Hoodoo Highway

I Got The Blues, almost!

Countdown to the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival (formerly the King Biscuit Blues Festival).

Tomorrow, we load up the camper and head on out. I have been attending the festival since 1987 when it was a tiny festival, on the levee by the Mississippi River in Helena, AR. The stage was small and in front of the old train depot, which is now the Delta Cultural Center. It is now the largest, free blues festival attracting over 100,000 folks each year.

The pre-festival activities just about kill me though. I worked all day in Memphis, drove home, went shopping, got home at midnight and started cooking. I have to pack, get the camper ready, run more errands tomorrow and have it all ready by 1pm. ACKKKK. I am feeling a bit stressed. Of course, Michael is cool as a cucumber. He moves at one speed, granny slow. He never gets frazzled and never gets in a hurry - which so totally puts me over the edge!

I have to make my famous jambalaya tomorrow for I cannot attend the festival without it. I made Country Breakfast Pies tonight. I will make Baked Oatmeal in the morning. ARRGHHH. I cannot wait to get there, get set up and have a shot of Tequila.

Check out the line up this year. Proud to see Miss Charlotte Taylor & Gypsy Rain are playing main stage Thursday. My two picks for Thursday are Johnny Sansone and Tab Benoit. If I have to narrow it down, it will be Tab Benoit. Friday gets into full swing. Chris, Chad, Bill, Trish, Craig and more all arrive. They will miss the party Thursday night - their loss. We pick up more folks (Matt, Stacy, Bob, Angie etc..) on Saturday. Wooohoo! They are not forecasting any rain, although it always rains at the "biscuit".

My Friday choices are Pinetop Perkins ( I mean come on, Pinetop is TOPS), Billy Gibson Band and Willis "Big Eyes" Smith. As is typical, I am drawn more to the smaller stages - rather than main stages. Saturday I want to see Larry Garner, Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials (who I was supposed to interview on Friday until they found out I would be there at the festival), Robert Lockwood, Jr, Michael Burks (Michael is receiving an achievement award!) and the Fabulous Thunderbirds or Super Chicken. I really like Super Chicken and get tickled thinking about taking Virginia to see him at Sticky Fingerz and him making that rooster sound and saying "Don't shoot my chicken" all night long. It drove her nuts after about the 5th time.

For your edification - Helena, AR is in the Delta and on the Mississippi River. Highway 49 runs out of Helena across the Mississippi and hits Highway 61 in Mississippi. Helena is economically depressed, as are many delta towns, and is depressing to be in on any other weekend of the year (except Bikes & Blues). Let's hope I do not have to babysit any drunks, do not have to make a run to the ER or that it rains so much so that it is all just mud (been there and done all of that). I cannot wait to get my annual BBQ Bologna sandwich from Chuck's and walk around Cherry Street munching on the finest delicacy ever and listening to the great music!

posted by Deb @ 2:29 AM