This past weekend’s Grassroots Blues festival in Duck Hill attracted a sizable and diverse crowd.
There were the young, the old, those who were new to Blues and, of course, the Blues veterans in attendance. No matter who you were, though, it was impossible not to be wooed by the warm air, the delicious barbeque, and the great music.
“We thought it was great,” said Al White, event coordinator.
One attendee, Glenn Trotter of Duck Hill, said that this weekend made his third or fourth year coming to the event.
“It’s a great tradition,” he said. “It’s a really nice thing to go out and see.”
A couple, Equanda and Ray Vaughn, had traveled much further than Trotter for the same reasons.
“We have really been enjoying it,” said Equanda Vaughn
The Vaughns live in Rolling Fork, about 100 miles from Duck Hill. Their first experience with the festival was four years ago. They had missed the advertisement for the event in subsequent years, but made it their mission to make it out this year. They were most excited about the opportunity to see the legendary Willie Cobbs.
Cobbs, 86, has been performing the Blues for more than 60 years. His most iconic song, “You Don’t Love Me,” has been covered and recorded by dozens of artists from several genres of music.
Other notable artists and bands included O.G. Pocket and the House Cat, the Oxford All Stars, Little Willie Farmer of Duck Hill, and another local favorite, Barry “Pine” Blakely of Winona.
