Rollin' Along

Ol' man river,

Dat ol' man river,

He mus'know sumpin'

But don't say nuthin'

He jes' keeps rollin'

He keeps on rollin' along.

                                                                                   

                           Old Man River from the Musical Show Boat

                           Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Aaron and Jake Paddled 67 miles to "some random place" according to Aaron's text.  This puts them at mile marker 645 north of Rosedale, Mississippi.  Today's forecast calls for a little relief - high near 90.

Show Boat, written in the late 1920's was a fictionalized account of life on a river boat and focused on racial prejudice.  The area Aaron and Jake are paddling through now is the real life home to the Delta Blues.  The Delta Blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music which originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretched from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south.  The Mississippi Delta is an area know for its fertile soil and its poverty.  The Delta Blues lyrics range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery. This style of music had a large influence on modern music.  A few of the artists that acknowledged this influence include Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, Cream, Allman Brothers, Led Zepplin,  Jimi Hendrix and many, many more.  Perhaps the greatest of all Delta Blues musicians to come from this area was Robert Johnson who allegedly "sold his soul to the devil" at the crossroads south of Rosedale, Mississippi.

Aaron and Jake will pass Rosedale at some point today although the town is a few miles from the river because of the flood plain.

Posted by Aaron's dad

Click  below to hear Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson

http://s0.ilike.com/play#Robert+Johnson:Cross+Road+Blues:117183:s51783912.12769615.18761885.0.2.173%2Cstd_6a98f96fc8564a148b9ef50977e199f1