion for music has drawn him back in. Mohead is doing what he started out doing, playing his southern Americana style of original music.

https://www.moheadmusic.com

Marshall Drew was born on January 11, 1984 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He took an interest in music at a young age, learning to play guitar at age five and beginning to write songs at eight. He played in several local bands during his teens, often performing blues music throughout the Mississippi Delta. Drew, however, cites classic rock-era singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young as his primary influences. He is also heavily influenced by highly melodic rock bands such as The Beatles and Big Star.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Drew

Clarksdale Soundstage founders and songwriters make JJF debut!

Born in the Mississippi Delta, Mark learned the true meaning of the Blues down on Parchman Farm Penitentiary. He was taught by David Kimbrough, the son of Jr. Kimbrough, how to play the guitar inside Parchman, and soon after, Mark joined the Parchman Prison Band. ​ After Mark left Parchman, he followed his love for the Blues towards bettering himself. Along the way, he met the Blues legend Big Jack Johnson. He became both a mentor and friend to Mark and even gave Mark the nickname "Muleman".

https://markmulemanmassey.wixsite.com/mysite

Libby Rae Watson and friends!

Kent hails from Holly Springs, Mississippi as the oldest Grandson and pupil of blues legend, R.L. Burnside. His playing dots the globe and his style is unlike any other: dark, hypnotic, inviting... and very dance-able. Kent got his real start in the music business playing with Jimbo Mathus (Fat Possum Records) and going on tour with Buddy Guy in the early 2000's. That was when he started developing his signature style of blues: dark, hypnotic, inviting and very danceable.

https://burnsidekent.com

RL Boyce is a blues musician from Como, Mississippi. Born in 1955, he picked up music as a teenager, starting out as a drummer in the local fife-and-drum bands of Otha Turner and Napolian Strickland, and later with Jessie Mae Hemphill as heard on her classic "Feelin' Good" album. He is also a singer and guitarist, inspired by his neighbors RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, as well as the records of John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf. Boyce developed an individual style that draws upon songs from the local repertoire and interprets them with a considerable degree of enthusiasm and spontaneity. Though his recorded output is slim, Boyce's renown has grown over the years and his performances at his frequent house/yard parties attract friends, neighbors, and visitors from around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/RLBoyceBlues/

Bill "Watermelon Slim" Homans has built a remarkable reputation with his raw, impassioned intensity. HARP Magazine wrote "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." Paste Magazine writes "He's one hell of a bottleneck guitarist, and he's got that cry in his voice that only the greatest singers in the genre have had before him."

http://watermelonslim.com

American soul blues singer, guitarist, arranger, songwriter and record producer. He was influenced by the deep soul music of the 1960s, as performed by O. V. Wright, James Carr, and Z. Z. Hill, although his styling, production and lyrics are more contemporary in nature.

http://www.johnnyrawlsblues.com

The Mississippi based Multi-instrumentalist combines the Tribal Rhythms and raw electrifying power of the Hill Country Blues with melodic songwriting wisdom of heroes Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. MALCOLM fuses elements of Funk, Soul, Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop, West African World Beat, Gospel and Country to create an Authentic Signature sound in modern day World Roots Music.

https://www.lightninmalcolm.com

Musician, luthier and Clarksdale store owner Keith Kifer and his blues band!

JIMBO MATHUS (born in Mississippi, 1967) is an award-winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist (instruments: Guitar, bass, drums, piano, trombone, mandolin, harmonica). Perhaps best known for his work with the platinum-record-holding swing-revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, other associated acts include Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, Squirrel Nut Zippers, North Mississippi Allstars, Jim Dickinson, Knockdown Society, Knockdown South and Buddy Guy. His current band is JIMBO MATHUS & TRI-STATE COALITION. Jimbo is a favorite of Juke Joint Festival, performing nearly every year since the festival's founding. �God bless Mississippi and pass the antiseptic.� ~ J. Mathus

https://www.therealjimbomathus.com/

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Duwayne Burnside is one of 14 children born to legendary North Mississippi musician R.L. Burnside and his wife, Alice. He has been a frequent performer with the North Mississippi Allstars since the early 1990s, when that group, fronted by Luther and Cody Dickinson, formed. The young Burnside learned his first few guitar licks and chords from his father, but proved a quick study and soon began playing with local club owner Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys. Growing up in Holly Springs, he was close to Memphis, and as soon as he was able to get to Memphis, he did, and soon had the chance to sit in with Little Jimmy King, Albert King, B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and others.

https://myspace.com/duwayneburnside

Anthony “Big A” Sherrod is a young Mississippi bluesman, schooled by a noted blues teacher in the area, “Mr. Johnnie” Billington, who taught not only the music but the value of hard work and knowledge of the culture and history from which Mississippi blues emerged, a world where the musicians worked at very hard, low-paying agricultural jobs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnsaLmGmWEw

Sofie left Ludvika, a small town in Sweden, in 1987, landing in Minneapolis, MN. She was 18 years old. Growing up, Sofie had a deep admiration for the arts. In her early teens, she became involved with a local theater company where she took classes in acting and directing, onto creating ‘fairy-tale spaces and scenes’ for young children where she would read stories, along with writing manuscripts, stage-building and creating costumes for the public school children’s drama lessons and play performances. Feeling a great connection within theater work, along with the acknowledgment of her talents by a senior drama teacher and director in the school where she had attended classes, Sofie decided to pursue this line of work. She was admitted to the theater school. But, Sofie abandoned her initial plan when her mother died from a long battle with cancer. Instead, she decided to follow her passion of music; sing and write songs. She arrived in the great music city of Minneapolis not knowing anyone, to somehow create a life within the arts. Through a rich creative journey spanning three decades, Sofie Reed has evolved as a skilled vocalist, composer, one-of-a-kind musical visionary and multimedia artist. She is a self-taught, independent, grassroots artist. She started a ‘One-Woman-Band’ project in 2010, touring internationally, singing and stomping on an amplified wine-box, playing dulcimer and a variety of instruments, performing her songs. Music aficionados all over the world love and appreciate the unique and soulful style that is all her own. Her soundscapes encompass roots & blues, folk-blues, soul, R&B, jazz... No matter the term, Sofie’s thrilled audiences with her extraordinary artistry and charisma. 

https://www.sofiereed.com

https://carloselliot.com/

Ever since I was knee-high to a duck, my dad called me “Willey Woot” and it sticks with me today. That’s what I am calling this CD. This is a mix of songs from my previous self produced CDs in the COTTON PATCH BLUES STYLE that I was raised on. That original SOUL BLUES like my Poppa played. I hope you enjoy.

http://robertkimbroughsr.com/

“… the reincarnated Mississippi moan of guys like Son House… a burly soul punishing the senses with a Deltapunk attack and a heavy helping of rural realism. You can’t ignore his Big Damn Band’s gospel.” — Elmore

https://www.bigdamnband.com/about/

https://www.facebook.com/eric.deaton.16/

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

http://seanbadapple.com

One of Clarksdale's finest musicians, Terry "Big T" Williams knows the blues. He came up under "Mr. Johnnie" Billington's watch before graduating to "Big Jack" Johnson's band, The Jelly Roll Kings, The Stone Gas Band and his own Big T & the Family band. A favorite of big clubs and juke joints alike, Big T is a man to watch on guitar. Pick up his CD "Hellhounds on My Trail" ... and watch for a new release on Broke & Hungry Records coming soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhNmLuk-AMU

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.

http://deakharp.com

Stacy Mitchhart has built a worldwide fan base thanks to phenomenal live performances, national television exposure, radio airplay, loyal enthusiastic fans and aggressive marketing and merchandising campaigns. His masterful guitar work and strong vocals have been the driving forces behind his successful career.

http://stacymitchhart.com/index.html

In the world of Mississippi blues and folk art, you won't find much better than Mr. James "Super Chikan" Johnson. He is the man. His "live" shows are legendary for their originality and energy. Whether he's playing his signature B.C. Rich guitar or one of his homemade gas can "Chikan-tars," you'll know that good times have entered the building after the first three notes. Winner of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the arts, Chikan recently released his 4th and perhaps best CD, "Chikan Supe." He's been all over the world, but this weekend he's back in town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqi_j5Glmtc

https://youtu.be/x2CYqKG36Iw

American blues slide guitarist skilled in the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Brown_(guitarist)

Keith Johnson is a 24-year-old traditional Mississippi bluesman who is the great nephew of Muddy Waters. Keith & The Big Muddy Band are the fresh-young faces of the blues who is keeping the blues alive for generations to come. We play indoor and outdoor concerts and festivals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74v9ErtQkns

Clarksdale's most popular non-blues act is this mostly acoustic trio.

http://www.blackwatertrio.com

19th Street Red’s blues is not the “polite” blues. It is the low down, razor’s edge gutbucket blues that makes dancers want to sweat and shake their butts. This gritty style reminds you of the street music of Chicago’s Jew-town and the lowdown groove of Muddy Waters.

https://19thstreetred.com

Blues guitarist, vocalist and bandleader John Horton was born in Arcola in 1959. His family initially lived in Holly Ridge, and then moved to the outskirts of Greenville, where he currently resides. He grew up with his father, who worked as a bulldozer driver, a job that Horton has had since shortly after graduating from high school.

http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=horton_john