PHOTO SLIDESHOW (ABOVE):  1) On-location with Moonshine & Mojo Hands web series... Cat Head's Stolle, bluesman RL Boyce, his wife Sheila and Broke & Hungry Records' Jeff Konkel.  2) 90 years old, 26 kids, married 6 times. T-Model Ford on left, not Cat Head's Stolle on right. At Clarksdale's Red's Lounge.  3) At King Biscuit Blues Symposium, bluesmen Rip Lee Pryor, "Gearshifter" Youngblood and Leo "Bud" Welch plus Red's juke joint owner Red Paden. Oh, Stolle is the white guy in the middle.

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SELECT INTERVIEWS / ONLINE MEDIA / WEB LINKS

- SPIN MAGAZINE juke joint article by Roger Stolle at https://www.spin.com/featured/the-last-remaining-juke-joints-in-america/

- NPR RADIO'S MARKETPLACE interviews Roger Stolle on Pandemic music scene at https://www.marketplace.org/2021/01/11/hundreds-of-small-music-venues-are-struggling-to-stay-open/

- MPB TV "MISSISSIPPI ROADS" episode on Roger Stolle/Cat Head, "Kingfish" Ingram and Delta Bohemian Tours at https://www.pbs.org/video/back-to-the-blues-yrf3on/

- DELTA BUSINESS JOURNAL: "Roger Stolle, All Things Blues and Clarksdale."

- PBS NEWSHOUR interviews Roger Stolle and others at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/with-the-juke-joint-festival-a-mississippi-city-aims-to-lose-its-economic-blues

- "MOONSHINE & MOJO HANDS" web series co-hosted by Stolle at www.moonshineandmojohands.com

- "M FOR MISSISSIPPI" 2008 blues road-trip documentary co-produced by Stolle at https://vimeo.com/300628989

- JUST PLACE on Stolle, Clarksdale and blues - https://www.justplace.us/the-blues-alright-clarksdale-ms

- WYAB RADIO "BLUES & ARTS" with Roger Stolle at http://wyab.com/twh/RogerS092719wyab.mp3

- MPB RADIO "MS ARTS HOUR" at shows.pippa.io/5c82f2befceee9b62daa0deb/episodes/the-mississippi-arts-hour-roger-stolle

- MISSISSIPPI BOOK FESTIVAL "MS BLUES PANEL incl. Stolle at https://vimeo.com/363422544

- DOWN AT THE CROSSROADS interviews Stolle about Cat Head and blues at ​https://tinyurl.com/CrossroadsStolle
- WBGO/NPR RADIO interviews Stolle about Juke Joint Festival and Mississippi blues at https://tinyurl.com/NPRstolle
- SOUTHERN ROOTS MAGAZINE interviews Stolle at https://tinyurl.com/RootsStolle
- NEW YORK TIMES juke joints article at https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/travel/driving-the-juke-joint-trail.html
- THE ECONOMIST on Clarksdale, MS, tourism at https://tinyurl.com/EconomistClarksdale
- TRAVEL + LEISURE visits Clarksdale at https://tinyurl.com/TLstolle
- FORBES visits Clarksdale at https://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2019/05/13/how-a-small-bank-plays-a-big-part-in-inclusive-economic-development-in-the-mississippi-delta/#5de7c01828b0

- VANITY FAIR Q&A - "M for Mississippi" project - at https://tinyurl.com/VFmforms

- CLICK MAGAZINE visits Stolle, Cat Head and Bill Abel at https://issuu.com/myclickmagazine/docs/click_august_2015

- UNITED AIRLINES "HEMISPHERES" magazine at https://issuu.com/ahmedaamir/docs/july_2015_hemispheres_magazine

- GREAT BIG STORY mini doc: "A Juke Joint's Field of Dreams."

