Who's still playing real-deal Delta blues?
Click HERE for a blues movie that capture 'em at home, in cotton fields and playin' juke joints... "M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues"...

Guide to Today's Delta Blues Musicians
These acts are listed by town they are most associated with. Where it is an individual, they lead a band or play alone. All actively play clubs and jukes in the region and are available for booking. Some will play out of state or tour occasionally. (At the bottom is also a couple lists of past Clarksdalians you may know...)

CAT HEAD'S FAVORITE EX-DELTA BLUESMAN

Big George Brock - 73-yr-old Delta-born bluesman records for Cat Head Presents and often plays the area; born in Grenada, grew up in Clarksdale/Mattson area and currently resides in North St. Louis.

CLARKSDALE, MS

"Mr. Johnny" Billington - older musician and teacher (lives in Lambert, MS)

Blues Prodigy and Minor Blues - "sometimes" bands of kids who learned from the old school

O.B. Buchana - young hot shot soul-blues singer with a couple CDs

Mr. Tater "The Music Maker" - Clarksdale's near legendary street musician w/4+ CDs to his name; plays at Cat Head every Monday at 3pm

Sam Carr - legendary drummer has recorded with everyone from Sonny Boy II to Buddy Guy; lives in nearby Powell, MS near Lula

Razorblade Blues Band and/or The Deep Cuts - juke blues/r&b bands with related history/membership

Delta Blues Museum Students - Arts & Education Students

Marshall Drew Blues Band - rockin' blues band of local 20-something talents

Jacqueline Nassar - young rock guitarist who learned from bluesmen

Wesley Jefferson Band - former house band at Red's Lounge; Mr. Wesley passed away in 2009; good CD

"Big Jack" Johnson - internationally known guitarist/singer; many CDs

James "Super Chikan" Johnson - town's best songwriter; 3 strong CDs

James "Jimbo" Mathus - ex-Squirrel Nut Zipper plays and records with Buddy Guy; once ran Delta Recording Studio here in C'dale; check out www.jamesmathus.com; several CDs

Steve "Lightnin'" Malcolm - when he's not backing up Jimbo Mathus, CeDell Davis, T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour or the Burnside boys... he's playing as a one-man band; recent hits on XM Radio

Pure Blues Express - Vanessia Young, local band leader... she attends college by day

Ernest "Guitar" Roy - (From Clarksdale ... in Ohio now); check out www.soundclick.com/earnestguitarroy.htm

John Ruskey - canoe adventurer, painter AND musician

Stan Street & the Hambone Blues Band - C'dale transplants; Stan is a painter and harp player

Terry "Big T" Williams - great guitarist; learned from Mr. Johnnie, played with Big Jack; CD

TUTWILER, MS:

Ponderosa Blues Allstars - band comprised of Tutwiler/Clarksdale natives; blues and soul

TUNICA, MS:

Eddie Lee Coleman - juke joint guitarist/band leader

GREENVILLE, MS:

James "T-Model" Ford - 80-something opener for Buddy Guy, B.B. King, etc.; 4 jamming CDs

John Horton & Mississippi Slim - band mixes blues-rock with soul-blues

Mickey Rodgers & Barbara Looney - Rodgers played with Bobby Rush and Willie Foster

Lil Dave Thompson - Delta blues rocker; CDs

Lil Bill Wallace - Older blues guitarist/singer; suffered stroke but still plays occasionally

LELAND, MS:

Eddie Cusic - 70-something acoustic guitar legend; nice CD

Pat Thomas - music making son of James "Son" Thomas; also folk artist

Jay Kirgis - young historical blues and roots player and teacher; CD

INDIANOLA, MS:

David Durham & the True Blues Band - BB style blues from BB's hometown

CLEVELAND, MS:

Cadillac John & Bill Abel - 75-yr.-old harp player with his tough slide guitarist; CD

Delta State U. Blues/Jazz Band - includes in-demand bassist Barry Bays and others

PONTOTOC, MS:

Terry "Harmonica" Bean - one-man band and/or band leader; plays with "Slick" too; CDs

BENTONIA, MS:

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - owner of Blue Front Cafe keeps music of Jack Owens/Skip James alive.

