Delta Blues Museum
Encyclopedia
The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale
exists to collect, preserve, and provide public access to and awareness of the blues
. Along with holdings of significant blues-related memorabilia, the museum also exhibits and collects art portraying the blues tradition, including works by sculptor Floyd Shaman
and photographer Birney Imes.
The museum is located in the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Passenger Depot, also known as Illinois Central Passenger Depot or Clarksdale Passenger Depot, which was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1995.
The museum has been visited by many notable artists such as Eric Clapton
and Paul Simon
. The Texas-based rock band ZZ Top
, especially front man Billy Gibbons
, have made this museum their pet project and have raised thousands of dollars in support. The museum
also focuses on educating young people interested in learning to play musical instruments.
The museum houses many interesting artifacts related to the blues. Most notably, the museum contains the actual shack where blues legend Muddy Waters lived in his youth on Stovall Plantation, located near Clarksdale. Muddy Waters' shack was transported from Stovall Plantation to the museum and rebuilt inside.
There is a 2003 30-minute documentary of the same name.
in 1995. The museum then moved into the former railroad depot in 1999. The circa 1918 brick building served as the passenger rail depot of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad
and later the freight depot of Central Illinois Railroad
.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
exists to collect, preserve, and provide public access to and awareness of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. Along with holdings of significant blues-related memorabilia, the museum also exhibits and collects art portraying the blues tradition, including works by sculptor Floyd Shaman
Floyd Shaman
Floyd Shaman was a prominent twentieth century American sculptor.-Life:Born in Wyoming, Shaman lived in several parts of the state in his early years and briefly in Seattle, Washington where his parents worked in the aircraft industry as part of the war effort. He graduated high school from...
and photographer Birney Imes.
The museum is located in the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Passenger Depot, also known as Illinois Central Passenger Depot or Clarksdale Passenger Depot, which was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1995.
The museum has been visited by many notable artists such as Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. The Texas-based rock band ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, especially front man Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
, have made this museum their pet project and have raised thousands of dollars in support. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
also focuses on educating young people interested in learning to play musical instruments.
The museum houses many interesting artifacts related to the blues. Most notably, the museum contains the actual shack where blues legend Muddy Waters lived in his youth on Stovall Plantation, located near Clarksdale. Muddy Waters' shack was transported from Stovall Plantation to the museum and rebuilt inside.
There is a 2003 30-minute documentary of the same name.
Railroad Building
The building was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places listings in Coahoma County, Mississippi
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Coahoma County, Mississippi.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States...
in 1995. The museum then moved into the former railroad depot in 1999. The circa 1918 brick building served as the passenger rail depot of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad
Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad
The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad was incorporated in 1882 and was part of the Illinois Central Railroad system . Construction began in Jackson, Mississippi, and continued to Yazoo City, Mississippi. The line was later expanded through the Mississippi Delta and on to Memphis, Tennessee...
and later the freight depot of Central Illinois Railroad
Central Illinois Railroad
The Central Illinois Railroad is a shortline railroad in Illinois. The switching and terminal railroad operates trackage near Peoria, Illinois...
.
See also
- Mississippi Blues TrailMississippi Blues TrailThe Mississippi Blues Trail, created by the Mississippi Blues Commission, is a project to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the growth of the blues throughout the state of Mississippi. The trail extends from the border of Louisiana in southern Mississippi...
- Yazoo & Mississippi DepotYazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company DepotThe Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company Depot is located at 100 South River Road. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was also known as the Illinois Central Railroad Station. The building currently houses the Louisiana Art and Science Museum....
in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South... - KFFA (AM)KFFA (AM)KFFA is an American radio station licensed by the FCC to serve the community of Helena, Arkansas. The station is owned by Delta Broadcasting, which is owned by Jamie and Nancy Howe, and Otis Howe, all of whom live in Helena.-Historical role:...
- Ground ZeroGround Zero (blues club)Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, attorney Bill Luckett, and Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall. It got its name from the fact that Clarksdale has been historically referred to as "Ground Zero" for the blues. It opened in May...