- HISTORY IS LUNCH Mississippi History Museum lecture by Stolle at facebook.com/MDAHOfficial/videos/640826946439753/

- BLUES.GR interview Stolle about Cat Head and Mississippi blues at http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/an-interview-with-the-owner-of-cat-head-in-clarksdale-ms-roger

- DELTA VINTAGE interview with Stolle https://deltavintageshop.com/blogs/news/interview-roger-stolle

- VISIT THE USA official travel site visits the Delta and Cat Head at https://www.visittheusa.com/trip/bridging-blues

- BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE review of Stolle's juke joint book at http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-14-19-may-7-2020/

- 'COVID' BEST WISHES video... to Italian blues friends at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aucUVS5PciM&feature=youtu.be

 

BLUES HISTORY AND BACKGROUND SINCE 2002
 

BLUES BUSINESSES
- Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Inc., store - called "one of the 17 coolest record stores in America" (Paste magazine), 2002-present
- Cat Head Presents record label, 2005-present
- Three Forks Music, LLC, joint label/distribution company co-founded with music producer Jeff Konkel and his Broke & Hungry Records, 2008-present

BLUES FESTIVALS

- Juke Joint Festival ("13 daytime stages, 20+ nighttime venues and over 100 blues acts"), Clarksdale, MS - co-founder/organizer, 2004-present

- Cat Head Mini Blues Fests (2-3 per year), Clarksdale, MS - founder/organizer, 2002-present
- Sunflower River Blues Festival, Clarksdale, MS - music bookings, 2002-4
- Roots & Blue Festival, Parma, Italy - bookings/artist liaison, 2005-8
- Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest, Clarksdale, MS - co-founder/organizer, 2006-present
- Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, MS - co-producer soundtrack CD/artist liason, 2008-2017
- Wing Dang Doodle Festival, Forest, MS - PR/marketing, 2009-10
- Clarksdale Film & Music Festival, Clarksdale, MS - co-founder/director, 2010-present
- King Biscuit Call & Response Blues Symposium - co-founder/moderator, 2010-present
- Delta Busking Festival aka Busking Stages at Deep Blues, Clarksdale, MS - co-founder/organize, 2013-17
- Deep Blues Festival, Clarksdale, MS - PR/marketing 2016-present
- Mississippi Book Festival, Jackson, MS – blues music author panelist, 2017 and 2019

BLUES CLUBS
- Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, MS - music bookings, 2002-10
- Red's Lounge, Clarksdale, MS - artist liaison/marketing, 2003-present
- Ground Zero Blues Club II, Memphis, TN - music bookings, 2009

ARTIST TOURING (booker/tour manager)
- International tours/shows including the Italy (Big George Brock, Bilbo Walker, Big A, Robert Belfour, Lightnin' Malcolm), Switzerland (Big George Brock, Duck Holmes, Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood, Terry "Harmonica" Bean), United Kingdom (Big George Brock), France (Big George Brock), Israel (Bilbo Walker), Brazil (Bilbo Walker, Big A, Super Chikan) and Norway (L.C. Ulmer, Robert Belfour, T-Model Ford)
- Also, Australia (promotion for John Henshall book on Clarksdale's blues-fueled revitalization)
- Domestic tours/shows including: Big George Brock at Chicago Blues Festival, Cincinnati Blues Festival, Ponderosa Stomp (Memphis) and Howlin' Wolf Festival (West Point).  Bilbo Walker, Big A and Robert Belfour at World Café Live (Philly).  T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour, Terry "Harmonica" Bean and Duck Holmes at 651 Arts in NYC/Brooklyn.

BLUES BOOK AUTHOR
- "Mississippi Juke Joint Confidential: House Parties, Hustlers & the Blues Life" (History Press, 2019)
- "Hidden History of Mississippi Blues" book (History Press, 2011)

BLUES JOURNALIST/WRITER
- King Biscuit Time Magazine - columnist, 2002-3
- Blues Revue Magazine - columnist, 2003-14
- Blues Festival Guide Magazine - contributor, 2003-5
- Blues Music Magazine - columnist, 2015-present
- Delta Magazine - contributing editor, 2017-present
- Twoj Blues (Poland) Magazine - columnist, 2017-present
- Assorted album liner notes for Big George Brock, Homemade Jamz, Super Chikan, "Live at 100 Man Hall," "M for Mississippi," etc.

