 
The Mississippi native talks about his club in Clarksdale According to blues lore, Clarksdale, Mississippi, is where it all began. Here, on the floodplain of the Delta, John Lee Hooker got in the mood and Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. The Clarksdale folks are proud of their blues heritage and still know how to sweat it out on warm Saturday nights. On Saturday, April 19, they’re inviting the rest of us to join in on their fun at the city’s annual Juke Joint Festival (jukejointfestival.com). Throughout the day, and into the night, live music will stream through the spring air from every bar, lounge, and restaurant. Even barbershops will get in the mix. Without a doubt, the most famous joint in town is the one with the most famous owner. Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club, which he co-owns with his pal, Clarksdale attorney Bill Luckett, has huge local and international appeal. People come from all over for a taste of Super Chikan or Bill Perry, house regulars. And when the crowds come, they bring their dancing shoes. “We not only permit but we encourage dancing on the bar and tables, or any available surfaces,” Luckett says. Freeman is passionate about the blues, but he’s even more in love with Clarksdale and the Delta. G&G was able to chat with Freeman about Clarksdale, the club, and what beer he drinks. Garden & Gun: Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, did you listen to Delta blues music? Morgan Freeman: I did hear Blues while growing up. My grandmother was my guardian while I was in my formative years. She frowned upon my getting near any juke joints and told me they were “buckets of blood.” Of course, I still managed to hear some of the music coming from them. G&G: Are there any particular artists or blues songs that inspire you? MF: I generally like all the artists, but in more recent years I have come to like Bobby “Blue” Bland. G&G: How did you and Bill Luckett cook up the idea for Ground Zero Blues Club? MF: When I decided to move back home, my wife and I built a home a few miles outside of Charleston, Mississippi. G&G: There’s a Charleston in Mississippi? MF: Charleston is a very small town. Population approximately two thousand. I met my good friend Bill because my wife and I needed an attorney. Bill lives in Clarksdale. [We] hit it off and we became close friends. We started “dating.” His wife, Francine, and my wife, Myrna, and the two of us would go out in search of fine dining and entertainment. Bill and I decided to open a restaurant and blues club together and now we own Madidi [his other club in Clarksdale] and Ground Zero Blues Club. G&G: So do you ever just go “hang out” at the club? MF: I love to visit. In the early years it was relatively easy for me to move about inside the club. I like dancing. However, in later years, the crowd pressure has become rather oppressive and it has been more and more difficult for me to hang out. G&G: What kinds of folks show up at Ground Zero Blues Club? MF: Our patrons come from all over the world. We truly are branded on an international scale. Most are fans of blues music. We have everyone from Fortune 500 board chairmen to, just the other night, the chairman of the United States House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee, who was playing his guitar on our stage. Bikers love our place — everybody loves our place. G&G: Have you ever caught a priest or a rabbi getting a drink? MF: We have a local Catholic priest come in occasionally and I’ll bet we’ve probably had some rabbis. There is tremendous diversity from both a racial and socioeconomic perspective. Somebody wrote Bill an e-mail one time and said the place was “no frills, no fakes, just pure authentic enjoyment.” G&G: What kind of music is playing when you walk through the doors? Is it all blues all the time? MF: We do venture out into some “boogie-woogie” and a little bit of country blues. We had Willie Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis perform. G: Does the house have a signature drink? MF: Several. The Electric Blues Man is one. G&G: We’ll try it. What do you drink? MF: I drink vodka, and two brands of beer: Guinness and Rolling Rock. G&G: Can we buy you a drink sometime? MF: Sure, but you’ll have to come to Ground Zero Blues Club to buy it for me. Buy one for Bill too! groundzerobluesclub.com ALABAMA Protected Playground Forever Wild, Alabama’s recreational land conservation program, has been making some noise. The initiative, which has been quietly acquiring and protecting land throughout the state since 1992, finally hit the mother lode in fall 2007 with the acquisition of nearly ten thousand acres along the Coosa River. “For a variety of reasons the amount of land available to the public for hunting and recreational use has steadily declined,” says Gregory Lein of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “This beautiful tract of land offers wonderful recreational opportunities and has important environmental protection aspects as well.” The conservation easement not only provides hunting, fishing, hiking, and equestrian opportunities, but also protects the rare mountain longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered large areas of the state but has been quickly diminishing. Hancock Timber Resource Group, which facilitated the easement, will assist the transition back to a lush longleaf forest by gradually removing loblolly pine in the area over the next ten years. The land acquisition will also help protect the rare and endangered red cockaded woodpecker. “This tract supports the last unprotected population of red cockaded woodpecker in Alabama … outside of the National Forest System. Our goal is to manage the