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CAT HEAD UPDATE NEWSLETTER
CLARKSDALE SINNERS MOVIE
AND BLUES FESTIVAL EDITION
Plus: CAT HEAD turns 23. CLARKSDALE is in
the news. And both KINGFISH & BUDDY GUY
are set to release brand-new albums... soon.
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CAT HEAD—MISSISSIPPI'S BLUES STORE IN CLARKSDALE SINCE 2002—SAYS THANK YOU!
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CAT HEAD is celebrating its first 23 years in Clarksdale. And we couldn't have done it without you. Thanks to all y'all for supporting my small-town small business in a big, big way.
 As many of you know, I came out of Corporate America, where long hours delivered a steady (and honestly, pretty obese) paycheck along with company health insurance, paid vacation, 401K matches, business-class travel, yearly bonuses, a corner office, etc. It was a culture where, when I "tried" to resign to move to Mississippi, the boss just assumed it was a ploy to add more numbers to my paycheck and words to my business card. And he was happy to offer both. Honestly, the poor guy was newly installed from another division so didn't know me and my musical obsessions. He didn't stand a chance. I thought he was going to have a stroke when I kept saying, "Sorry, but I'm resigning. Yes, Mississippi. No, really." (That's me in the pic from my company ID card. I look like I'm 12.)
After 13 years in advertising and marketing—late nights and early mornings, talking fast and taking meetings—I opened the door of a tired, 100-year-old brick building in a quiet, mostly empty downtown called "Clarksdale."
 "A year ago, I was meeting with the CEO of May Company and traveling to Hong Kong on business. Last week, I booked a blues musician named 'T-Model Ford' and set up a store display that includes a chair made out of painted cow bones. You tell me which sounds like more fun." - Roger Stolle (Clarksdale Press Register, 2002)
23 years later, I like to tell folks, "I came for the music but stayed for the people," though more accurately, I moved here with a specific Mission (kicking off my 40-page business plan) "to help organize and promote the blues from within." The idea was to be boots on the ground, working every day with the (at the time very small) ad hoc group of folks who cared about—and still saw a future for—Clarksdale, its dead downtown and gasping music scene. Folks like Miss Sarah Moore, Red Paden, Bill Luckett, George Messenger, John Ruskey, Frank "Rat" Ratliff, Big T, Panny Mayfield and Bubba O'Keefe. Today, thankfully and amazingly, the list of folks who care—and are doing something about it—is too long to trumpet here. It includes both born-locals and national/international transplants like myself. Plus visitors from next door and half a world away. They say it takes a village? Oh, #@%! no. It takes a world.
 What a long, strange trip it's been. Through those early days of CAT HEAD (when downtown was empty and live blues shows were only a couple nights a week but not around holidays), the Great Recession (which didn't do my surviving 401K any favors), the Global Pandemic (which made us all switch to online stores and apply for SBA loans), and the current challenging small-business climate (filled with tariffs and other anti-international trade and travel barriers), it hasn't always been easy to keep things rolling. But with the support of our enthusiastic blues and Clarksdale friends and fans, we have collectively done it. And we will continue to do it.
 Today's Clarksdale is a mecca for music fans on the pilgrimage of a lifetime. It's also a fabulous weekend getaway for anyone hungry for food, music, history and small-town Southern hospitality. We ain't Bourban or Beale or Lower Broadway, and we don't want to be. We are Clarksdale. Because of our 20 festival-type events per year and 365 live music scene (cathead.biz/music-calendar), we now have one of the most robust and diverse overnight lodging offerings in the region—ranging from an award-winning hostel and 20-room artist-run hotel to luxurious downtown lofts and a 3-story 63-room Hampton Inn... and beyond. Shack Up Inn was just six shacks 23 years ago; now, it's like the shack suburbs out there. Plenty of Airbnb and VRBO, too. Find the pillow that awaits your dreams at VisitClarksdale.com/stayall.
 In addition to all of our cool "OLD," we have plenty of exciting "NEW":
- New festivals this year include Tater Superbad Blues Fest, Son House Tribute Festival and Jessie Mae Hemphill Hill Country Blues Festival.
- Newer music venues include Big T's School of Blues, The Matchbox and Wild Bill's II.
- New attractions include the taproom at Red Panther Brewing Co. (next to Collective Seed).
- Our new mayor? As of July 1st, it's Mr. Orlando Paden. Yup. He also owns Red's juke joint.
- And then there's the recent SINNERS movie! A blockbuster that's set in, you guessed it, Clarksdale! Thanks to a grassroots effort led by Tyler Yarbrough and others, Warner Bros brought the film along with director Ryan Coogler, producers, an actor and musicians to town.
