Clarksdale began to rumble with energy as all of the bands plugged in their guitar amps at 9am last Saturday, the start of Juke Joint Festival. Every year Music Maker travels down to Mississippi for the Juke Joint to play for blues enthusiasts from all over the world. This year, Albert White, Sam Frazier Jr., Harvey Arnold, and Ardie Dean brought down the house.

The second that Albert plucked his first note there was already a crowd around our tent. For the duration of the set, a full eight hours, the crowd never dissipated. We had the sidewalk fully blocked. Folks were dancing, cheering, and coming back to our tent over and over again throughout the day.

The Music Maker artists were the most seasoned group at the festival, but they were still kicking it long after the younger artists were wilting, totally exhausted. In fact, when their set ended at 5pm, they still wanted to play two more songs before packing up and recuperating over some barbecue.

After a well deserved and much needed plate of ribs, we all retired to the hotel to get some rest before the long journey home the next day. Within a half hour, however, we had all congregated in a hotel room to play some more music together. Once you’re on a roll, why stop? So we played and sang until we could play and sing no more, a perfect end to a very successful Juke Joint Festival!

— Abigail Nover