The
Delta Blues Museum in
ClarksdaleClarksdale 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
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in 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 ShamanFloyd Shaman was a prominent twentieth century American sculptor.Born in Wyoming, Shaman studied sculpture as an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming where he trained under Robert Russin, one of Wyoming's most well-known artists...
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 PlacesThe 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 ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream, and as a solo performer, being the only person ever to be inducted three times...
and
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
.
The
Delta Blues Museum in
ClarksdaleClarksdale 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
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in 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 ShamanFloyd Shaman was a prominent twentieth century American sculptor.Born in Wyoming, Shaman studied sculpture as an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming where he trained under Robert Russin, one of Wyoming's most well-known artists...
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 PlacesThe 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 ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream, and as a solo performer, being the only person ever to be inducted three times...
and
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
. The Texas-based rock band
ZZ TopZZ Top is an American rock trio, formed in late 1969 in Houston, Texas, by Billy Gibbons , Dusty Hill , and Frank Beard...
, especially front man
Billy GibbonsBilly F Gibbons , nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is a musician, actor, hot rod and car customizer and perhaps best known as the lead guitarist for ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs...
, have made this museum their pet project and have raised thousands of dollars in support. The
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
also focuses on educating young people interested in learning to play musical instruments.
There is a 2003 30-minute documentary of the same name.
Railroad Building
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis 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 RailroadThe 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 RailroadThe Central Illinois Railroad is a shortline railroad in Illinois. This switching and terminal railroad operates about 20 miles of trackage in Chicago, Illinois...
.
See also
- Mississippi Blues Trail
The 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...
- Yazoo & Mississippi Depot
The 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 serves as the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum....
in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital city and the second largest city of Louisiana It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish which contains 428,000 residents. The Greater Baton Rouge population is approximately 774,327...
- 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 Zero
Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, local 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...
External links