woodpecker’s habitat in such a way that the birds continue to live there and interact with the populations a short distance away in Talladega National Forest,” Lein says. outdooralabama.com ARKANSAS Welcome to Trout Town The folks who come to Cotter to fish the White River have only good things to say, and such fanfare isn’t surprising. The self-proclaimed Trout Capital USA is home to exquisite trophy rainbow, brown, brook, and cutthroat trout throughout the season. Cotter will celebrate its healthy fish population April 18 and 19 with the Great Cotter Trout Festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival is the perfect way to introduce children to the sport. The banks of the river fill with events and programs just for kids, and the great hiking, canoeing, and kayaking opportunities, along with exhibits, food, and musical entertainment, will keep the rest of the family occupied as well. cotterarkansas.com CARIBBEAN Raw Fun A new resort and yacht club on Eleuthera Island promises a more authentic Bahamian getaway. Powell Pointe Resort is more about action and island culture than amenities, so it’s definitely not for everyone. Forty-five hundred acres of private land and water dedicated to sport fishing, boating, hiking, and snorkeling won’t disappoint the sporting set. Spa rats and luxury vacationers will prefer the Ritz Carlton-owned Abaco Club on Winding Bay. capeeleuthera.com FLORIDA Food Meets Film New York’s “bad boy of cuisine,” Anthony Bourdain, will hit the Orlando area March 28 through April 6 for the Florida Film Festival. The host of the Travel Channel’s food and travel show No Reservations, and best-selling author of the exposé Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, is known for his candid opinions of the culinary world. As special guest of this year’s festival, Bourdain will join other culinary masters in a whirlwind of palate-pleasing events and the screening of one hundred and fifty films at several venues. Now in its seventeenth year, the Florida Film Festival has become a screening place of choice for international filmmakers, and this year’s culinary “Eat It Up” theme is sure to draw foodies from all over. For a real no-frills look at restaurant dining from the guy who’s seen it all, don’t miss Bourdain’s March 29 talk titled “Kitchen Confidential.” floridafilmfestival.com GEORGIA Well-Rounded Has any state inspired more songs than Georgia? It’s certainly a muse for a variety of genres, and the perfect host for a musical arts festival that runs the gamut. From March 20 through April 5, the Savannah Music Festival will showcase classical, blues, Brazilian, bluegrass, Cajun, Americana, rock, and even pop music. Don’t miss Audra McDonald on Friday, March 28. The four-time Tony-winning performer delivers flawlessly smooth vocals every time. Ticket prices vary by performance. savannahmusicfestival.org KENTUCKY Horsing Around Back in December, one Lexington local said, “We’ve been turning the town upside down getting ready for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.” That much preparation is bound to pay off. The annual equestrian competition is the only Four Star (Olympic) level three-day event in the country. Professional riders from around the world will saddle up at the Kentucky Horse Park for the three primary stages of competition — the dressage test, the cross-country ride, and arena jumping. Lexington’s all dressed up and julep season is around the corner, so slip on something seersucker and take a seat. rk3de.org LOUISIANA Jazzing It Up The iconic New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is back with a bang this year, showcasing some of the best talent and food from the state and the country. This year’s festival will be a triumphant and emotional return to the annual celebration as it was pre-Katrina. Now, in its first year back to a full seven-day bash, the festival is offering a new VIP opportunity called the Grand Marshal Pass, which allows exclusive access to the event’s three main stages. And with an all-star lineup that includes NOLA favorites the Neville Brothers and famed country crooner Tim McGraw, front and center is the place to be. As a Louisiana native, McGraw is thrilled to take part in the return of Jazz Fest. “I am honored to have been asked to participate in this year’s event, also my first,” says McGraw. If the musical talent doesn’t reel you in, the world-class culinary offerings just might. Over two hundred food booths showcase some of New Orleans’ best dishes. Insiders say the must-taste is the cochon de lait (pulled pork) po’boy. Jazz Fest straddles two weekends, April 25-27 and May 1-4. nojazzfest.com MISSISSIPPI For the Birds In an essay from The Art of Walter Anderson, Mary Anderson Pickard writes about the famous naturalist’s passion for art, which was “fed on the infinite images of sea, earth, and sky.” Pickard should know — she is Anderson’s daughter. While formally studying painting in France, the elder Anderson was more influenced by the cave drawings he saw near Les Eyzies than the traditional pieces that hung in Parisian museums. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs is hosting a new exhibit entitled “Holes in Heaven”: The Ornithological Art of Walter Anderson. Running through May 11, it features artwork that focuses on the birds of the Gulf Coast region. walterandersonmuseum.org Bridget Herman NORTH CAROLINA The Avett Brothers Turn It Up Exploding onto the national music scene with their attention-grabbing fusion of rockabilly, folk-punk, and bluegrass, the Avett Brothers have put their hometown of Concord, North Carolina, on the musical map. With their boots, beards, and rollicking live performances, the boys (Scott Avett on guitar, Seth Avett on banjo, and Bob Crawford on stand-up bass) embody everything that is hip about the South. Their songs celebrate wanderlust, wild adventures, and their love of pretty girls. “We do write a lot of songs about pretty girls, but ‘pretty’ is a broad term in our book,” explains bassist Crawford. “We meet a lot of women and men traveling around like we do, and we’re inspired by their strengths, where they come from, how they carry themselves. A lot of our music comes from the lives of the people we meet.” The group made its debut performance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien last summer after releasing its latest album, Emotionalism. Since then, things have heated up for the Avett Brothers, who have won the Group of the Year and Emerging Artist awards from the American Music Association. Attend one frantic live performance of the Avett Brothers and it’s easy to see what the buzz is about. “Our fans are a blowing storm,” Crawford declares. “Playing a show in Charlotte is like being lifted up onto somebody’s shoulders for a few hours.” That storm has carried the boys all over the South and beyond. When asked about the grassroots support they’ve received, Crawford laughs and says, “You know what’s funny? Wherever we go in the world — Scotland, England, California — we have people yelling, ‘I’m from Albemarle!’ or ‘I’m from Winston [-Salem]!’ No matter where we go, people from North Carolina are there. It’s a special thing.” theavettbrothers.com Bridget Herman SOUTH CAROLINA Nature Girl Spend five minutes talking with Beth Coiner about jewelry and you’ll know she’s no joke. The petite dancer turned designer exudes the natural warmth, wisdom, and confidence of an old soul. She’s young, but she’s been around. Coiner established and ran her own modern dance company in New York before setting her sights on metalwork and coming south to Charleston. After training and perfecting her techniques, Coiner’s entrepreneurial spirit reemerged and she launched bec, a line of hand-crafted gold and silver jewelry, spiced up with precious and semiprecious stones. “I initially wanted the name to be androgynous so that the line would appeal to both men and women, but the collection has taken on a more feminine look,” she says. The name is simple: It’s her initials, lowercased for added flair. The pieces in Coiner’s spring collection are like her, delicate, slightly funky, and all about nature. She finds inspiration in everything from a miniature sheep cast from a model train set to a bird’s nest. Her most intricate design involved actually creating casts out of cedar leaves for a pair of amazingly detailed earrings and pendants for a two-toned gold and silver chain necklace. becmetalwork.com TENNESSEE One Pair at a Time This spring, when you purge your closets of life’s random gifts and purchases, set aside your gently worn shoes for a good cause. The Nashville-based charity Soles4Souls, whose motto is Changing the World One Pair at a Time, collects shoes for shoeless people throughout the world. With more than a million pairs of shoes donated to Hurricane Katrina victims, and several million more distributed among the shoeless in thirty-eight countries, the group has proved that the worldwide need for proper footwear is great. Without it, puncture wounds, cuts, and disease are daily threats. So, if your old running shoes have a few more miles left on them, there are plenty of people out there who would love to take them for a spin. soles4souls.org TEXAS Ropin’ and Ridin’ There are a few exceptions to the saying that “everything is bigger in Texas,” but the rodeo isn’t one of them. Texans know how to pull on some tight jeans and dusty boots and give the ladies a sexy, George Strait-style tilt of their cowboy hats, but they also know how to get rowdy. During the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, they bring their A-game. This year, the best men and women in the business will ride some serious bulls for some serious cash: a grand prize of $1.3 million. The Livestock Show and Rodeo runs at Reliant Park from March 3 through 22 and is packed with more star performances and smelly farm animals than we could possibly hope for. Catch Rascal Flatts on March 11, and the Beefmaster Cattle Sale on March 13. hlsr.com Diving into History Dive deep off the shores of South Padre Island and you’ll find the Gulf of Mexico’s newly sunken artificial reef, a 473-foot ship with a whole lot of history. The vessel first launched in 1944 as the USS Queens, a WWII transport and attack ship. Her post-war career as a luxury ocean liner lasted only a few years before she was recommissioned by Texas A&M as a maritime training vessel, and sailed as the USTS Texas Clipper. In her new role as marine-life ecosystem, the ship will gradually become home to reef fish such as grouper and snapper, and stomping ground for shark and billfish. Fishing and diving in the Gulf just got a little bit better. VIRGINIA Historic Roots Garden aficionados and architecture buffs welcome spring with the opening of more than two hundred and fifty private homes, gardens, and historic landmarks across the Commonwealth during the 75th annual Historic Garden Week, April 19 through 27. The sites on tour date as far back as the Colonial era, and include the University of Virginia Pavilion Gardens, James River plantations, historic Alexandria, and country homes and gardens of Charlottesville’s Greenwood area. Many gardens feature flower arranging lessons and musical entertainment, and the homes on tour contain some of the finest art collections and examples of interior design in the country. vagardenweek.org Duvall Osteen On the Fly Fly fishing isn’t often accompanied by live music and wine; maybe an iPod and a six-pack, but not bands and Burgundies. On April 19 and 20, the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival will break the mold by entertaining outdoor enthusiasts on the banks of Waynesboro’s South River with fishing activities, lectures, live music, and wine from eight of Virginia’s finest vineyards. The festival strives to introduce people to the exciting world of fly fishing and to educate all anglers on the need for conservation initiatives that target our rivers and streams. Half of all profits from the festival go into river restoration work on the South River. The family-friendly event includes casting lessons, fly tying demonstrations, and lectures on kayaking. Fishing guides and experts, including Orvis staffers and renowned West Virginia guide Bryan Kelly, will add their two cents. Beau Beasley, contributing editor for Fly Fish America and author of Fly Fishing Virginia: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters, will serve as the festival’s director this year. vaflyfishingfestival.org Sarah Drysdale WASHINGTON, D. C. Capital Blossoms In March 1912 Japan gifted some three thousand cherry trees to the citizens of Washington, D.C., in a sign of friendship, and Americans have been celebrating ever since. From March 29 through April 13, the nation’s capital will officially welcome spring and commemorate the Taft-era gift once again with the seventy-fourth annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. Opportunities throughout the two-week celebration include guided walking and river tours, as well as a series of events that culminate with the festival parade on April 12. Don’t like crowds? Leave the tour guides (and mouthy tourists) behind and take a solitary stroll through the blossoming city. You’ll save some dough, and your sanity, along the way. nationalcherryblossomfestival.org WEST VIRGINIA Head Outdoors When the warblers and songbirds begin to fill the sky, West Virginians have added incentives to head outdoors. The Division of Natural Resources (DNR) moves its spring trout-stocking program into full effect, stocking streams throughout the state on a weekly basis. Spring turkey season begins officially on April 28 and runs through May 24 this year, but bring the kids out for a special one-day Youth Spring Hunting Season on Saturday, April 26. And for women who want a taste of the wild, the nationally known “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” workshops will be held at North Bend State Park from April 18 through 20. The program’s workshops encourage women to take a more active part in the outdoors and the sporting life. wvdnr.gov EVERYWHERE Feed the Need Since its launch in early October 2007, freerice.com has donated more than seven billion grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. The concept is remarkably simple: Test your vocabulary and help the crusade to end world hunger. For each word you define correctly, the site will donate twenty grains of rice. The money generated by the Web site’s ads is used to purchase the rice, so the only cost to you is the time it takes to expand your vocabulary. What better way to end world hunger? freerice.com Duvall Osteen Art, Oscars, and a Few Antiques Carleton Varney, the renowned interior designer and book author, is so busy he hardly knows whether he’s coming or going, but talk to him about his bold and whimsical style and he never misses a beat. Speaking with him over the phone at his New York headquarters, I told him that I spend every Christmas at the Greenbrier, and had drinks at the Waldorf Towers for a quick “Varney fix” during my last stay in New York. “Why, thank you,” he says. “I’m always very surprised to hear it. The other day I found a copy of In the Pink on eBay that I had signed and drawn a little doodle on, going for over $100. I had no idea my little doodles were worth so much.” In the Pink is Varney’s latest book on the iconic decorator and Varney mentor Dorothy Draper. The Museum of the City of New York honored Draper in 2006 with an exhibit titled The High Style of Dorothy Draper, which coincided with the release of Varney’s book. I saw the exhibit twice, I tell him. “Really? Well, you know it’s opening in Fort Lauderdale in February.” After a stint in Dallas, the exhibit, which will run through June 23 at the city’s Museum of Art, will give Floridians a peek at the designer’s quirky and colorful style, and a look into Varney’s designs as well. “Probably the biggest thing we’re doing right now is the Green Room for the Oscars. How big is that room?” he asks his assistant. A voice in the background starts speaking to Varney. It doesn’t know how big the room is. “Anyway, it’s connected directly to the stage, so it will get a lot of attention,” he says enthusiastically. “Well, what about the South?” I ask, nudging him back on track. I initially called Varney to discuss his participation in Charleston, South Carolina’s annual International Antiques Show. He’s been named honorary chair of the event, which he declares “is probably one of the nicest ones. Even better than the New York shows.” The event coincides with the kickoff of Charleston’s annual Festival of Houses and Gardens. Both events are hosted by the Historic Charleston Foundation and draw stylish, international crowds. Indeed, Charleston’s International Antiques Show will, once again, host an impressive list of world-renowned dealers this year, all of whom will be introduced by Varney when he officially opens the show on Friday, March 14. Asked how his affection for fine antiques has influenced his work as a designer, Varney laughs uncontrollably before taking an international call. Caroline McCoy |
||||||||