- "Ready To Road-Trip?" (pandemic) Tourism marketing campaign (creative concept; print/outdoor copywriter; video script writer) - 2020-present

SELECTED BOOK REFERENCES
- "Chasing the Blues" guidebook - Stolle and Cat Head included

- "Nashville to New Orleans Road-trip" (Moon) book - included

- "U.S. Civil Rights Trail" (Moon) book - Cat Head included

- "Lonely Planet" guidebook - Stolle and Cat Head included
- "Blues Traveling" by Steve Cheseborough - Stolle and Cat Head included
- "Memphis & the Delta Blues Trail" by the Gages - Stolle and Cat Head included
- "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" by Patricia Schultz- Stolle and Cat Head included
- "Mississippi: State of the Blues" by Murphy/Barretta - Cat Head included
- "Waking Up in Memphis" by Andria Lisle - Stolle interview
- "I'm Feeling the Blues Right Now: Blues Tourism in the Mississippi Delta" by Stephen A. King - Stolle quoted
- "Tommy Johnson" by David Evans - Stolle anecdote included
- "Highway 61" by Derek Bright - Stolle and Cat Head included

- "I Died and Went to Mississippi" by Tom Ward (novel) - included

DOCUMENTARY BLUES FILMS
- "Hard Times: The Blues Story of Big George Brock" (2006) - producer/writer; Damien Blaylock, director
- "M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues" (2008) - co-director/producer
- "We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads" (2012) - co-director/producer/writer/narrator*
- "Moonshine & Mojo Hands: The Mississippi Blues Series" (2016) - co-director/producer

- LiveFromClarksdale.org pandemic live-stream project (2020-22) - consultant

BLUES ALBUM PROJECTS
- Big George Brock, "Club Caravan" (2005) - producer/label owner
- Big George Brock, "Round Two" (2006) - producer/label owner
- Big George Brock, "Live at Seventy Five" (2007) - producer/label owner
- Broke & Hungry Records recordings (2005-present) - production assistant

BLUES WEB RESOURCES
- www.cathead.biz - online Music Calendar and Guide to Clarksdale
- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - Cat Head blues promotion pages
- www.msbluestrail.org - MS Blues Trail Music Calendar maintenance/updates
- Sounds Around Town - Clarksdale's weekly music calendar (web posting, paper flyer, newspaper ad)

BLUES RADIO
- KDHX, St. Louis, MO - Down in the Alley Show - deejay/engineer, 1998-2002
- WROX, Clarksdale, MS - Cat Head Delta Blues Show - deejay, 2003-2010
- Sirius/XM satellite radio - BB King's Bluesville - correspondent, 2004-15
- XRDS.fm/88.1FM - Clarksdale House Party - on-air contributor, 2017-present

- KSDS FM/jazz88.org (San Diego) - Clarksdale-based weekly Crossroads Delta Blues Hour radio show - deejay, 2022-present
- Also, past interviews on NPR, PBS, Mississippi Arts Hour, King Biscuit Time Show, etc.

SELECTED TV REFERENCES
- Blues Divas music series for Mississippi Public Broadcasting/Robert Mugge - artist liaison (Ground Zero Blues Club)
- Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain - music/location coordinator (Red's Lounge)
- Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern - music/location coordinator (Red's Lounge)
- Young, Broke & Beautiful with Broke-ass Stuart - music/location coordinator (Red's Lounge)
- NPR Jazz Night in America - music/location coordinator (Juke Joint Festival)
- CNN Great Big Story - music/location coordinator (Wonder Light City juke joint)
- Good Morning America Weekend Edition - music/location coordinator (Po Monkey's Lounge)
- Pilgrim Studios reality show project - music/location coordinator (Red's Lounge)
- PBS Newshour - music/location coordinator (Juke Joint Festival)
- Netflix - artist liaison ("Devil at the Crossroads")

