Clarksdale’s oldest Blues festival wows the crowds
The weather was hot, but the music, food and fun were hotter.
The 2019 Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival saw good crowd attend Clarksdale’s oldest Blues festival which was being held for the 32nd year.
The festival was hit with a fierce thunderstorm Friday that sent vendors and early attendees scurrying for cover, but after the rain passed, the cool weather and cool music brought the crowds back out.
Clarksdale’s very own James “Super Chikan” Johnson headlined Friday’s lineup on the Main Stage and native son Anthony “Big A” Sherrod was the final act Saturday. The weekend closed out with Gospel music on Sunday at The City Auditorium.
“I was pleased with the crowd and felt they were larger than years past,” said Festival Chairman Melvita Tillis Presley. “We had people in town all weekend and our Friday and Saturday night events were well attended.
“About the only problem we had was the weather Friday, but we can’t really do anything about that,” Presley added. “I do think people were ready to see and hear the music and didn’t let the rain or the heat keep them away. All in all things went very smooth.”
The fun started Thursday night with “Grits, Greens and Barbecue” supper on the lawn at the Blues Museum. The air-cooled VIP Tent adjacent to its main stage offered amenities for patrons who donated to the festival, including seating at linen-covered tables, unlimited beverages for sponsors and patrons.
But the music at Sunflower was free.
Presley said this year’s festival was dedicated to the late Anthony Saffold, a member of the Delta Blues Museum staff and a tireless supporter of the Sunflower Festival.
The Saffold family was honored on the festival main stage Saturday night, which was also Anthony’s birthday.
Longtime festival committee member John Sherman said the out-of-town crowd was great and he wished more Clarksdale residents would come back to the event.
“It used to be a big social event and everybody came out to enjoy the evening and music,” said Sherman, who manned the gate at the VIP Tent. “We had people from France, Italy, Japan and Australia.
“The music was good and things went as planned,” Sherman added. “If you wanted to hear Blues music this weekend, Clarksdale was the place to be.”
But the fun was not all downtown as the Blues was played in more than a half-dozen restaurants and venues in Clarkdale on Saturday.
Musicians playing at those indoor spots included Jimmy “Duck” Holmes with his Bentonia-style blues, Pat Thomas and Bill Abel with Delta blues, Kenny Brown, Shardee Turner and Lightnin’ Malcolm with Hill Country blues and the rocking hot styles of Otis “TCB” Taylor and Terry “Big T” Williams.
Acoustic stage sites included Ground Zero Blues Club, Levon’s Bar and Grill, Crossroads Cultural Arts Center, Hattie’s Jeans, Hambone Gallery, Red’s, Blues Berry Café and Messenger’s.
Another birthday being celebrated this month is that of Blues legend John Lee Hooker, with special exhibits and programs slated for the Delta Blues Museum throughout August.
The weekend wound up on Sunday with a modest crowd also in attendance at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium to listen to Gospel music.
Before his headlining performance at Sunday's event, Minister Ricky Burton, was surprised to be honored with the festival's prestigious Julius Guy/Melville Tillis Gospel Heritage Award for his contributions to gospel music by Sunflower official Maie Smith and Johnny Kinnard, festival gospel chair.
Both Presley and Sherman thanked sponsors and a dedicated group of volunteers for making the 2019 Sunflower Festival happen.
They said plans for next year’s festival will begin in the next few weeks.
For more details visit www.sunflowerfest.org
The Sunflower River Blues Association is a non-profit, 501 c 3 organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible.
The festival is staged entirely by volunteers and contributions underwrite the performance fees of musicians and production costs.
Checks may be mailed to Sunflower River Blues Festival, P.O. Box 1562, Clarksdale, Miss. 38614.