VICKSBURG, MS:

Mississippi 145 Blues Band - standard blues band from that area.

NATCHEZ, MS:

Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early - singer-guitarist with harp playing drummer; CD

WOODVILLE, MS:

Robert Cage - disciple of his old friend Scott Dunbar; CD

OXFORD, MS (and Hill Country area, Holly Springs, etc.):

Kenny Brown & Cedric Burnside - R.L.'s guitarist and grandson jam; nice debut CD

Duwayne Burnside - R.L.'s son... mixes old and new school blues together for BC Records

David Jr. (Malone) Kimbrough - Jr. Kimbrough's blues and R&B playing son; exited Parchman Penn in spring 2005; new CD and DVD in the works

Gary Burnside - Often plays with Cedric and sometimes Lightnin' Malcolm; new CD on the way

O'Dell "O.D." Harris - older, virtually unknown Hill Country bluesman in style of R.L.

Bill Perry/The Perrys (Abbeville) - guitarist/singer bluesman... nice solo or trio gigs; upcoming CD

Sharde Thomas & the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band - Otha Turner's granddaughter & band

Wiley & the Checkmates - R&B party band

MEMPHIS, TN:

"Slick" Ballinger & Soul Blues Boys - (It's either Memphis or Como) learned in the Hill Country

Robert Belfour - incredible ex-MS hill country guitarist and singer; great CDs

Sweet Brown Sugar - soul blues diva; CD

Earl The Pearl - legendary guitarist and Beale St. regular

The Fieldstones - legendary Memphis juke joint band; CD

The Hollywood All-Stars - house band at Wild Bill's juke; CD

Alvin "Youngblood" Hart - acoustic/electric blues and roots player; killer CDs

Larry Lewis Blues Mojo Band - strong Beale Street-based blues band

John Lowe - "the loudest one-man band in the world"; CDs

Richard Johnston - younger diddley bow player and blues scholar; CD

Carla Thomas - classic Memphis blues & soul; CDs

JACKSON, MS:

Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood - excellent, Arzo Youngblood decendant plays modern blues, old style

Eddie Cotton - hottest young electric guitarist in region; two CDs

King Edward - house band leader at 930 Blues Club; CD

Dorothy Moore - best known for her hit "Misty Blue"; CDs

Jesse Robinson - veteran jazzy blues guitarist/singer from Jackson area; new CD

Bobby Rush - the hardest working showman; CDs/DVDs

HATTIESBURG, MS

L.C. Ulmer - old, virtually unknown, old-school blues guitarist/singer who needs to be recorded

Tommy "T-Bone" Pruitt - older, real-deal blues guitarist and band leader

ARKANSAS (bordering Mississippi)

CeDell Davis (Pinebluff) - wheel chair bound, dissonant guitar legend; great, rockin' CDs

ALABAMA (bordering Mississippi)

Birmingham George - juke joint player just across the border from MS

Willie King - juke joint player just across the border from MS; great CDs

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BORN IN CLARKSDALE, MS:

Jackie Brenston

Sam Cooke

Lil Green

Raymond Hill

John Lee Hooker

Earl Hooker

Son House

Johnny B. Moore

Little Junior Parker

Sir Mack Rice

Ike Turner

Robert "Bilbo" Walker

and others!

ONCE CALLED CLARKSDALE HOME:

James "T-Model" Ford

Frank Frost (Helena/Clarksdale connection)

W.C. Handy

Robert Johnson

Pinetop Perkins

Wade Walton ("the singing barber")

McKinley Morganfield, a.k.a. Muddy Waters

Early Wright (blues D.J.)

and others!