Some songs, for whatever reason, catch on quickly and stick around long enough to spawn generations of copies. Catfish Blues is one of those songs; with at least 200 recorded versions (according to the Encyclopedia of the Blues) it has a genealogy that rivals Brigham Young, just with fewer first cousin marriages. My extensive internet
I get around. I’ve visited every Mississippi River town from the Headwaters in northern Minnesota to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. One trend that I see is that, after a century of river towns turning their backs on their river, many are slowly pivoting back to their watery roots. But, a few towns are doing it much
When the Headwaters Dam Project was completed in the early 20th century, water levels went up on many lakes in northern Minnesota, including big ones like Cass and Winnibigoshish. The dams were supposed to increase the depth of the Mississippi River south of St. Paul to improve navigation for bigger boats during low water
I’m getting a helluva musical education by accident. Without any plan or forethought, I plunged into the idea of making a list of songs that have something to do with the Mississippi River. Now, 171 songs later, I’m amazed at how complicated this has become. One of the major complications is that I decided early
When I get to my car this morning, I find a flyer on my windshield, placed by an anonymous Scientologist, suggesting I take the church’s personality test (the “Oxford Capacity Analysis”), a queer mix of questions that run from vague to confusing to silly. Do you have a tendency to tidy up a disorder
It’s the last day of August, but it feels more like October. The sky is a monotonous grey, and the air has barely warmed above 65° F (18° C); with the light breeze and intermittent mist, I’m wishing I had a sweater. In spite of the clouds and moisture, I’m about to get in
