Check out what's happening with Blues @ Home, a project by award-winning Mississippi artist H.C. Porter and renowned producer, composer and songwriter Tena Clark. This project will document Mississippi's living blues legends through Porter's mixed media paintings, oral histories and music recordings collected by Clark. We will blog our journeys with these amazing blues men and women on the road across Mississippi.
Friday, July 15, 2011
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.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, July 11, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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