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...