CAT HEAD

"LIVE" BLUES THIS WEEK (and beyond)...

Our "Live Music" page has just been updated: http://www.cathead.biz/livemusic.html
- Includes Ground Zero's big New Year's Eve bash! (Also, check out www.groundzerobluesclub.com for the next month and half of great music...)

1. MEETINGS IN CLARKSDALE THIS WEEK:

- The Sunflower River Blues Association will meet TONIGHT Wed., Nov. 19 at 6pm at the Delta Blues Museum. If you are a member or someone thinking of joining, please come to the meeting. If you like what you see, then come back next time. If not, that's cool, too. We really need more volunteers and great ideas! AGENDA includes the Fundraising Raffle and nominations for officers (including Co-Chairmen, Secretary and Treasurer). Please attend if you can.

- The Citizens for Clarksdale organization will also meet tonight at the Carnegie Public Library, 5:30 pm.

- The "Crossroads Biker & Blues" festival organizers will meet at the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday night.

2. WROX BLUES RADIO HAS GONE GLOBAL...

- If you have DSL or cable, you can now listen to WROX Clarksdale blues radio (1450AM/92.1FM) at www.wroxblues.com. Scroll down to the bottom and click on the button on the left. It tells you what free-ware to download, etc. (Of course, being a rocket scientist myself, I couldn't get it to work on my computer, but I'm told it should.)

- Check out Steve Ladd's Good Morning Show weekdays from 6am-10am CST and Cat Head's own Cat Head Delta Blues Hour on Saturdays from 5pm-6pm. (This week's highlight for me was hearing Big George Brock and CeDell Davis back-to-back on Steve's AM show.)

3. SPEND NEW YEAR'S EVE IN CLARKSDALE..

Why watch this year's festivities on the tube or spends tons of cash on a high society thing??! Max out your New Year's Eve this year with a visit to Clarksdale, Mississippi. You can fly into Memphis (or come by train) and drive (or come by bus) to C'dale. We've got a list of hotel's at the end of our "Guide to Clarksdale" on the www.cathead.biz web site.

Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club has a special night of juke joint blues planned featuring Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, Paul "Wine" Jones, James "T-Model" Ford and Jimbo Mathus Knockdown Society. You won't want to miss it. Of course, if you already live here, your decision is super easy on this one.

(There is also talk of a blues jam or two going on in town on New Year's Day.)

4. RECENT DELTA BLUES HAPPENINGS...

- Clarksdale had a lunch-time blues overdose this past Saturday as Steve Cheseborough played Ground Zero and Wesley Jefferson Band played out front of Cat Head. It was all part of the kick-off to C'dale's downtown "Holly Days" events. WABG TV as well as photographers Bill Steber and Butch Ruth were on hand to record the event.

- Big T tore it up for two nights at Red's Lounge while The Deep Cuts held down the fort at Ground Zero. Jimbo Mathus also played a couple nights up in Oxford.

- Friends held a public birthday party for Jessie Mae Hemphill at the Como Steakhouse in Como, MS last night. Slick Ballinger and Blind Mississippi Morris tore it up, I'm told. Happy birthday to a cool lady.

5. CAT HEAD DELTA BLUES & FOLK ART...

Special Holiday Gift Guide:
(stuff we really like under $50)
- Deep Blues DVD, $18
- Bobby Rush Live at Ground Zero CD/DVD combo, $20
- Anything from Fat Possum Records! ($5 to $17... tapes, albums, CDs, posters, tees and caps)
- Lowdown Dirty Mississippi Delta Blues compilation CD, $16
- Rough Guide to Delta Blues CD, $16
- Cat Head/Crossroads T-shirt (white or black; short or long sleeve), $16
- Cat Head cap (various colors), $20
- Charley Patton poster, $20
- Blues Traveling guide book by Steve Cheseborough, $18
- Delta Land B&W photo book by Maude Schuyler Clay, $35
- "Crossroads" woodend scupture by local folk artist Willie Kinard, $40
- "Story stick" walking cane by local folk artist Rev. Nollie, $45
- Recycled ceiling tin face artwork by Alabama folk artist Butch Anthony, $45
- Clay bird artwork by Leland bluesman/folk artist Pat Thomas, $15
- Beer bottle cap cross by Water Valley folk artist McArthur Chism, $35

Email us for photos, availability, artist or shipping info. Order by email/fax/phone.

