Music about or inspired by the Mississippi River
August is prime vacation time in these parts, those parts being along the Upper Mississippi River, so what better time to feature songs that celebrate the good times to be had along the river? We'll start with one of my personal favorites, Mississippi Mud, by Hank Williams III. There was a time not too long
Gifted songwriter and musician JJ Cale died of Friday. If you don't recognize his name, you probably know songs of his, like Cocaine and After Midnight, both made famous by Eric Clapton. Cale grew up in Oklahoma and judging from his body of work, he knew a thing or two about the Mississippi River. In
We end boat month with a tune from Memphis's The Amazing Rhythm Aces. The Ella B was released on their debut album, Stacked Deck, in 1975, and it just might inspire you to find a way to hop on a boat for a leisurely cruise on the river. Hey, you still have the rest of
Shanty Boat on the Mississippi Jimmy Murphy was a talented musician who had little commercial success, a familiar story. He first released Shanty Boat Blues on his 1951 album Electricity, but put out a bluesier version of the song for the 1978 reissue; I like them both, but I think the more recent
JD Crowe and the New South Boat month continues with a classic bluegrass tune from a classic bluegrass artist. Mississippi River Raft was released by J.D. Crowe and the New South on their 2006 CD called Lefty's Old Guitar. Listening to this you can almost feel yourself slowly floating down the river with
It's a new month, so it's time to leave June's mud theme in the dust and pick up a new one: how about songs about boats? We'll kick it off with a tune from the Okee Dokee Brothers, who spent part of their summer in 2011 canoeing on the Mississippi River for fun and for