- New media attention for Clarksdale during the past 6 months includes Wanderlust, CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, AP, Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, Oxford American, etc. Google us. The come hear for yourself.
 Enjoy the newsletter. Plan your visit. And if you're so inclined, please shop CAT HEAD in-person or online at www.cathead.biz to help keep us rockin' into our 24th year. Got questions? I got email: roger@cathead.biz.
Thanks y'all!
Roger Stolle
(and Ayler Pug)
aka The Rocket Scientists piloting
CAT HEAD DELTA BLUES & FOLK ART
P.S. - Quote of the day: "You can't see what's going in the Arts as separate from what's going on in the rest of the world." - Peter Brotzmann
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Clarksdale, Mississippi's 365 SOUNDS AROUND TOWN—plus, monthly listings are at www.cathead.biz
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Visit Clarksdale, and experience 'live' music plus amazing food, art, history, Southern hospitality and more. MUSIC CALENDAR with Sounds Around Town, annual festival list and the month at a glance at https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar. Then, find great lodging ideas, apps and more via visitclarksdale.com
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Clarksdale's down-home SUNFLOWER RIVER BLUES & GOSPEL FESTIVAL returns in Aug. It's FREE, y'all!
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It's one of the oldest real-deal blues festivals around—founded in 1988. This year's always-free SUNFLOWER RIVER BLUES & GOSPEL FESTIVAL will feature a stunningly good array of local and regional Mississippi blues acts—from Big A to Big T, from Jimmy "Duck" Holmes to James "Super Chikan" Johnson... and beyond... AUGUST 8-10. VIP event Thursday and classic blues festival Friday and Saturday. AND an almighty Gospel Stage on Sunday. PLUS, we'll have all our normal 365 blues happenings and plenty of bonus festival-weekend music—inside and out. Check out the details at www.sunflowerfest.org (and watch Cat Head Music Calendar for related music and events).
 
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The 7th annual RED'S OLD-TIMERS BLUES FEST pays tribute to 'Juke King' Red Paden. It's also FREE!
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"The game's [still] for life." And RED'S OLD-TIMERS BLUES FEST (with Red's son Orlando now at the helm) is still absolutely "backed by the river and fronted by the grave!"
This Labor Day weekend bring a blanket or lawn chair, and experience deep blues from the old-timers on the permanent MLK Stage just a block from the legendary Red's Lounge juke joint, SATURDAY, 8/30. Enjoy the best of Mississippi blues musicians—60 years old and up. Live music, BBQ competition, food trucks and more! Plus, live blues inside Red's at night.
FREE festival, but please feel free to donate to the event. And, of course... "Tip tip tip the band!" Website: redpaden.com / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redsoldtimersbluesfestival
Lineup coming soon. Images: Fest ad, Red Paden and his son Orlando.
 
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CAT HEAD store in Clarksdale—your first stop for blues souvenirs and information for 23 years!
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CAT HEAD in Clarksdale. We're not Amazon. But we are Mississippi.
We hope you'll visit, but if till then, please shop online at www.cathead.biz for our exclusive selection of blues, Clarksdale and Cat Head stuff—including T-shirts, ball caps, drinkware, prints, posters and much more. Plus, check out our curated collection of books, vinyl LPs, CDs, DVDs, (even a couple cassettes in-store) and much more.
It's no wonder that our CAT HEAD visitors over the past 23 years have included celebrities like Robert Plant, Caroline Kennedy, Dan Akroyd, Tom Waits, Ty Pennington, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Zimmern, Alex Chilton, Ian Astbury, Jools Holland, Joey Lauren Adams, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Lange, Ozzy Osbourne and others—not to mention NPR, PBS NewsHour, CBS' 60 Minutes, CNN, The New York Times, The Times of London, Associated Press, The Economist, AFAR, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Wanderlust, etc. Come shop what everyone is yappin' about.
   
  
   
 
 
 
  
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Miss this year's JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL? Plan now for 2026. Check out this 2025 pics by Michael Lepek
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Was this year's 22nd JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL & Related Events (April 11-14, 2024) the biggest ever? Maybe. Over 100 acts performed, and thousands of enthusiastic visitors came from at least 47 U.S. states plus D.C., 59 Mississippi counties and at least 26 international countries (that we could document). This year, we had Mississippi blues performers from 8 to 98 years old. And the Saturday's main events included the most music ever including 17 free day stages and 26 nighttime wristband venues (with 27 stages) ever. Lots of smiling faces.
