Mississippi Arts Hour

H.C. Porter recently talked about her career and the Blues @ Home project on Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Mississippi Arts Hour. Here she is with Mary Margaret Miller of the Mississippi Arts Commission, who conducted the interview:

Follow the link to hear the hour-long interview: http://mpbonline.org/mississippiartshour/mah_12_11_11_hc_porter/.

Pat Thomas

H.C. Porter traveled back to Leland to add Pat Thomas, the son of blues legend Son Thomas, to Blues @ Home.

Pat is a legend in his own right, known across the world for his down-right Delta country blues.

H.C. photographed the bluesman in various locations around Leland, capturing Pat's true blues spirit.

Pat Thomas is the 27th legend to join Blues @ Home and the final participating legend in what will now be Blues @ Home: Part One. Beginning in January, the artist will paint the 27 musicians she has already captured for the first in a two-part series of Blues @ Home paintings and oral histories. Stay tuned at www.hcporter.com/bluesathome for more information on the project. The collection is expected to be complete by early spring and available for exhibition soon after. 

We have only eight sponsorships left for this first series. Visit our sponsorship page for more information on how to pre-purchase one of these amazing paintings and join all the excitement surrounding H.C. Porter's cool, new project!

Zac Harmon

Blues @ Home spent some time with blues legend Zac Harmon at his father's store, Harmon's Drugstore, on Farish Street this week.

Zac, a huge advocate for promoting Mississippi as the Birthplace of America's music, is a perfect addition to Blues @ Home as our 26th legend! The Mississippi blues was instilled in Zac at an early age. He watched street performers and blues musicians from his father's store, right in the heart of Jackson's vibrant entertainment district.

"I always tell folks everywhere I go, the thing about being from Mississippi, you know...blues is like air down here. And if you breathe, you're gonna' get some blues," Zac told us.

Cadillac John

H.C. Porter and collector and friend Tom Johnson traveled the blues highway to Renova, home of Cadillac John Nolden, Blues @ Home's 25th blues legend.

Cadillac John, 84, said playing the blues makes his feel good.

"I just feel better when I'm out there doing it," he told H.C. during his interview.

Photos by Tom Johnson

Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush has become synonymous with the Mississippi blues. He opened his home in Jackson to us Monday and signed on as Blues @ Home's 24th blues legend.

Bobby Rush is an entertainer even in his own living room...

Blues on Farish...Jesse Robinson

We headed to historic Farish Street in Jackson Monday to add blues legend Jesse Robinson to the Blues @ Home project.

Jesse has been on the Mississippi blues scene for about four decades now, and he has been a big part of putting Farish Street on the blues map.

H.C. Porter photographed Jesse inside the legendary Peaches Restaurant right there on Farish.

For Monday's shoots, we were joined by award-winning filmmaker and fellow Mississippi native Paige Williams.

 Paige, who has directed films, such as Mississippi Queen and From Place to Place, tagged along to document H.C. Porter's collection of photographs and oral histories for the Blues @ Home project.

 Stay tuned for a short film by Paige and her film company, Porch Productions, which will help promote the project.

Eddie Cusic

Eddie Cusic of Leland opened his home to Blues @ Home and joined our incredible list of living legends.

Eddie showed us his genuine, down-home blues stylings...

Ben Payton

Jackson blues legend Ben Payton joins Blues @ Home as our 21st musician:

We had a good time chatting and jamming with Ben Payton during the photo shoot and interview:

You can see Ben perform live Sept. 16 at Soulshine Pizza in Madison. Find out more details on upcoming Ben Payton performances on his website.

To purchase limited edition Blues @ Home photos from this photo shoot and others, contact H.C. Porter Gallery at 601-661-9444 or hcporter@hcporter.com. You can also find out more about how to sponsor one of the 40 exclusive Blues @ Home paintings.

Terry Harmonica Bean

Blues @ Home headed to Pontotoc to hang with Terry Harmonica Bean, who was home between gigs, to add him to the project as our 20th living legend. 

We found out why "harmonica" is his middle name...

Call 601-661-9444 or e-mail hcporter@hcporter.com to inquire about ordering limited edition photographs from this shoot or any others from the Blues @ Home project.

Super Chikan!

We added James "Super Chikan" Johnson as Blues @ Home's 19th musician. Here he is jamming in his usual style on one of his homemade guitars (notice the chicken shape) at his Clarksdale workshop.

YZ Ealey

YZ Ealey, our third Natchez bluesman, showed off his guitar chops while H.C. Porter photographed him for the Blues @ Home project.

Seventy-four-year-old YZ grew up playing the guitar and listening to local street musicians in and around Natchez. He continues to be a staple for the Natchez blues scene, and he is our 18th blues legend. Stay tuned for photos from his shoot at the Blues @ Home limited edition photo gallery.

Hezekiah Early

Blues @ Home's second Natchez stop was to visit with drummer and harmonica player Hezekiah Early.

Muhammad Ali, who was in Natchez filming a movie, called Freedom Road, in 1979, inspired Hezekiah to play the harmonica and drums simultaneously, which has become his signature style.

Hezekiah, 76, has been playing music since he was 11. After a lifetime of playing music and working a full-time job, he teamed up with Elmore Williams in 1998 to record an album with Fat Possum Records.

