Wed., Jan. 09, 2019 ''That's Skippy.''    -- Jack Owens
photo by Dick Waterman

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    Bentonia Blues Links

    photo of Skip James reenactment from Ken Burns Documentary on The Blues, portions of which were filmed at the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Mississippi

  • Blue Front Café (contact Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, 662-755-2278 or 662-755-2160) - Historic juke in downtown Bentonia, Mississippi, where Henry Stuckey, Skip James, Jack Owens, Bud Spires, Duck Holmes and many others honed (and continue to hone) the world famous Bentonia Style of Country Blues. The Blue Front is the Bentonia Blues and vice versa—anyone who’s seen the famous Levi’s commercial featuring Jack Owens performing on the front porch of the Blue Front understands...
  • Broke & Hungry Records brokeandhungryrecords.com (brokeandhungryrecords.com) - “Broke & Hungry Records is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri...the label’s initial focus is on capturing the rough, country blues sounds that have emanated from the Mississippi Delta for nearly a hundred years...the label cut its first CD, Back to Bentonia by “Jimmy Duck” Holmes. That CD was released worldwide on April 18, 2006.”
  • Blues Festival Guide bluesfestivalguide.com (bluesfestivalguide.com) - “The Blues Festival Guide, entering its 5th year of publication, is an annual magazine...a website directory of all things BLUES, especially festivals, and a free blues E-guide for on-line subscribers.”
  • Jack Owens  picture of Jack Owens (Born: November 17(?), 1904 in Bentonia, MS; Died: February 9, 1997 at Kings Daughter Hospital in Yazoo City, MS) - Biography of Bentonia Blues legend Jack Owens on WikipediA. Here’s a tribute, Remembering Jack Owens, by Rob Hutten. Jack’s last public performance was at the 1996 Bentonia Blues Festival™. Google “Jack Owens,” and you’ll find much more about him, as well as Jack’s frequent collaborator, harp player Bud Spires Bentonia Blues harmonica (''harp'') player, Bud Spires, who often accompanied his good friend Jack Owens Bud blowing harp inside the Blue Front Café during the 2008 Bentonia Blues Festival(tm) (Died: March 21, 2014).
  • Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James (Born: June 21, 1902 in Bentonia, MS; Died: October 3, 1969 in Philadelphia, PA) - Biography of Bentonia Blues legend Skip James (...or as Jack Owens called him, “Skippy”) on WikipediA.
  • Henry Stuckey (Born: April 11, 1897 in Bentonia, MS; Died: March 9, 1966 in Jackson, MS) - Originator of the Bentonia style of Blues. This is a translation of a French webpage which does a good job of explaining how Stuckey, an 18 year old WWI army nurse serving at a hospital in the French countryside, was influenced by two wounded French soldiers who played a very unusual guitar style that inspired him to develop his unique, haunting Bentonia Blues style. Both Hard Time Killing Floor and Devil Got My Woman (both composed by Stuckey but attributed to Skip James) were adaptations of tunes Stuckey heard those two wounded soldiers play.
  • Arnold Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore (Born: November 8, 1913 in Topeka, KS; Died: May 19, 2004 in Yazoo City, MS) - Scroll down to article titled Yazoo blues legend Gatemouth Moore, 90, dies Wednesday to read Vernon Sikes’ tribute to Yazoo Blues legend Gatemouth Moore.
  • Rocky Lawrence (rockylawrence.com) - “A student of Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin and Johnny ‘Clyde’ Copeland, Lawrence was no stranger to the blues scene. At the time of his musical rebirth, his band The Rocky Lawrence Project, was one of the top Blues bands in the Northeast... The Delta is calling.... Come to the crossroads.... Rocky Lawrence heard that call when he put down his electric guitar, picked up his acoustic and started the odyssey into the songs, music and life of the founding father of Rock & Roll, Mr. Robert Johnson.”
  • Legend Acres (legendacres.com) - Right across the road from Woodbine Plantation , where both Skip James and Jack Owens were born and raised. Thirty-six acre mobile home development with only six lots (Each lot is one± acre in size.). Also, short- or long-term RV hookup rentals—the perfect place to stay during the next Bentonia Blues Festival™.
  • Blue Front Blues Room (bluefrontbluesroom.org) - “Keeping good music live.” The Blue Front Blues Room has been bringing internationally-known acoustic (mainly blues) artists to the Forest of Dean [i.e., a place across the Pond in England...] and providing a venue for up-and-coming and local artists since March 2002. The name, “Blue Front Blues Room”, was inspired by a trip to Mississippi by members of the European Blues Association that included a visit to the Real Deal!” in Bentonia, Mississippi. Duck gratiously granted the association permission to use the Blue Front Café’s name in their venue. A delightful recount of the visit appears here.
  • Living Blues Magazine (livingblues.com) - America's oldest and most authoritative blues magazine, renowned for its detailed feature stories and exceptional photography.
  • Blues Matters! (bluesmatters.com) - The music magazine and record label where the blues still matters!. Daily news, reviews, online community, store, and more.
  • Yazoo County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (yazoo.org) - “Yazoo...down every side road lie unexpected treasures.”
  • Yazoo Herald (facebook.com/yazooherald) - Yazoo County, Mississippi’s weekly newspaper. (Basically, everything Yazoo...)
  • Dick Waterman Photography (dickwaterman.com) - [following excerpted from dickwaterman.com/bio.php] “Agent, manager, producer, promoter, Dick Waterman is the only person inducted in The Blues Hall of Fame who was not either a performing artist or a record company executive. He established himself in the Blues community as a diligent advocate for the artists and the art of Blues. Waterman is primarily known today as an archivist and photographer of Blues, Country, Rock and Jazz legends from Mississippi John Hurt to Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. His commitment to documenting the Blues artists he worked with and came into contact with throughout the years is legendary....”
  • Bogfire: Photography &  Graphic Design Services (bogfire.com) - [following excepted from bogfire.com] “Bogfire is dedicated to creativity as expressed in culture, history, music, literature and visual art. It represents the creative endeavors and special projects of co-founders Connie Scanlon and James Fraher....”



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    Revised: Wed., Jan. 09, 2019, 04:42:29 AM