PLAN NOW FOR 23RD JJF—APRIL 9-12, 2026. General festival info at www.jukejointfestival.com (including the 2025 lineup to give you an idea of what to expect). Search for lodging via https://www.visitclarksdale.com/stay-all as well as Airbnb and VRBO. Also, details are to come, but Clarksdale will again welcome campers downtown for the fest weekend (this past April's info at https://jukejointfestival.com/rv_form.php; expect similar arrangements for 2026).
THANKS to photographer Michael Lepek for all the excellent fest photos below (except for my favorite pic which is the final one, a selfie with my fellow co-founders of JJF: Bubba O'Keefe and Nan Hughes. Y'all rock!)              
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LATEST BLUES, MISSISSIPPI, CLARKSDALE, JAZZ AND RELATED NEWS. Check out the links below...
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 - Clarksdale's Delta Blues Alley Cafe burned in March (near Delta Blues Museum and Ground Zero Blues Club). Read about the devastating loss at https://clarksdaleadvocate.news/fire-destroys-two-downtown-clarksdale-buildings-including-delta-blue-alley-cafe/. And support the GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-clarksdales-iconic-music-hub.
- Vicksburg, Mississippi, photographer/artist H.C. Porter's RV and trailer were completely destroyed on the way to an arts festival after a generator caught on fire. Learn more, and consider helping out at https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-ashes-to-art-restore-hc-porters-journey
 - NEA cancels Federal grants supporting music and arts—including King Biscuit Blues Festival: https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2025/05/19/king-biscuit-blues-festivals-future-uncertain-after-federal-grants-paused and https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/may/25/arkansas-arts-organizations-seek-financial/ (Please note that the beloved King Biscuit Blues Fest thankfully decided to still hold the festival this year after receiving such a positive outpouring public support, just in a smaller format. Please support The Biscuit if you can via https://kingbiscuitfestival.com/.)
 - Clarksdale's amazing Griot Arts program suffers Federal funding cuts, https://mailchi.mp/3fc8da5f485a/letter-of-transparency-from-rebekah. Please consider supporting this worthy arts and education nonprofit at https://www.griotarts.org.
- CBS News reports from Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, on 138 National Moments threatened by current politics—including historic Civil Rights locations like Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monuments, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-monument-honoring-emmett-till-at-risk-of-removal-trump-dei-initiatives-budget-cuts/
 - Even as talks of cuts to Federal support of NPR circulate (https://www.npr.org/2025/06/03/nx-s1-5418080/pbs-npr-trump-rescission-public-broadcasting), NPR's Hear & Now visits blues legend Jimmy "Duck" Holmes and The Blue Front Café, https://share.google/pL97CMgf24JQj7Xbv
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival attendance was down 40,000 people from last year (i.e. 460,000 in 2025 instead of 500,000 in 2024), though some of that dip was surely due to no Rolling Stones this year, https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html
- A smaller version of Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland is still a big hit, https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/smaller-but-still-mighty-waterfront-blues-festival-brings-crowds-to-downtown-portland/ar-AA1I2Feo
 - The excellent TALKIN' CLARKSDALE: A Contemporary Blues Documentary that premiered at the Clarksdale Film & Music Festival back in January will screen at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 27, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, Mississippi. Directed by Tommy Slack, the sixty-minute film takes a look at contemporary blues music, exploring its influence on the voices of today’s musicians, venue owners, historians, and philanthropists dedicated to preserving its legacy. Following the screening, a panel discussion will take place with Slack, producer Demmette Guidry, and associate producer Adrian “Rev Slim” Forrest. https://2mm.mdah.ms.gov/events/sunday-screening-talkin-clarksdale-contemporary-blues-documentary
 - The 2025 Blues Festival Guide magazine is now online for free at https://bluesfestivalguide.com/emag/2025/ (It's a great resource for fans looking to travel and musicians looking to play.)
- The latest weekly Blues Festival Guide e-newsletter is available at https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1417669163
- The Blues Foundation's Blues Music Award submission process is now open for musicians/labels; go to https://blues.awardsplatform.com to submit.
- Clarksdale's The Big Pink building (adjacent to Hooker Grocer + Eatery) featured in Delta Magazine at https://deltamagazine.com/cool-digs/
- In Memphis, Orion Free Concert Series at Overton Shell Releases Fall Lineup, https://www.memphisflyer.com/orion-free-concert-series-releases-fall-lineup
 - New Robert Mugge film is making the film festival circuit, so keep an eye out for screenings! "DEEP ROOTS: The Art and Music of Bill Steber and Friends is the latest feature-length music film directed by Mugge, and produced by Mugge with his partner Diana Zelman. It is intended as a companion piece to Mugge’s 1991 film DEEP BLUES, which explored blues traditions of the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi Hill Country..."
Read about it in Memphis's Commercial Appeal at https://www.robertmugge.com/deep-roots/images/article.pdf
- Clarksdale, Mississippi's 1916 vintage boarding house on Catalpa Avenue is for sale: https://open.substack.com/pub/quapaw/p/lady-catalpa-house-for-sale. 10 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms is for sale. Original piney walls & floors, original fixtures & appliances, 5-panel doors, sunroom studios and galleries throughout.
 - New/recent CDs from Mississippi's Anthony "Big A" Sherrod (https://www.musicmaker.org/artist/anthony-big-a-sherrod/) and Terry "Harmonica" Bean (https://www.musicmaker.org/artist/terry-harmonica-bean/) on Music Maker label available from the musicians, the label or CAT HEAD at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds.
 - Great new LP/CD "Lookout Highway" by our Clarksdale neighbor CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE is tearing up the blues music charts and is available for immediate order at CAT HEAD as a CD at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds OR vinyl LP at https://www.cathead.biz/music-video)! As All Music Guide put it: "Look Out Highway, like Mississippi Son before it, reveals the artist as a hungry creator, pushing the blues harder into the 21st century while retaining its traditions and repurposing them in new ways. Quite literally, at 81, Musselwhite has never sounded stronger or better." 'Nuff said, y'all! Buy it from CAT HEAD or your local indie record store. But buy it.
- If I didn't mention it elsewhere in this CAT HEAD UPDATE newsletter, CONGRATULATIONS to our friend (and Red's juke joint owner) ORLANDO PADEN who became Clarksdale Mayor on July 1st! Here's a nice Live From Clarksdale post from Colleen Buyers that I pulled off Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1475526820448271&set=a.879320540068905
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MORE FESTIVALS ARE COMING to Clarksdale and vicinity! Make the pilgrimage... You deserve it.
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 Planes? Trains? Automobiles? If you have to ride bareback on a lazy pug, do it. Choose a festival (or two), book rooms, and unwind with your friends in the blues Delta. LODGING INFO: https://www.visitclarksdale.com/stay-all MUSIC CALENDAR: https://www.cathead.biz/music-calendar
2025 UPCOMING FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
- Fri-Sun, 8/8-10, 2025 - Cat Head 23rd Anniversary Weekend, www.cathead.biz.
- Sat, 8/30, 2025 - 7th Red's Old-Timers Blues Fest (MLK Park Stage) - www.redpaden.com.
- Sat., 9/27, 2025 - 2nd Jessie Mae Hemphill Hill Country Blues Festival at Crossroads Cultural Arts Center - Facebook.com
- Sat, 10/11, 2025 - Hopson Pumpkin Pickin' Festival (10am-4pm) w/music, kids' activities and more - hopsonhospitality.com
- Fri-Sat, 10/10-11, 2025 - near Clarksdale, MS, in HELENA, AR - King Biscuit Blues Festival, kingbiscuitfestival.com
- 10/12, 2025 - Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (Oct) for Clarksdale Super Blues Sunday w/Little Willie Farmer, Big T & more (9am-3pm) - www.cathead.biz.
- 10/12, 2025 - Clarksdale Super Blues Sunday: Including... Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (9am), Bluesberry Cafe Blues Breakfast & Backyard Blues Party (10am), Delta Blues Museum special hours (noon), Ground Zero Blues Club blues brunch (11am), Hopson Commissary/Shack Up Inn's Pinetop Perkins Celebration (3pm)... plus music at Levon's, Hooker Grocer, Red's Lounge, Bad Apple Blues Club and more!
- 10/17-18, 2025 - Special blues event TBA... stay tuned, y'all!
- 12/31, 2025 - Celebrate New Year's at the Crossroads - multiple shows around town!
PLUS, visit the DELTA'S MUSIC HISTORY MUSEUMS as well:
- Delta Blues Museum (Clarksdale) - https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/
- BB King Museum (Indianola) - https://bbkingmuseum.org/
- Highway 61 Blues Museum (Leland) - http://www.highway61blues.com/highway_61_blues_museum.htm
- Gateway to the Blues Museum (Tunica) - https://tunicatravel.com/blues/
- Grammy Museum Mississippi (Cleveland) - https://www.grammymuseumms.org/
- Delta Cultural Center (Helena, AR) - https://www.arkansasheritage.com/delta-cultural-center/about/history
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Legendary KING BISCUIT BLUES FESTIVAL rocks Helena, Arkansas, this OCTOBER! Book lodging now.
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One of the most famous and long-running blues festivals in the world returns to its roots for an amazing weekend like no other.
HELENA, AR – The one-and-only King Biscuit Blues Festival returns to its iconic stage in historic Helena, Arkansas, this October 10-11. And it promises to be a weekend to remember.
