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entertainment
the thrill is back
a
words Dwain Hebda images courtesy Allan Hammons
Ask Munnie Jordan what she thinks about the return of the
all the blues singers came from. We have kept King Biscuit
state’s premiere blues event – King Biscuit Blues Festival in
Blues Festival full of authentic blues and I think that’s why our
Helena – and she fairly squeals with delight.
visitors keep coming back.”
“It feels great!” she says, her voice reaching a pitch one part
Like many things last year, King Biscuit Blues Festival fell
howl and two parts purr. “I think if I had to pick one word
silent and with it, the spirits and fortunes of its hometown
that would be the most emphatic about the sustainability of
Helena, Arkansas. For the first time since its founding in the
this festival, it’s authenticity. We are sitting right here on the
mid-1980s, visitors and artists alike stayed home while the
Mississippi River and the Arkansas Mississippi Delta where
locals hunkered down and dreamed of next year.
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