2010 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic

Don’t miss the next

North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic!  

Story and photos by Ray Proetto of Blues Power Photo – www.bluespowerphoto.com

August 20, 2010

 

This past June I attended my first Hill Country Picnic.  The North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic is much more than a picnic.  It was a two day concert on a full size stage at one end of a large cow pasture.  It took place in Potts Camp on the farm of blues artist Kenny Brown.  The Picnic is put on by a non-profit corporation and according to Kenny, is spearheaded by his wife Sara.

I arrived alone at Kenny Brown’s Farm on the morning of June 25, 2010.  I had just spent two days in my own personal blues heaven over at Clarksdale MS.  If I left the state of MS after spending just two days in Clarksdale, my twelve hour drive from Florida would have been well worth it.   But the fun was just beginning…

I set up my large tent along a row of trees on the edge of the pasture.   The heat was stifling and I was quickly soaked with sweat, a condition I quickly accepted and dealt with by wearing as little clothing as possible.  Groups of picnickers began setting up their tents and RVs all around me in a long row.  Facilities were minimal with only Porter Potties and no showers.  Thankfully, just behind the row of trees was a creek with clear water and a welcome place to splash or soak whenever the mood struck you.

Many of my neighbors said hello immediately.  Before the first music started at 3:30 pm, I had a group of new friends!   Earlier at 1:00 pm some nasty thunderstorms rolled in and threw over some portable awnings and even a tent or two.  My tent hung on although it looked like it would implode every time a gust of wind came through.

As the storm subsided, all that was left was a slow drizzle as Shannon McNally took the stage.  Shannon was as gorgeous as ever looking just a little rained on.  Her set was fairly relaxed with some beautiful songs from her latest CD and some inspired moments of jamming.  Her set seemed too short and just as her band seemed to be heating up they were done.

After Shannon’s set, the sun was coming out and the heat was back with a vengeance.  Blue Mother Tupelo took the stage and really woke up the fans up with some hard driving country energy!  I was thrilled to meet, Ricky and Micol, the husband and wife team of Blue Mother Tupelo after their set.  They brought their own folding chairs out to the lawn and enjoyed the rest of the day’s music with everyone else.  It was all just that relaxed.  Musicians and their family members mixed with fans in one big happy stew.                

 

 

 

The rest of the set list was a who’s-who of North Mississippi blues artists including Robert Belfour, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm, T Model Ford, Robert Kimbrough Sr.’s Blues Connection, Hill Country Revue, Burnside Exploration, and Alvin Youngblood Hart.  Ending that evening was Jimbo Mathus.   These artists performed a varied mix of blues and country that would satisfy any fan.

Robert Belfour performed a quiet set of traditional Mississippi Delta and Hill Country blues.  Cedric and Malcolm had the crowd up and moving with their aggressive Hill Country dance music.  T-Model Ford played and when he was done apologized because he was recovering from a recent stroke!  The crowd was loud in its appreciation of his effort in showing up to play.  You could really feel the outpouring of love for T-Model.

All of the artists paid tribute while on stage to those blues performers who came before them.  Mentioned most often were R.L. Burnside andJunior Kimbrough.   It seemed as though there wasn’t a band on the schedule that didn’t have at least one member from either the Burnside or Kimbrough families.

 

As I moved around the crowd taking pictures of performers and fans alike, I made more friends than I have time to keep in touch with.  Everyone was truly friendly and open to finding out who you were, where you were from and have you been to the Picnic before?  The crowd was made up mostly of Mississippi State residents from towns within a couple hundred miles but there were others from all over the state.  There weren’t many out of state fans possibly due to the economy or maybe people out of state just don’t know what they’re missing?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                       

There were a couple of food choices at the Picnic.  One award winning group was selling fish while another focused on Barbecue.  They had an official Hill Country Picnic T-shirt, and the Boy Scouts were raising money selling watermelon.  There were a few people selling dresses, jewelry etc.  Overall, it was a very non-commercial event.

Everyone I spoke to was offering to share whatever they brought with them.  There was one especially generous man at the Picnic.  I noticed Bob carrying around a large Peak Windshield Washing Fluid bottle.  He was sharing the mysterious blue liquid with anyone willing to drink it?  It seemed to bring smiles to a lot of faces.  At one point the crowd started hooting and hollering.  When I looked up, there was a woman on stage drinking out of a plastic oil can?  I guess there are some things I just don’t understand.

One thing there was no shortage of at the Picnic was good clean fun.  Families had children of all ages and some band members brought their children on stage to play some rhythm guitar or just enjoy what it felt like to be up there.  There were multiple generations of artists from many families at the Picnic.  Most bands drew large numbers of people to the dance area in front of the stage and everyone seemed to have stories of past good times to share with their new found friends.  I met a famous DJ, many musicians, other photographers, an author, and people from all walks of life letting their hair down to have a good time. Cindy, one of my new Picnic friends put it this way:  “We’re all here undercover from our regular lives and jobs to dance and have fun.” 

Some fans danced throughout the Picnic.  I crowned a new friend, Allegra, the “Boogie Woogie Dance Queen” of the Picnic.  I met a couple on their honeymoon and so many who had been coming back year after year.  When I said hello to Lightnin’ Malcolm in the audience, he summed it up simply when he said with a smile, “It’s just a party.” 

The party didn’t stop until midnight each night.  The dancing really picked up Friday night with more people arriving in the evening and the night time lineup of performers.  Hill Country Revue offered a rowdy southern rock infused version of the blues which was followed up by two exciting performances.  Burnside Exploration featured an intense Garry Burnside tearing up his guitar song after song.  Then Alvin Youngblood Hart played a set which had almost everyone at the event dancing.  His rocking fast paced blues grabbed hold of everyone and kept them moving.  Jimbo Mathus closed out the first night with a fun set of mixed blues and rock.  He was obviously one of the crowd favorites with a great many vocal fans.

Day two had an even more diverse lineup which included an impressive performance by the Eric Deaton Band.  This up and coming guitar player can do it all.  Everything from the soft touch and beauty of melodic playing to the hard edged blues numbers.  The big surprise for me

was the energy and excitement brought on by Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band.  Ms. Thomas comes in a small package but she quickly held the audience in her hand. They responded to her playing with wild enthusiasm.  The last four acts of the Picnic were all barn burners.  The North Mississippi All Stars whipped the crowd into a frenzy as did the high energy country blues of Blue Mountain.  DuWayne Burnside put on an aggressive performance and Kenny Brown closed out his own event with a rocking, dance party set of blues that never let up for a moment.

After just two days on a North Mississippi farm I’ve made a large number of new friends and have a new appreciation for the various blues styles of North Mississippi.  What a wonderful mix of great music!  More impressive still was my discovery that the towns of North Mississippi are such a close knit community despite being spread out over a couple hundred miles.  Many of the people I spoke to knew up to a dozen people sitting all around.

Between my experience in Clarksdale and these two days at the Picnic, I really feel as though I’ve found a new home away from home.  The North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic was a very public event but somehow, even as an outsider, it felt more like a family reunion.  I am now hooked on Mississippi.  I’ll be back in MS soon for the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in Clarksdale and the Otha Turner Family Picnic in Senetobia MS.  Both events take place in August.  I’m sure I’ll be welcomed warmly by my new friends and whoever I meet at these events.

At this point you should already have your calendar out to mark next years’ Hill Country Picnic.  If not, what are you waiting for?

DON’T MISS ANOTHER ONE!  

COME ON DOWN TO THE NEXT NORTH MISSISSIPPI HILL COUNTRY PICNIC!  

All photos copyright bluespowerphoto.com / Ray Proetto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2010 Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival