Deak Harp leaned back in his chair, smiling as he fondly recalled his first trip to Clarksdale.
“It was 1991, thirty years ago, and I was on tour with the James Cotton band. He [Cotton] said let’s head down to Clarksdale. I said that was cool because I had always heard about Clarksdale and how the blues began there. That day changed my life.”
While Deak had not yet visited Clarksdale, the legendary James Cotton was a native of the Mississippi Delta, having grown up in Tunica County.
Cotton made his way from Tunica to Chicago, becoming one of history’s greatest harmonica players. He routinely performed with legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. His first recordings in the early 1950s were produced by Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis.
At the time of his first Clarksdale trip, Deak was the tour manager for Cotton, who brought his young assistant and others to Clarksdale to see the place that had launched the blues and rock-n-roll.
Despite having spent his life in New Jersey and Chicago, Deak was quickly enamored with the small town and the unique culture of the Mississippi Delta.
He ultimately returned, each year, for the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena and Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival. Like so many others, he had visited Clarksdale and couldn’t quit coming back.
“Like they say, you come to Clarksdale the first time for the music and you keep coming back for the people,” he explained.
As he traveled down memory lane with the Press Register, Deak reflected on the changing times for the world and his business.
It was a Monday afternoon, just a week after the festival season had ended in his longtime hometown.
Deak pointed out photos of customers, some famous and some personally memorable. In one, he smiles broadly with his mentor, James Cotton, in one photo. In another, he stood with Ozzy Osbourne, the entertainer who had come with his son to film an episode of their television show with Deak.
“The last two years have been devastating with the pandemic, but the reputation of Clarksdale has kept our businesses alive,” he added. “People from all over the world from our businesses, because we’re Clarksdale. We have always had so many tourists from Europe and across America. And just like me, they come for the music and keep coming back for the people.”
One of the most surprising fans came from Dublin, Ireland. After introducing himself, the man said that someone in Dublin had told him that if you go to Clarksdale, you have to see Deak.
When Deak asked who had said that, the answer was the legendary Van Morrison.
“When you play in Clarksdale, people just know who you are.”
