Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads

Wade’s Barber Shop, Clarksdale in the deep South of the United States of America : in Wade Walton’s hand, the razor rubs against the leather strap, producing a steady rhythm under the wide eyes of an impressed Robert Palmer – author of the world-famous book Deep Blues, which traces the history of the blues from the slave communities centuries ago to the present day.  That particular sound has become the hallmark of the barber and musician whose clients and friends include some of the most renowned figures of the genre. An old school guitar replaces the makeshift instrument as he interprets his 60’s song “Rock Me Baby”. One last note, Walton’s voice fades away and it is now time for Palmer to hit the road again.

Accompanied on his journey by Dave Stewart, a member of the world-famous duo Eurythmics, the writer travels to the deep South to meet a whole generation of bluesmen and women who have inherited the traditional Delta blues. Backed mainly by guitars and harmonicas, the instruments are as simple as the lyrics are profound and powerful : in bars, record shops, in the back of pickup trucks, in gardens or on ranches, Delta blues is everywhere, like the haunting shadow of a past that is recalled under the fingers of the inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta.