Friday morning was cold and sunny, accompanied with a throbbing that can only be extinguished with coffee and breakfast. The only thing we had time for was biscuits and gravy on Beale on our way to the Gibson plant. At least we didn't think we had time until we showed up at the door to be told the first tour wasn't for an hour. This my friends was the wake up call to change our watches to C.S.T. from Eastern. Well, not exactly, but we got better at factoring it in.

The Gibson Guitar Plant was worth the wait, believe me. If you play the instrument or just enjoy the music that flows from it, you will enjoy this tour. It isn't a very long tour, but is filled with facts and the visual impact of seeing so many guitars in one room is mind boggling. Never mind the fact the store in front allows you to touch anything on display, and is generous with amps and cables to plug in. (our guide was kind of cute too)

After the Gibson tour, hop right across the street to the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum. Another quick tour(unguided), full of info, too much to take in quickly. On to Sun Records.http://www.sunstudio.com/index.html This is a guided tour that really covers only 3 rooms, but prepare yourself for some serious soaking of the vibe when you go here. I can feel places like this. Its almost as if everyone who has recorded there has left a bit of their spirit behind, almost like Vicksburg at the battlefield. You just could never be alone in that studio. There would always be someone with you, looking over your shoulder, pushing you along. The cool thing is, it is still a working studio that rents for $75 an hour. Don't know how big a block of hours you have to buy to get that rate, but that's what we were told.

We left Memphis with the help of our little GPS buddy. What a great gadget, and man did it help out during the trip. Our first stop was Helena Arkansas. A nice little trip across the Mississippi River gets you to downtown Helena, where the Helena Blues Festival goes on every year. There is a museum there, but unless you are a serious history buff and you have time, search on. The original King Biscuit Hour was broadcast from here, but the warehouse where it originated is now an empty lot. There is an extremely cool mural there covering a wall by the levee, and some buildings have small ones as well.

We were running a bit behind in our projected schedule, so we pressed on to Clarksdale, arriving around 5PM. Clarksdale is a fair sized town, about 10,000 people, but you will find the soul of Mississippi here. Within 4 or 5 blocks from our room, we saw so much talent Friday night. First our rooms were great. We stayed at Ground Zero http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com/in very comfortable rooms, which only left me to complain I wanted to be there more than one night. The rooms are located upstairs to the club. This place is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, but this is serious Mississippi juke joint feel. Contrary to most jukes however, this room has a generous stage. The band of Bill "Howling Mad" Perry, bluesed up the evening with some great originals and classic blues. We walked from there to the Delta Amusement Cafe, caught a local duo, and then went to Blues Berries, a bakery downtown to see Lala, Stan, and Stan's wife kick out some very "tasty" blues. Stan http://www.stanstreet.com/owns Hambones, an art gallery downtown, blows a very mean blues harp, and is a fabulous artist. His scenes are very expressive and would look good on your wall too! The absolute time-stopper was Red's. This place looks closed, looks scary, and is just too good to pass up. Mississippi Adam Riddle was there with his band, and they just tore up the room, and that is saying something. Let's put it this way, when you walk in Red's, after the sight of the couches mixed in with the tables, the tarp hanging from the ceiling, and the fact you have to rouse Red from the TV to get a beer, you know what it means when someone says juke joint. But who gives a crap about that, we were there for music, and a good time and let me tell you this is the place to get it. We met a fellow who said his name was Robert Jackson, and after watching Robert operate with the local ladies for about an hour, I think his name was really Robert Johnson. He kind of favored RJ, and if he could play guitar as smooth as he played the women, well......

Next its Sat and we are only hours away from the crossroads...

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcvitte check this site out I have 24 pictures posted now, more to follow if everyone can get there ok.