Today is the birthday of Bix Beiderbecke, the cornet virtuoso from Davenport, Iowa. As a child, Bix used to sneak down to the levee to hear the music coming from the riverboats, which was mostly jazz at that time. On one of those trips, he heard a young Louis Armstrong. Years later, Bix played a gig
I'm going to see William Elliott Whitmore perform at the end of this month, so this seems like a good time to highlight one of his songs. Will grew up just north of Keokuk, Iowa on a blufftop farm overlooking the Mississippi River, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's written a song or
This month I've been posting links to exceptional songs about the Mississippi River that were recorded by African American musicians, in honor of Black History Month. Proud Mary was written by John Fogerty and first recorded by CCR in 1969, but I prefer the version cut by Ike and Tina Turner a couple of years
Population (2010) 194 Introduction Diamond Bluff is a quiet residential community that is about a mile long but only a few blocks wide sandwiched between the railroad tracks and the river. Visitor Information Contact Pierce County Partners in Tourism (715.273.7799). History
Population (2010) 51,320 Introduction I’m not the least bit objective about La Crosse, and I won’t pretend to be. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and feel in love with the city and the region. It's the place where I learned how to live and
Population (2010) 253 Introduction Genoa is a rarity in the US: a rural village with a strong Italian identity. Although that identity may be somewhat less salient today, as you explore the immediate area you will encounter plenty of tangible reminders of it. Visitor Information If