- MPB "Mississippi Roads" TV series - featured Stolle and Cat Head

- 60 Minutes - artist/venue liaison

SELECTED RECOGNITION
- Blues Music Award (BMA) - "M for Mississippi" DVD (2009)
- Blues Music Award nominations - 5 in CD categories, 2 in DVD category (2006-13)
- Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) - Cat Head store in Retailer category (2008)
- Sunflower River Blues Association "Early Wright Award" (2013)
- Multiple film festival awards for blues documentaries, including festivals in Tupelo, Jackson, Lafayette, etc.

SELECTED PUBLIC SPEAKING/PANEL DISCUSSIONS/JUDGING

- "Mississippi Book Festival" (Jackson, MS) - featured panelist, 2016 & 2019

- "Books of Madison County" (Jackson, TN) - featured author, 2021

- "Delta Tourism Forum" (Cleveland, MS) - featured panelist 2022

- Center for Population Studies (U of MS) "Cultural Storytelling" panelist - 2022

- FGCU blues panel discussions/classroom visits (Fort Myers, FL) multiple times
- International Blues Challenge (Memphis) judge multiple times
- MS Delta Blues Challenge (Indianola) judge multiple times
- Sonny Boy Blues Society (Helena) challenge judge once

SELECTED MEMBERSHIPS
- Clarksdale-Coahoma County Tourism Commission - board president (present)
- Clarksdale Downtown Development nonprofit (Juke Joint Festival/Clarksdale Film Festival) - board member (present)

- Blues Foundation - member (present)
- Rock 'n Roll Museum nonprofit (Rock & Blues Museum/Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest) - board member (past)
- Clarksdale Revitalization nonprofit (downtown revitalization efforts) - board member (past)

SELECTED PRINT MEDIA ATTENTION (Stolle/Cat Head quotes/features)
- New York Times, Forbes, PBS Newshour, NPR, Great Big Story, Travel + Leisure, The Economist, Living Blues Magazine, Blues Revue, Blues Music Magazine, Rhythm & Blues Magazine (UK), ABS Magazine (France), Juke Blues Magazine (UK), The Blues (UK), Blues (France), Blues Matters (UK), Twoj Blues (Poland), etc.

 

PRE-BLUESLAND WORK EXPERIENCE

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May Company
Position: Director - Marketing
Time Period: July 1998 - May 2002
Location: St. Louis, MO
Description: Led talented team of 15 managers, graphic designers, production artists and production coordinators. Maintained existing private brands for over a dozen department store chains; created new brands; managed creative process (packaging, labeling, product development, marketing, production); responsible for personnel development (hiring/firing/review process). Approved packaging/labeling/product during overseas trips (Europe/Asia). Reported directly to company president.

Venture Stores
Position: Creative Manager
Time Period: February 1995 - June 1998
Location: St. Louis, MO
Description: Led talented team of copywriters, proofreaders, graphic designers and production artists. Managed direct-to-consumer print advertising process; facilitated radio/TV campaigns; coordinated corporate relaunch of company brand; assisted with in-storee signage/branding. Reported to VP of Marketing.

Elder-Beerman
Position: Senior Copywriter
Time Period: June 1989 - January 1995
Location: Dayton, OH
Description: Led ad campaigns for new store openings. Teamed with copywriters, graphic artists, photographers and store buyers to create and execute all aspects of consumer advertising/marketing -- including direct mail, newspaper, magazine, in-store and packaging. Wrote creative advertising copy that drove store sales. Mentored new hires. Reported to VP of Advertising.

Academic Experience
University of Cincinnati - English Literature/Journalism (1989 BA degree)
Vandalia-Butler High School (1985 graduate)