In this episode, we continue our captivating journey through the Mississippi Delta, a land steeped in blues music, cultural heritage, and the unexpected. From meeting the blues in person in Leland, to an unexpected encounter with the world’s most famous frog, to an accidentally famous restaurant in Greenwood and its courageous waiter, to the spiritual birthplace of Stokely Carmichael’s calls for “Black power,” and the last nights of Robert Johnson and Emmett Till, prepare to have your perceptions screwed up for good. As we navigate east along US 278 from Greenville to Greenwood, I invite you to join me as we explore the profound stories the Delta has to tell. Welcome to “The Detourist.”
[0:00] Leland, Mississippi: The Land of Blues
[1:20] It’s Not Easy Being Green in The Mississippi Delta
[2:13] The Muppets Take Mississippi
[4:36] All the Blues Come About on Account of Cotton
[7:14] The Troubling Beauty of the Mississippi Delta
[8:14] Greenwood: Capital of the Cotton Kingdom
[10:38] Southern Restaurants are Never Just about the Food: Lusco’s
[12:04] Booker Wright: “Double Consciousness” In the Flesh
[15:25] “Black Power” Hits Primetime
[20:34] The Delta, Land of Unlearning
[22:02] The Last Nights of Robert Johnson and Emmett Till
5 / Greenwood: Citadel of the Cotton Kingdom, Land of Unlearning