A Short History of the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund

A Short History of the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund

Slim Harpo Keeps a Delta Dancing Tradition Hot on Christmas

Dancing to the Blues on Christmas Eve

in the Rosedale Courthouse - A Delta Tradition

In 1889, Rosedale started a tradition of dancing in its dignified Hall of Justice on Christmas Eve. The festive dancing helped to open the new brick courthouse it s initial year and continued in the same building until 1923, when Florence Sillers Ogden and her husband Harry led the Grand March. Ezelle Watson's Orchestra also performed to open the second brick courthouse. She recalled how her mother and father waltzed to the strains of "Over the Waves" and whooped it up to "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight," by Beauregarde's Orchestra out of Memphis back in 1889.

Handy's Band out of Memphis furnished the music when Ogden was young, and he performed such tunes as "Memphis Blues," "Alexander's Rag Time Band," and "Clover Blossoms." And his trumpet was golden, she recalled. As I have said before, dancing in the Courthouse is an old Delta custom. Time was when Greenville, Cleveland, Friar's Point, Clarksdale, Tunica and Rosedale danced in their courthouses. In 1961, only Rosedale clung to the tradition. And they still hired blues musicians to perform at the dance. 

"Inside it is Christmassy and all cozy with the fire burning briskly on the hearth, the holly on the mantelpiece catching its glow. But alas! No mistletoe for me. But soon the clock points to the hour. It is time to put on my silver slippers and go dancing. It is time for the Christmas dance at the Courthouse, when all the young Delta will assemble to rock and roll, do the "twist" and the "cha-cha" and the "bop" to the hot music of Slim Harpo out of Baton Rouge, to such tunes as "Ya-Ya", "Blue Hawaii," and "The Twist." Unseemly conduct, Grandma would call it."

Click here for a complete discography of Slim Harpo's Music

Papa Don McMinn - Pale Prince of Beale

Walls Man, Touched by Blues' Magic, 

Finds Music runs in Family 

By Judith Z. Marrs - Clarion Ledger - Sep 6, 1998

The Clarksdale Press Register, Nov 6, 1989.

WALLS — When Don McMinn was 5 years old, he sat on the front porch of the home of the formerly enslaved Washington Peeples in Lindon Isle, Arkansas, and listened to the blues for the first time. 

The magic of the music must have inspired McMinn. Throughout the rest of his life, he has been singing and playing the blues himself. 

"The blues is about life. It's about sadness and happy times boogie woogie. It's real," said McMinn. 

"From the age of five I had a feel for my instrument. My Uncle Robert McMinn taught me a few chords, and I went on from there," he said. 

At neighborhood gatherings, McMinn listened to the strumming of guitars and lots of singing. Music grew on him like kudzu grows in the Delta. The blues rooted itself in the heart and soul of McMinn and then it spread to his own children: Lori-na sings, Doug plays drums and Rome plays bass.

Clarksdale Press 
Register, Dec 1996.

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"My daughter, Tina, who will graduate from the University of Memphis next month, specializes in business and finance so she will help us with the business end of our profession if the big bucks ever come," he said. "Nicole is a sophomore at Horn Lake High School, but has got on-sight geography lessons when she toured with us in Europe."

When McMinn was in high school at Hutchinson, Kan., he formed his first band and traveled the carnival circuit. In 1963 he relocated to Memphis where he cut a record at Hi Records. Recording artists such as Ace Cannon and Gene Simmons contributed to his music and it was released on the M.O.C. record label. 

McMinn then went on the road with his band, The Jukes, playing bars through the 1960s.

"Then I got a real job as a welder. It was time to get off the road," he said. "It became old and boring and I was ready for a real life. I never gave up my music, though. It stays in your blood. When you're on the road so much you pray you can get yourself a clone. You love playing but you miss your family. My family is number one with me."

McMinn missed playing and after getting to know people at Stacks, he resumed his music career. In 1973 he began playing at Bad Bob's in Memphis where Jerry Lee Lewis found him.

In 1985, McMinn was playing a club, The Memphis Restaurant, in Little Rock, Ark., where Beale 

Street redeveloper John Elkington decided to eat dinner one night. Fate became reality and Elkington told McMinn to call him on Monday about an idea he had about putting a restaurant together. 

McMinn said, "I told him 'OK' but thought this was just more talk like I had heard from many others. My attitude was 'yeah right'."

McMinn went on and called on Monday and was told to meet Elkington the next day at a meeting with Preston Lamb, Cynthia Hamm, and Davis Tillman who were all part of a team for refurbishing Beale Street.

They came up with the name Rum Boogie Cafe, named after an old Three Stooges episode where they had an adventure on Rum Boogie Island — and the rest is history. 

"Since then I have played Europe again and will be going to Belgium with my sons, Doug and Rome, for the More Blues Festival in August," said McMinn.

For an interview with Papa Don McMinn,. click HERE

May the Pale Prince of Beale Street forever rest in peace!

Streatham's Queen of the Country Blues Guitar

Jo Ann Kelly warming up backstage before a show
(Photo: Colin Brooks, in North London, UK 1968)

'British Queen of the Country Blues' is how British Blues followers regarded Jo Ann Kelly by the mid 'seventies. Involved with the music from the early 'sixties and continuing through two major Blues booms, Jo Ann Kelly is still wearing the crown. This first part covers her formative years. 