“IT’S THE BISCUIT, BABY!”
According to festival organizers: “It’s all about friends and family, culture and community. It’s about bringing the best in blues and roots music to the banks of the mighty Mississippi. Like we always say, ‘It’s the Biscuit, baby!’ It’s the real thing.”
 For this year’s 38th edition, the King Biscuit Blues Festival is focused on music fans making memories that will last a lifetime. It’s also focused on making this epic weekend incredibly affordable.
Blues fans on a budget will love this year’s “back to the roots” approach to ticketing: Just $20 a day or $35 for both glorious days on the big Biscuit main stage. Fans are encouraged to buy now at kingbiscuitfestival.com. Wristbands also available on-site. Details online.
From big touring acts to local Delta favorites, King Biscuit’s 2025 Main Stage lineup is sure to please.
FRIDAY, OCT. 10 – MAIN STAGE (wristband required):
• Heavy Suga & the SweeTones (Clarksdale blues trio)
• Sterling Billingsley (Helena blues band leader)
• The Wampus Cats (with Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms)
• Reba Russell Band (Memphis blues diva)
• Gregg Martinez (Lafayette’s “Mac Daddy”)
• Paul Thorn (blues/rock/country songwriting legend)
• Mr. Sipp (“The Mississippi Blues Child”)
SATURDAY, OCT. 11 – MAIN STAGE (wristband required):
• Eden Brent (Mississippi’s boogie piano queen)
• Ghost Town Blues Band (award-winning Memphis blues)
• Chris O’Leary (soulful Alligator recording artist)
• Anson Funderburgh (an absolute King Biscuit legend)
• 2 Blues for You (International Blues Challenge favorites)
• Dave Sadler (Arkansas-raised blues/jazz guitarist)
• John Nemeth (one of the great voices on the scene today)
• B.B. King Centennial Blues Band (The King of the Blues lives on!)
“BIT O’ BLUES STAGE” FEATURES THE FUTURE
Wake up early on Friday morning as King Biscuit’s Bit O’ Blues takes to the Main Stage (9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.) to highlight some of the young, up-and-comers who will take blues into the future: The Delta Blues Museum Band, The Spa City Youngbloods, Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport with Miles Hoyt, and the Pinetop Perkins Boogie Woogie Workshop Showcase. Wristband required.
 As always, everyone is invited to walk Helena’s historic Cherry Street during the festival weekend to people watch, check out tasty food vendors, shop for unique arts & crafts and listen to free street performances. Plus, a trip to King Biscuit isn’t complete without shopping the festival’s collectible T-shirts, posters and other souvenirs.
KING BISCUIT HISTORY… AND FUTURE
 As the home of KFFA’s King Biscuit Time—the longest-running radio show ever—Helena became legendary throughout the Delta and, ultimately, the world. First broadcast in 1941, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Robert Lockwood Jr. once played live in the studio. The King Biscuit Blues Festival was founded in 1986 and annually attracts attendees from over 40 states and 20 countries. The 501(c)(3) Sonny Boy Blues Society was established in 1987 to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the Delta Blues.
BONUS: PRE-FEST EVENTS START WEDNESDAY
 Starting Wednesday, Helena’s friends across the river in Clarksdale, Mississippi, are bookending this year's actual festival with Clarksdale's Pre-Biscuit Kickoff. Blues performances, discussions and more run all day on Wednesday and Thursday plus Friday morning till 11am at Hopson Hospitality and Shack Up Inn. This is in addition to Clarksdale's usual 365 nighttime music in the clubs and juke joints. Cover charges may apply.
PLUS, THERE'S CLARKSDALE SUPER BLUES SUNDAY Plus, after Helena's King Biscuit Blues Fest is over, Clarksdale's Super Blues Sunday returns on October 12th with the Cat Head Mini Blues Fest, Bluesberry Backyard Blues Party, Pinetop Perkins Homecoming, Ground Zero Blues Brunch, Red's Blues Jam and more from 9 a.m. to midnight. Info via visitclarksdale.com.
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Ryan Coogler's SINNERS blues/vampire mashup movie based in 1930s CLARKSDALE is a total blockbuster! Did you hear about the local screening?
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Has SINNERS been successful? Uh, yeah. So far SINNERS (which cost around $90 million to make) has earned at least $364.7 million at the box office worldwide (domestically $278.2 million, other territories $86.5 million) with more to come from online streaming (and Screen Rant just called the movie an "instant streaming hit"). Currently, SINNERS is rated 97% (critics) and 96% (fans) on Rotten Tomatoes. Read reviews at https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sinners_2025.