He and Elmore continue to perform together across the state. Check out photos from the Hezekiah Early shoot, coming soon to the Blues @ Home limited edition photo gallery.

Elmore Williams

Blues @ Home spent some time in Natchez last week for three more amazing photo shoots.

First, we hung out with blues legend Elmore, aka Elmo, Williams at his home. He's a legend firmly planted in his Natchez roots. "I like the blues cause it tells a story...it's for real," Williams told us.

For these shoots, H.C. Porter was joined by musician and Delta State University student Caleb Hollingsworth, who helped us with the oral history portion of the project while project manager and oral historian Lauchlin Fields approaches maternity leave.

Elmore is one of Mississippi's true legends. He said the blues has become a part of him. And, that's certainly not hard to tell by hearing him talk about it. Stay tuned for photographs from this and all photo shoots, which can be viewed and purchased online in the Blues @ Home Photo Gallery.

Backstage with B.B.

We met B.B. King last week as part of the Fifth Annual Mississippi Grammy Legacy Celebration at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. Along with B.B., we met and mingled with many Mississippi blues supporters who were thrilled to hear about the Blues @ Home project. We will soon report on any news to follow this exciting event.

Here we are backstage with B.B. Many thanks to Jacki Millet for the photograph.

Eden Brent

We were so excited to add our first woman blues legend and first pianist to the Blues @ Home project.

Greenville native Eden Brent opened her home to us and shared her connection to Mississippi and the blues.

Eden sticks close to her Mississippi roots and her musical teachings from the late Mississippi bluesman Boogaloo Ames. Her career has earned her three blues music awards and the 2010 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year Award.

 She is our 15th living blues legend for Blues @ Home.

Mickey Rogers

We caught up with blues legend Mickey Rogers at Greenville's Walnut Street Blues Club for our 14th Blues @ Home shoot.

 At 66, Mickey has a long list of credits, including playing bass guitar for the late Howlin' Wolf and performances with the Jackson 5 and Rolling Stones, to name only a few. 

Mickey is just as well-known and celebrated for his solo performances, which he has shared with audiences across the world. We are thrilled to add this legendary Mississippian to Blues @ Home.

Mickey's gorgeous Peavey guitar, a gift from the Mississippi Blues Commission, proudly touts what Blues @ Home is all about: preserving the legacy of America's music. 

Traveling to T-Bone

We caught up with Tommie "T-Bone" Pruitt in Laurel before he played a gig to add him to Blues @ Home as our 13th living legend.

With more than 50 years of playing the blues, T-Bone is one of Mississippi's truly seasoned blues performers.

We'll continue our voyage across the state collecting photos and oral histories of Mississippi's Top 40 blues legends. Stay tuned to watch this historic series of portrait paintings, oral histories and music unfold.

H.C. with L.C.

We visited 82-year-old blues legend L.C. Ulmer at his home in Ellisville for our 12th Blues @ Home photo shoot and interview.

L.C. shared stories of his long and thriving blues career, which has taken him all over the world and brought him back home to Mississippi. 

He also gave us a sneak peek of his prized 1965 Gretsch guitar just like the one Chet Atkins played...

 L.C. has held many jobs over the years. He's been a janitor and a truck driver. He's picked cotton and cut timber. But, the one thing he has been ever since he can remember is a blues musician.

Eddie Shaw

We caught up with blues legend Eddie Shaw, in Mississippi from his current Chicago residence, after he was honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in Benoit. Eddie, who led Howlin' Wolf's band, is a legendary blues saxophone player. We were lucky to catch him on one of his trips home to the Mississippi Delta, and we're honored to add him to our list of musicians for Blues @ Home.

Here, Eddie stands next to the blues marker that honors his achievements as a blues performer:

H.C. Porter photographs Eddie Shaw inside a Benoit juke joint:

Next, we're headed south to continue our Blues @ Home journey. Don't miss out. Stay tuned here and online for more news and updates.

In the Country with Kenny Brown

We drove out near Potts Camp in North Mississippi this week to hang out with Kenny Brown and his animals on his 30-plus acres of land. Kenny was the 10th blues legend we've added to the Blues @ Home project. The excitement continues with each and every blues legend. Stay tuned, as always, for more additions.
Check out this slideshow to get a sneak peek of the amazing talent Kenny brings to the project:

King Edward and the Queen of Hearts

We spent some time with bluesman King Edward at the legendary Queen of Hearts in Jackson for Blues @ Home's ninth photo shoot. 

The 76-year-old King has been on the blues scene since the 1950s and was a natural in front of the camera...

King Edward, who now calls Jackson home, still performs at the Queen of Hearts, as well as other clubs around Mississippi, such as Underground 119 and at L.D.'s in Vicksburg. He also takes his blues on the road across the country.

Click for information on Blues @ Home.

At Home with Vasti

We made a trip to Hattiesburg last week to hang out with Vasti Jackson, a well-traveled Mississippi bluesman who lives and breathes the blues from Mississippi to...Iceland, his next performance stop. 

He made us feel right at home for the eighth Blues @ Home photo shoot. He even performed a little ditty for us...

Needless to say, we had a fun-filled day of Blues @ Home with Vasti...

To pre-purchase one of the 40 paintings of Mississippi's top living blues legends, contact us now!
For information, visit us here.