I took a road trip to the Mississippi Delta because I had never been there, never planned to go there, and never though much of what it would be like to visit there, but I adore Blues music and the stories of so many of the people who moved from the Delta to my home city of Chicago. I stayed in Memphis and cut south the morning after a long drive that saw me wind down the Mississippi River, driving through the remnants of a hurricane, the worst storm I've ever been caught in on the road.
I found out that the location of Muddy Waters' house -- the place he lived until his early 30s -- has a historical plaque, so with Mannish Boy filling my car and the air of a warm Mississippi spring morning coming through my open windows, I drove around rural Mississippi looking to make a pilgrimmage. I found the spot, a quiet intersetcion well outside of Clarksdale, had a look around, found a four-leaf clover, and spent a few minutes with the memory of one of the greatest musicians I know.