Mississippi Delta

Mississippi Delta is a region in western Mississippi, along the river of the same name.

Cities

• 🌍 Belzoni
• 🌍 Clarksdale — the mostly undisputed birthplace of the blues, and perhaps the one town that actively encourages the juke joints to stay open
• 🌍 Cleveland
• 🌍 Greenville — at one time home to endless juke joints throughout (supposedly) scary neighborhoods, albeit losing them fast to generational change and competition from the casinos
• 🌍 Greenwood
• 🌍 Indianola
• 🌍 Tunica
• 🌍 Yazoo City

Other destinations

Understand

The blues; the famous Mississippi Delta juke joints. This section of the country is dirt poor economically, but the birthplace of the blues has more culture than some entire U.S. states. Modern American music—and hence modern music the world over—traces its routes right back here, to the old juke joints of Mississippi. These rural bars, in cinder-block or wood structures just about as poor as their customers, were where black Mississipians would escape from their hard lives of hard work with a good dose of music, alcohol, back-room gambling, the occasional fight, and cavorting with some members of the opposite sex. The word juke is believed to come from the Gullah word joog for rowdy—and it was these rowdy run-down joints that bred the music that was the soul of black America and would become the inspiration to the world.

The juke joints are a living tradition right up to this day. But in the past ten years or so, they have been closing left and right, leaving only a handful of the old original rural juke joints, with closings common in the towns as well. The reasons? First is the economy—the state of things has been so bad, for a long enough time, where the Delta suffers from serious depopulation, and hence a decreasing base of customers. Second is the trend among the region's youth towards listening to rap from the big cities, casting off the tradition of guitars and harmonicas. Third are the new casinos, which lure away the old patrons with free music, free drinks, and legal venues for gambling. Unable to compete with that, the holdout juke joints have turned to "sexy nights" with strippers, less expensive live bands and more cheap DJs, and even a little tourism promotion with the help of blues lovers worldwide. Nonetheless, come with the full knowledge that this culture is critically endangered, and that the blues may find themselves relegated to the less authentic, more packaged version up on Beale St in Memphis or the North Side blues clubs of Chicago.

Talk

The Delta accent is about as thick as an American accent gets. If you're from another country, good luck!

Get in

The closest useful airport is in Memphis. From there, the popular route is to avoid the dull I-55 highway, and to stick to the rural roads. US-61 is the beaten path, which goes through Clarksdale and then all the small towns and countryside that used to be blanketed with the old juke joints, and still hold a few. It keeps going to Leland, where you can take a right on US-82 for Greenville.

Get around

You'll need a car. There is no other option.

See

Do

Eat

Hot Tamales are a regional specialty of the Delta. Similar to Mexican tamales, but adapted to local tastes and ingredients. Compared to the Mexican dish, Delta hot tamales are generally spicier, simmered in juices, and have a different texture from the use of cornmeal instead of corn flour or masa.

Drink

As music in the juke joints is harder and harder to find, Clarksdale is a good base of operations. The blues museum and the music store will have up-to-date information on where to go. Second best will be Greenville, but expect far less helpfulness down there.

When visiting, etiquette in the juke joints expects that you're friendly, not taking photos like you were in a zoo, and to try to acquaint yourself with the owner. Some lewd dancing is almost always welcome too. The beer is cheap and comes in single bottles big enough for a hangover.

Stay safe

The Mississippi Delta has high crime rates even for the south of the U.S., and it has a certain infamy as the most racist area of the United States. Although there are no longer lynchings, non-white visitors should be cautious here. While the blues clubs are pretty safe for people of all backgrounds and nationalities (and nowadays you'll find visitors from places like Japan and Norway mixing it up with the locals), the honky-tonks/country bars are not. Poverty is everywhere, but, while it may not be pleasant to look at, it is not a risk to your safety in the Delta.

Go next

There are two natural destinations after the Delta: Memphis for blues in an urban setting, as well as some incredible rock n' roll and R&B history, or New Orleans for the birthplace of jazz. If you're more kin to explore Mississippi, though, Oxford would be a great idea for it's historic beauty and true Old South charm (without the bad elements).