To set the scene, we need to go back to the turn of the century, by which time Skiffle-type bands had become part of American rural life. This exciting musical form was played mainly by African Americans, who, determined to play Jazz but unable to afford proper instruments, made music with something less expensive, such as a washboard, kazoo, jug, honk-made string bass, along with guitar, banjo, and sometimes fiddle. It was Jazz of sorts, but sometimes labeled 'Hokum' — Native American for 'imitation'. Skiffle was on its way. 

By the early 'fifties, a Traditional Jazz scene had become established in Britain. Throughout the country, a strong Jazz Club circuit regularly presented live performances. Some of these bands, such as Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and the Crane River Jazz Band, began 'experimenting', by presenting a Skittle set within their repertoire. Another band pioneering this idea was the Chris Barber Jazz Band. The band added a mixture of traditional Skiffle and work song material to their Jazz sets. Lonnie Donegan, the band's banjo player, would switch to guitar and sing the vocals for this part of the program. He'd be backed by Chris Barber on string bass and Beryl Bryden on washboard. Lonnie's subsequent rise to stardom became a musical inspiration for much of Britain's youth.

In the Kelly family home in Streatham, South London, where Jo Ann grew up along with her younger sister Susan and brother Dave, musical development had already started with Rock and Roll. Skiffle records were soon added to the environment.

One of Jo's influential musical memories was formed in the late 'fifties. Returning home from a Summer holiday camp the family stopped at a cafe. As Jo entered, she heard the sound of a jukebox, around which was gathered a group of local Teddy' boys and girls. Fourteen-year-old Jo, intrigued by the sound, asked them about the music. It was 'Lucille' by Little Richard. After this, the record collecting began — Little Richard, Buddy Holly, early Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers.

The following summer, at the same holiday camp, the Kellys took the opportunity to perform in the talent competition, where they did Everly Brothers songs. Dave had learned some guitar from a school friend who led a local Skittle group. Dave taught Jo a few chords and she picked up the rest herself. With their home practice and spurred on by the holiday camp action, each was started on the path of a musical career. Jo got into Skiffle music and next summer, 1960, again at the holiday camp talent competition, they performed 'Rock bland Line'. Lonnie Donegan's brand of Skiffle had become a major influence. It had Blues roots. It had rhythm. It had the aura of stardom.

At the same time, Dave was learning trombone at school and, in search of Jazz records for his studies, found himself in Dave Carey's Swing Shop in Streatham. Specialising in imported American records, the Swing Shop had established an enthusiastic clientele since the forties. At these record shop visits, Dave found the music for his studies — Jelly Roll Morton, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Before long Jo and Dave were digging deeper into the more obscure records, unearthing Robert Johnson, Son House and Charley Patton — Delta Blues. Another regular visitor to the shop was Tony McPhee who was already same playing guitar and collecting these same Blues records.

Tony soon got to know the Kellys. By swapping records they were able to hear more Blues -- money was tight — they couldn't buy them all. Tony bought Blues Classics by Memphis Minnie (the first issue of Chris Strachwitz's legends Blues label) and lent it to Jo knowing she would like it. Here was a woman singing and playing guitar with a tremendous style. Then, dazzling guitar runs and duets with her husband, Little Son Joe, introduced Jo to American's foremost downhome woman of the blues. Minnie's songs like "Nothing In Rambling" and "In My Girlish Days" were a style of the Blues which Jo could really identify with. Jo Ann's Blues singing and guitar playing, developed during these formative years, were to last her in good stead.

In 1962 Bob Glass, who worked in the Swing Shop, introduced Jo Ann to Bob Hall who was already an accomplished piano player. They were ideal partners for an acoustic Blues duo. The Trad Jazz scene was continuing its 'fifties momentum, but Skiffle sets were changing the music scene. The Interval Spots which previously the Jazz musicians themselves had performed were now being taken over by other musicians, musicians who had taken Skiffle a stage further. Jo Ann and Bob Hall were two such performers and, with their combined talents, they reproduced the classic Blues songs of Bessie Smith and Rosetta Tharpe, with Bob on piano, and Jo on vocals.

In 1963, the Jazz clubs were tailing off. 'This Blues' had caught on. Rhythm and Blues clubs began to spring up, not only at established Jazz outlets but also at specific MB venues. The Kelly/Hall duo had become long-established Interval performers at one such Jazz club, the 'Star' public house in Croydon. This was one of the pubs which MB promoter Giorgio Gomelsky was interested in as another possible had opened. Giorgio had brought to Croydon his `most blues-wailing Yardbirds, electric Chicago Blues.

The R&B scene hadn't developed from the Skiffle bands overnight. In fact, Barbara-Band associates Cyril Davis and Alexis Korner were major catalysts and in playing their brand of Chicago Blues, had led the way for the next generation.

The Yardbirds' music at the Star was loud, hypnotic, and authentic. Jo's reaction was that "It was wonderful stuff." The acoustic sets with Bob continued, but Jo's immediate ambition was to try an amplified performance with the Yardbirds. Manager Giorgio Gomelsky gave her the opportunity to sit in with them at their Star residency. Her singing was received enthusiastically by Keith Relf. Jo can vividly remember Giorgio taking her to a practice session with the Yardbirds in 1963 at the Richmond Crawdaddy. The Yardbirds had done their rehearsal for the day but ran through "Baby What You Want Me To Do," playing it the Jimmy Reed way, whilst Jo sang the Everly Brothers' arrangement. Eric Clapton, in a somewhat joking mood, was driven to mimic the Everly Brothers.

The Yardbirds were "going places." Jo too was on her way but in another direction [a deeper direction, going down to the roots......

Part 2 - Memphis Bound