Upcoming Events at Cat Head (and on Delta Ave.):
- SAT., NOV. 29 - "Photos with Santa" in the park on Delta Avenue. PLUS, visit Cat Head for book signings for Maude Schuyler Clay's Delta Land (11am) and FREE "live" Delta blues by 76-year-old Cadillac John & Bill Abel (1pm).
- SAT., DEC. 6 - "No Sales Tax Day!" Shop the stores on Delta Avenue, and they'll pay the sales tax for you. PLUS, Jimbo Mathus plays blues, country and originals at Cat Head (12 noon) and author Harris Barnes signs his book Cotton (1pm).

6. CLARKSDALE NEWS COURTESY OF PRESS REGISTER...
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* Downtown merchants encouraged by holiday sales
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Hundreds of shoppers hit Delta Avenue Saturday for the first of several Holly Days events planned throughout the season.
(By EMILY Le COZ - Staff Writer)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10526583&BRD=2038&PAG=461&dept_id=230617
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* Downtown merchants to kick off Holly Days Saturday
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If sales don't improve this Christmas season, it may be the last year downtown merchants hold their annual Holly Days celebration.
(By EMILY Le COZ - Staff Writer)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10514693&BRD=2038&PAG=461&dept_id=230617
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* Retailers reaching out to Memphis market
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United by the common goal of boosting visitor traffic, owners of several Clarksdale tourist attractions will soon market themselves in Memphis.
(By EMILY Le COZ - Staff Writer)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10514700&BRD=2038&PAG=461&dept_id=230617
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* Motorcycle rally lacking sponsors
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Four months before Clarksdale's much-hyped motorcycle rally, organizers said they still haven't found any sponsors.
(By EMILY Le COZ - Staff Writer)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10509861&BRD=2038&PAG=461&dept_id=230617

7. CHECK OUT LELAND, MS BLUES ON-LINE...

A message from Leland musician Bobby "Blues" Rutledge:
"Well folks, my most recent blues is now streaming online at www.lelandbluespipeline.com. The song is a slide tune called "Bottle Tree Blues", and it was digitally filmed at Glenn Miller's home in Leland a little over a week ago. Glenn did a fine job with the video, using multiple camera angles and video filter effects......check it out! Just go to www.lelandbluespipeline.com and click on "Latest Updates" on the left. Once you arrive at my artist-profile page, click on "Sample Sessions" and give it a second to load. As I continue to expand my list of original songs, Glenn and I will be filming the performances for a "Sessions" DVD, which will be made available through the Pipeline and will feature private video-session footage including "Bottle Tree Blues". So go on and check it out, and I hope you enjoy it!" -Bobby

8. CLARKSDALE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT...

A message from Carrie Ledbetter:
Our Youth Inc. Basketball program is lacking children for this year's teams. Please if you know of any [Clarkdale area] children ages 9-12 please tell them final registration is Thursday, November 20th! The information is on our web site [www.ClarksdaleWebInfo.com]! Thanks.


9. SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION FOR CAT HEAD...

Not to waste your time, but here's an article that profiles the Cat Heads rise to corporate power and retreat to small town America: www.thecommonspace.org/2003/11/expatriates.php

(Incidentally, the crack about "high schools" is a St. Louis thing...)

10. KEYBOARD PLAYER LAWRENCE WRIGHT PASSES...

Born July 31st, 1927 ---- Died Thursday November 13th, 2003 at 10:00 PM. (Someone sent me this info. I believe he was from Kansas City and quite beloved by his fellow musicians.)

11. REGISTER TO WIN A FENDER GUITAR...

Check out the latest installment of Fender E-mail News at
the link above! Not only do we have a *great* new guitar
giveaway to tell you about, but we'll also let you know
how you can get your hands on a FREE Stratocaster(R) 50th
Anniversary lunchbox. Stop by and check it out!
http://www.fender.com/emailnews/v5_22/

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THANKS!