Day 8 Mississippi, Rawge plays live at WAGB Radio, 860 on your AM dial

Momma Don't Allow No Saggin' Around Here
I had a great drive back towards Greenwood. I had lunch at Sanders Grocery in Minder City. The sign on the door said, "If Your Pants Aint Pulled All The Way Up, Don't Come In here".  I was hungry, so I pulled my pants way up, Steve Erckle style just in case, and went in. The place was ran by Miss Charletta and Miss Susan. I had a Hickory sausage sandwich, fried okra and sweet tea. I asked if I could get it to go. She said yes, but we'd be happier if you ate it "right here with us".  So I did and got to talk a while. These ladies reminded me that today was Jun 3, the day Billie Jo MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge .
 

Ode To Billy Joe
I decided to drive down to the Tallahatchie bridge and have a look around, since it was June 3. I sat around in the sweltering heat, pondering the sad and mysterious lyrics of a southern Gothic tale about a young man's suicide at this very spot and on this very day, about 40 years ago.

It was the third of June,
another sleepy, dusty Delta day.
I was out choppin' cotton
and my brother was balin' hay.
And at dinner time we stopped,
and we walked back to the house to eat.
And mama hollered at the back door
"y'all remember to wipe your feet."
And then she said she got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge
Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Papa said to mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas,
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense,
pass the biscuits, please."
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow."
Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow.
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge,
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show.
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece of apple pie, you know it don't seem right.
I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge,
And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?
I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite.
That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today,
Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday. Oh, by the way,
He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo.
There was a virus going 'round, papa caught it and he died last spring,
And now mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything.
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge,
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge.


Rawge Live at WABG radio!

On the way back to my shack,  I saw a car parked at the WABG radio station, so I went up to the door to see if I could have a look at the inside. It was tiny, and looks identical to the little station where the Soggy Bottom Boys got paid to sing into a can. I was greeted by Mr. Poe, the owner of the station. He invited me in and told me all about the station. As we talked, he would cut over and introduce the next record. He asked me if I would do a live interview about my trip through the Delta. Of course I jumped at the chance. He asked all about my trip, what I do for a living, what all I've seen, etc. Then it happened... he asked me to get my guitar and play a song. I tried to say no, that I was way too scared for something like that, but he insisted. Something kept flashing in the back of my head about you only live once. So, I went out and got the $50 piece of junk guitar I had bought a couple of days earlier and sat down. With no practice or warming up, I was playing and singing (actually murmering) "I'll Fly Away".  I can say with no hesitation, it was the worst that I have ever played or sang. I was so nervous my leg was bouncing and my throat felt like someone had a grip around it. But I muddled through it. We chatted a little more and finished up and he went started another record. Dang! I may be the only person in California that has played a gospel song live on WABG in Greenwood Mississippi. :) He is having an evengalist host on Sunday morning and Mr. Poe asked my to stop by and perhaps he can play some songs from our Holy Road CD. You can listen via the web at www.awsomeam.com

I'm going to try to make that happen if I can fit in in before or after church. I've been invited to attend church service at the Jones Temple Missionary Baptist church outside of Greenville. How could I pass that up?

"We Heard You On The Radio"

About an hour later, I was sitting in my shack, still a little shaky, when I got a knock on my door. Of course, I don't know anyone here, so it was a bit of a surprise. I answered the door and the guy standing there said, "Hey man, we heard you on the radio a wall-a-go. We got a bunch of guitar players over in the other shack, come on over and hang out with us." I went over and met about a half dozen musicians and we all had a pretty good laugh at my shaky live and impromptu performance

They're playing here for their 40 year class reunion. They had been playing together since the 1960's and had recorded a few albums. These guys had played with everyone you could think of, from Tom Petty to the Yardbirds. They had a room full of nice guitars. The leader of the group, Sid Herring, has a band called The Gants (http://www.thegants.com/1stpage.html). These are a cool bunch of guys and now every time I walk out side, Chad hollers, "Rawge! Come on over man!" I sat out all evening on their porch and listened to them talk about all their playing. Someone would say, "Hey remember that one song we played at so-and-so...." Then he'd grab a guitar and pound out a song.  They made a run into town and came back with a barrel full of genuine Mississippi Hot Tamales. We had a nice evening, playing music, eating Hot tamales, and talking about the south.