Life After 50: May 2026

Mississippi Blues Trail~ Red's & Ground Zero

Reds is a fantastic spot to relax and enjoy blues music. The venue's aged, weathered, and funky atmosphere lends itself to an authentic Mississippi juke joint experience. As one of the few remaining original juke joints in the Mississippi Delta, Reds is a rare find. We arrived before the scheduled opening time, but the staff kindly allowed us to enter while Lightning Malcolm treated us to a private performance. In the vicinity, Ground Zero is another well-known juke joint in the Mississippi Delta. Morgan Freeman's concept for Ground Zero Blues Club was to create a space where people from all walks of life could gather to experience the blues. The Painted Perkins Foundation provides support to emerging musicians and offers care and safety to elderly musicians. During our visit, they organized a silent auction and various activities to raise funds for the foundation. I am thrilled to have had the chance to support this worthy cause. At the end of the night, when we walked out of Ground Zero, we heard music playing but couldn’t see where they were. We followed the sound, and it was a musician playing behind his van on the sidewalk. This night has been a great night that I will never forget.

Mississippi Blues Trail ~ Blue Front Cafe

My travels along the Mississippi Blues Trail have been a profoundly enriching experience, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in the region's rich blues heritage. We owe a debt of gratitude to Marcia Goodwin Adams for her tireless efforts in coordinating our travel arrangements, including securing accommodations and dining recommendations. The caliber of blues musicians she has arranged to perform at each stop has been exceptional. This particular stop will be a memorable experience, thanks to the insightful history lessons shared by the celebrated Jimmy "Duck" Holmes. I strongly encourage exploring this historic site, which has a long tradition of hosting blues musicians who generously perform without charge. Our gifted Bobby Blackmon also had the opportunity to perform alongside Jimmy.

The Holmes family operated under a tangled set of local rules during the segregation era. The Blue Front was subject to a 10 p.m. town curfew, but at the height of cotton gathering and ginning season, the café might stay open 24 hours a day to serve shifts of workers around the clock. The Blue Front could not serve Coca-Cola; nor could black customers purchase it or other items reserved for whites anywhere in Bentonia. African Americans were allowed only brands such as Nehi and Double Cola. Still, white customers regularly bought bootleg corn liquor at the back door of the café. After integration, the Blue Front boasted its own Coca-Cola sign.

Music at the Blue Front was often impromptu and unannounced.

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes assumed ownership of the Blue Front after his father Carey died in 1970. Mary Holmes, who cooked at the cafe, died in 1998. The Blue Front replaced a wooden structure that housed a market at this site in the 1940s.

Nehemiah “Skip” James was Bentonia’s most renowned blues singer. His 22-20 Blues, recorded in 1931, was the inspiration for Robert Johnson’s 32-20 Blues of 1936. He played guitar and piano at the Blue Front during one of his periodic stays in Bentonia (1948-53). Bentonia guitarist Jack Owens was part of the filming of a 1995 commercial for Levi’s ‘501 Blues' shot at the Blue Front.

All 16 of us from The Villages Blues Society here at The Blue Front Cafe