 And were the recent screenings in Clarksdale successful? Simply put, the recent 'Sinners' movie screenings at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium were amazing. Just to hear the audience roar at the start as "Clarksdale, Mississippi / October 16, 1932" appeared on screen in a building that was built just seven years later was worth the (free) price of admission. From the fabulous execution of the pop-theater and related events (intros, Q&A, panel discussions) to the film's representatives (director, producer, actor, musicians, Warner Bros execs) and—most importantly—stellar audience turnout, the three days were an unqualified success. There was incredible local support and attendance, but beyond that, it attracted fans from all over—many flying or driving in to see a movie they had already seen as many as a dozen times. They simply wanted to see it in our town, in the real Clarksdale. And they went on to eat, shop and enjoy all that modern Clarksdale has to offer while they were here.
 What makes the film "Clarksdale"? The film itself (note: I'm not a horror film guy) is totally worthwhile just for its granular detail when it comes to blues culture and Clarksdale history (even though it was technically filmed in Louisiana for tax-credit purposes). From representing the various cultural groups that coexisted here in the 1930s (African/Irish/Chinese/Italian-American, MS Band of Choctaw Indians, etc.) to specific audio-visual references to Charley Patton (blues legend who lived in Coahoma County in early '30s), Messenger's (local pool hall dating back to at least 1907 and still in operation) and Fourth Street (now MLK Drive, in the largely African American 'New World' district), there was much to appreciate. (By the way, the movie is set in 1932—the same year that Robert Johnson lived here in Clarksdale.) Personally, I loved the scene where the film's rural juke joint taps into an overhead electrical line since 90-year-old Honeyboy Edwards once told me a story about a juke joint runner north of here who did that very thing ("he put on some rubber gloves and rubber boots..."). Since the movie is a window back to a time when Clarksdale was considered "The Golden Buckle on the Cotton Belt," the film also acts as an indictment of sharecropping and the Jim-Crow era.
 What about the music and musicians? "Extras" in the film include Clarksdale's own James "Super Chikan" Johnson and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram. Other mostly Mississippi musicians involved with the film or soundtrack include Cedric Burnside, Bobby Rush, Sharde Thomas and Alvin "Youngblood" Hart. Oh, and then there's the incomparable blues treasure known as Buddy Guy, who even acts a bit. (Apparently, Buddy's grandchildren are big fans of director Coogler's BLACK PANTHER so told their grandfather he had to meet with the director.)
Why do I need to watch the credits at the end? Because if you don't, you won't see the actual ending to the movie. Keep watching till everything is done. I saw it on opening weekend over in Oxford, Mississippi, but didn't know to stay through the credits. (In all fairness, it's a 2 hour and 17 minute film. The men's room was calling.)
 Thanks to Tyler Yarbrough and everyone else involved with bringing the SINNERS movie and crew to Clarksdale. And hats off to Ryan Coogler and Warner Bros for turning such a powerful spotlight on our historic little town and including so many Mississippi musicians (like Clarksdale's own Super Chikan and Kingfish). 'Sinners' is a major blockbuster movie targeting a mainstream global audience, and at its core is Clarksdale. It is fitting that it screened here, even if we don't currently have a movie theater.
Media came from around the U.S. and the world to cover the Clarksdale screenings, including:
NEW YORK TIMES - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/us/politics/sinners-clarksdale-mississippi.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Mk8.8_Zg.gCTW6OjzoRmM&smid=url-share
BBC - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8nj2dm7keo
REUTERS - https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/cooglers-sinners-brings-cinematic-spotlight-clarksdale-mississippi-2025-05-30/
ASSOCIATED PRESS - https://apnews.com/article/sinners-movie-mississippi-ryan-coogler-screening-aac42c8ff30f4af9381eb6d91921a436
THE GUARDIAN - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/30/sinners-ryan-coogler-mississippi
PRESS REGISTER (Clarksdale) - https://www.pressregister.com/community-provides-reactions-sinners
OXFORD AMERICAN - https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/sinners-comes-home-to-clarksdale
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Morgan Freeman's SYMPHONIC BLUES EXPERIENCE in Delta Magazine... may be heading your way!
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CLARKSDALE is a magnet for MEDIA ATTENTION — from Atlanta to London and beyond! Check it out...
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Clarksdale's 26-year-old blues phenom Christone "KINGFISH" Ingram releases NEW ALBUM SEPT 26!
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 Following up on his hugely-popular Kingfish, 662 and Live in London albums, Christone prepares to release Hard Road. Yes, you can PRE-ORDER from CAT HEAD store today as a CD at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds OR vinyl LP at https://www.cathead.biz/music-video. We think the world of Christone, miss seeing his Mom (Princess Pride) at the gigs, and still remember Kingfish playing out front of CAT HEAD for a group of German students who couldn't believe what they were hearing out of the then very young man.
OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: Hard Road is Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s most  personal and powerful album yet. Blending blues with rock and R&B, it marks a bold shift in sound and storytelling. Produced by Tom Hambridge, Patrick “Guitarboy” Hayes, and Nick Goldston, the record explores love, loss, identity, and growth. Released on Kingfish’s own Red Zero Records, Hard Road reflects his mission to honor blues tradition while shaping its future.
Read more about it, and HEAR THE FIRST SINGLE, "VOODOO CHARM" via...
- ROCK & BLUES MUSE - https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2025/06/25/christone-kingfish-ingram-announces-hard-road-new-album/
- V13 - https://v13.net/2025/06/christone-kingfish-ingram-announces-hard-road-with-single-voodoo-charm/
Here's the track listing for the forthcoming release:
01. Truth
02. Bad Like Me
03. S.S.S.
04. Nothin’ But Your Love
05. Crosses
06. Voodoo Charm
07. Back to LA
08. Clearly
09. Standing on Business
10. Hard to Love
11. Memphis
 OFFICIAL "KINGFISH" BIO: Ingram’s journey began in the city of Clarksdale, in Coahoma County, Mississippi, just 10 miles from the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. Born to a family of singers and musicians, he fell in love with music as a child, initially playing drums and then bass. At a young age, he got his first guitar and quickly soaked up music from Robert Johnson to Lightnin’ Hopkins, from B.B. King to Muddy Waters, from Jimi Hendrix to Prince. Through classes at the Delta Blues Museum, he learned the history of the blues and the basics of how to play them. Under the tutelage of Richard “Daddy Rich” Crisman and the late Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, he not only developed his own playing sound and style, but also earned his “Kingfish” moniker, courtesy of Mr. Perry. From the classrooms of the Delta Blues Museum, Kingfish progressed quickly as a musician, playing Clarksdale’s famous Ground Zero Blues Club and Red’s Lounge stages before beginning to travel the U.S., and abroad, all while still in high school. The young guitarist performed at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama as part of a delegation of student musicians from the Delta Blues Museum. By age 16, he was turning heads and winning awards, including the 2015 Rising Star Award, presented by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
 Ingram’s appeal beyond blues was immediate. Even before he cut his debut album and while still a teenager, he garnered millions of views of his YouTube live videos. He performed two songs in Season Two of the Netflix show Luke Cage, after the series’ lead producer saw one of his videos. The success of Luke Cage led Ingram to perform on an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert with rap legend Rakim. In 2020, Ingram was invited back to headline his own Tiny Desk Concert.
Sparked by his non-stop touring, writing and recording schedule, Kingfish’s natural talent just keeps growing. With his jaw-dropping guitar playing and  his reach-out-and-grab-you-by-the-collar vocals, he performs every song with unmatched passion and precision. With both Kingfish and 662, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram delivered contemporary blues music that spoke to his generation and beyond, bringing to bear the full healing and hopeful power of the blues. Now, Live In London captures Kingfish’s lightning in a bottle. It’s an onstage snapshot of the young singer, songwriter and guitarist creating musical magic in real time, leaving his listeners spellbound and always wanting more. MORE INFO AT https://www.christonekingfishingram.com/biography/
PS - I've always loved this nighttime pic below of Christone outside the old Club 2000 (now Bad Apple Blues Club) on Issaquena. It was shot by our buddy Lou Bopp after filming Lucious Spiller with Kingfish on bass and Hollywood on drums at the New Roxy for our https://moonshineandmojohands.com/episode-05.html episode.
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The greatest blues legend alive—BUDDY GUY—set to release NEW ALBUM on July 20th, his 89th birthday!
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Fresh off his acting/music appearance in the SINNERS blockbuster movie, Buddy Guy prepares to release a new album later this month. And you can PRE-ORDER today from CAT HEAD store as a CD at https://www.cathead.biz/cds-dvds OR vinyl LP at https://www.cathead.biz/music-video).
 This is a guy (Guy) who's been recording since the late 1950s, y'all. He has played all over the universe with everyone from Clapton to Kingfish. He's recorded with everyone from John Lee Hooker to B.B. King. He's influenced everyone from Jimi Hendrix to, well... everyone! He's run or owned various Chicago blues clubs (including two interations of his own Buddy Guy's Legends). He's won Grammys, Blues Music Awards and more. He's played the White House, and he has a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker just over the border in Lettsworth, LA. He was one of the first real-deal bluesmen I personally got to see play 'live' back in the 1980s. And it made me a fan for life. He has really and truly paid his dues, and we're all better for it. Anyway,.. he has a new album coming out and continues to tour the U.S. His official website is: www.buddyguy.net
More on the new album via ROCK AND BLUES MUSE: A multi-Grammy  Award-winning blues icon, Buddy Guy is widely regarded as an architect of the Blues—a pivotal artist whose innovative guitar work and raw vocal style helped shape the sound of modern R&B. He is here to tell the masses that he ‘Ain’t Done With The Blues’ via the announcement of his brand new album set to release via Silvertone/RCA Records on July 30, his 89th birthday. “This album is about where I’ve been, it’s about where I’m going, and the people I learned everything from,” shares Buddy on the LP. “…Muddy, Wolf, Walter, Sonny Boy, BB, I could go on and on. Before they passed, they used to say, “Man, if you outlive me, just keep the Blues alive,” and I’m trying to keep that promise.” He continues, “Now, I can’t kick my leg up high as I used to, or jump off the stage like I did in my 20’s and 30’s, but I’m going to give you everything I got as long as I got it.” READ MORE AT
https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2025/06/20/buddy-guy-announces-new-album-aint-done-with-the-blues/
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Goodbye to our blues friends who passed recently JOE "ICEMAN" WILLIAMS and BILLY EARHEART...
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Clarksdale and blues fans around the world lost a sweet friend and musician recently— JOE WILLIE "ICEMAN" WILLIAMS. I learned of the sad news from his brother, bluesman Terry "Big T" William. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Williams family. I first met Joe in the '90s when he was playing with Wesley Jefferson's band at Red's (when Red's stage was just inside the door, and you had to basically walk through the band to enter/exit). Iceman was absolutely one of a kind. According to his daughter on GoFundMe: "Our father, Joe IceMan Williams, was a pillar to his children and the community. His infectious laugh and big smile always brought joy to us and the world. The fact that his music reaches places such as Canada and Australia lets us know he was loved by more than his children." Bluesberry Cafe and Big T's School of Blues both held musical tributes. More on GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/rfyvq-support-a-family-in-their-time-of-loss. (Photo from FB, courtesy of Lucy Kate Piper.)
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Lifelong musician (and genuinely lovely person) BILLY EARHEART passed away recently in Memphis. He played in Clarksdale at places like Ground Zero Blues Club, Red's Lounge and Juke Joint Festival many times with his friend Mark "Mule Man" Massey and others. Here is a special tribute by John Beifuss for the Memphis Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/05/16/billy-earheart-obit-amazing-rhythm-aces-memphis-music/83670888007/
Billy Earheart at JJF in Clarksdale (2016) by Matt Mathews.
PLUS... At this year's Juke Joint Festival we bid farewell to these blues friends who passed in the past year: "Big Charles" Holmes (Red's Lounge), John Henshall (supporter), Ed Peacock (supporter), Pete Johnson (supporter), Pal Foster (supporter), Pat Thomas (musician), Chad Robinson (supporter) and others. RIP.
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Hear Mr. Cat Head talk and spin real-deal blues on CROSSROADS DELTA BLUES HOUR on KSDS radio!
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Tune into the one-and-only CROSSROADS DELTA BLUES HOUR radio show with yours truly, Roger Stolle, for a weekly trip down the Mississippi blues trail... and beyond... with information on Clarksdale, upcoming festivals and more. This weekend? I preview a few upcoming blues festivals.
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And Juke Joint Festival's 2025 RED PADEN AWARD and MISS SARAH AWARD go to..............
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Every year, Juke Joint Festival honors two individuals who have made "notable contributions towards blues music, Mississippi tourism & the city of Clarksdale." This year's worthy recipients:
 RED PADEN AWARD ("deceased"): John Henshall—an Austrailan economist who wrote a textbook about Clarksdale revitalization efforts based on music tourism; he also brought over 300 fellow Aussies to town over 20+ years plus brought Clarksdalians to Melbourne. His award was received by his daughter Rita and son Eric (shown).
 MISS SARAH AWARD ("living"): Stan Street—a musician, artist and character; owner of Hambone Gallery; founder of Hambone Festival; Stan (shown) moved from South Florida to Clarksdale early in our town's revitalization process and has been instrumental in downtown's ongoing comeback.
Thank you to John and Stan (as well as our award namesakes). Our town would not be the same without your laughs, love and continued support.
PHOTOS: Classic pics of our friends Big Red Paden and Miss Sarah Moore.
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That's it for the latest issue of the CAT HEAD UPDATE e-newsletter, y'all! Hope to see y'all soon.....
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In the meantime, please get out there and support your local small businesses... get out there and see some 'live' music... and as always... TIP TIP TIP THE BAND!!
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