The Mississippi Delta Meets the Jersey Shore
May 19, 2023
Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation Launches new MS Delta/Jersey Shore series
Hazlet, NJ, May 19, 2023—The Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation (JSJBF), a non-profit organization supporting and preserving jazz and blues in New Jersey, is proud to announce a new Mississippi Delta/Jersey Shore musical, cultural, & educational partnership. To kickstart this collaboration we’ve joined forces with the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University, who will co-produce our premier event, The Mississippi Delta Meets the Jersey Shore and we’re happy to welcome our co-sponsors, Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and Visit Clarksdale. Willie Dixon once declared “the blues are the roots and other musics are the fruits.” The Jersey Shore, known for its unique blend of music, has quite a bit of the “fruits.” As part of the JSJBF’s mission to preserve jazz & blues, we’re bringing “the roots” up from the Mississippi Delta. On Friday June 2, 2023 at 8pm, we will present From the Delta to the Jersey Shore, an evening of performance, stories and more at Monmouth University’s Lauren K. Woods Theatre.
We’ve invited Clarksdale, Mississippi’s finest, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod & The Allstars to perform, with opening set to feature local blues legend, “Stringbean.”
Tickets, on sale now for $25, can be purchased online
Christine Clark Zemla, Chair, JSJBF Education and Community Outreach “I love the Mississippi Delta! The beauty of its flat terrain and seemingly endless cottonfields may be surpassed only by its spectacular sunsets. And there’s music in the air. Always! Countless fans travel from around the globe to experience “the home of the blues,” and I know that they receive the same warm welcome that I get every time I return. I’m thrilled to be launching a partnership in which we can join two communities bonded by rich musical legacies and – we may be surprised to learn – so much more!
Eileen Chapman, Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music “Delta Blues plays a significant role in the landscape of American Music. Dating back over 100 years, this music art form has been a major influence for both blues and rock performers throughout the world. Contemporary artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Cat Power, the Rolling Stones and others were inspired by the works of Delta Blues icons such as Son House, Robert Johnson and BB King. Our collaboration with JSJBF demonstrates our role in promoting all forms of American music and its impact on our culture.”
Dr. Rolando Herts, Delta State University “The Mississippi Delta’s cultural heritage is nationally and internationally significant, and that cultural heritage includes the Delta Blues,” said Dr. Rolando Herts, executive director of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area based at Delta State University’s Delta Center for Culture and Learning. “We support Mississippi Delta cultural heritage ambassadorship, so we are honored to help bring Delta Blues musicians and their authentic voices to The Mississippi Delta Meets the Jersey Shore event.”
To help offset the costs of this unique event, the JSJBF is currently running a Go Fund Me, those who are interested can contribute here: Bring Big A to NJ!
