If “da Blues is like coming home,” then Saturday’s 45th annual Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival presented by Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE) was nothing short of one huge Homecoming.
Native Deltans, visitors across the state of Mississippi and abroad poured onto the grounds of the Washington County Convention Center to hear the melodic variation of sounds and tunes from some of the most celebrated Blues artists of their time.
The lineup was not lacking in generational representation — there was something for everyone to “groove” to as the lineup opened with The Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, Pat Thomas, and Mike & Jerry Kattawar, also known as “The Kattawar Brothers.”
The show continued with performances from Keith Johnson & Big Muddy Band, led by the great grandson of Muddy Waters, J’Cenae, The Eric Hughes Band, Nathaniel Kimble, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas and Sweet Angel.
At sundown, the festival stage was graced by the “Chitlin Circuit” King himself, Bobby Rush, who has performed at the event more than any other artist.
Following Rush were newcomer Jaye Hammer, O.B. Buchanan and the closing act, Willie Clayton.
One audience member, Amos Pendleton, was asked what drew him to this year’s festival.
“I really looked forward to seeing Jaye Hammer,” said Pendleton. “He’s actually blind, so I thought it was so cool to see him up there performing.”
During Rush’s performance, he paid homage to the late, great King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Rush donned a sparkling glove, cued the “Billie Jean” melody, and displayed his best signature MJ moves, sending the crowd into a wave of applause and excitement.
On what it meant to be performing at the festival once again as the longest tenured performer, he said, “It means that God has given me something to give back because life is not about the one who is living it, it’s the one you’re living it with because the things that I do are not for me, it’s mostly for other people.”
Rush, who will turn age 88 this upcoming November, has practically seen MACE’s Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage festival through its infancy and maturation.
“I think there may have been two that I missed, and most of that was because of the virus and one other time I was in Paris and I couldn’t make it, myself and Muddy Waters,” he recalled. “But I went out of my way to make sure I was here doing this and I think the people involved in bringing me here appreciate me more now than they did back then.”
He has amassed 397 records and has been playing in the Delta area since 1950, which lends him the thought that no other artist has been around to play that long.
However, Rush has not always drawn in droves of spectators.
“I’ve played when there has been one, I’ve played when there have been 10 and I’ve played when there have been 50,000,” he pointed out.
Rush also recalled times when he has performed for little to no money and even paid money out of his own pocket in order to appear at the event because of the place it holds in his heart.
As he reminisced, he noted the appreciation he feels for his talent, input and what he brings to the table which transcends a mere festival appearance.
Rush asserted that God has given him the “time to be here” and call his own shots whether that’s where he wants to perform or where he wants to fall in the lineup.
“I’ve been here longer and I think that’s what I’ve been sent here to do — to pass the torch onto someone else. This Delta Blues festival has given me my props in more ways than one,” he highlighted. “I’m happy about what I have done and what I’m planning to do. And as long as they have a desire to bring me here, I plan to be here until I can’t be anymore.”
Festival co-chairman Chauncy Wright reiterated the event carrying the title of “longest continuous running festival of its kind” in the country and how in any capacity, such an accomplishment is a success in and of itself.
“And, when you look at the attendance, that’s one of the things that was quite impressive in retrospect coming off of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wright. “We had a lot of RVs to come back this year — close to 100, which is up from last year.”
There was also an increase in the number of buses Wright pointed out, which are typically carrying folks who are middle-aged and older and also much more concerned about being in large crowds due to the Coronavirus.
“Overall attendance was right about what we would normally get and we feel comfortable saying, without having all of the numbers from the various ticket outlets, we had between 6,000 and 7,000 people,” he highlighted.
That estimate could be attributed to what Wright noted as increased social media chatter and interest from folks in the Coahoma County area as well as the Okitibbeha and Noxubee county areas.
He added, “Our local support was exceptional this year and we certainly appreciate all of our sponsors for their support. We want to continue the tradition and carry the banner of being the oldest Blues festival in the world.
