Highway 61: The Blues Highway

June 26, 2011 by DaleR
Filed under: Blues History

HIghway 61 is the longest road I know

It runs from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico

Son Thomas, ” Highway 61 Blues”

This song has been covered by many artists and some say that it runs form Canada to the gulf of Mexico. No matter where it starts for the bluesman it runs through the Mississippi Delta and through there it is”The Blues Highway.”

Bob Dylan wrote “Highway 61 Revisited”.

God said to Abraham “Kill me a son”

Abe says “Man, you must be putting me on”

God says “No” Abe says “What?”

God says “You can do what you want, Abe, but

T he next time you see me comin you better run.”

Well Abe said “Where do you want this killin done?”

God say “Out on highway 61.”

Both of these songs as well any number of others that reference this highwaycross my mind every time I see Highway 61. I live in Southeast Missouri and cross or drive on highway 61 frequently.

I also often get to Memphis and drive down Highway 61 to Tunica, MS and beyond. The casinos are actually at Robinsonville, MS and Tunica is just a little farther down the road.

Just below Tunica Highway 49 runs into Highway 61 frpm West Helena Aekansas. This is another highway with a rich blues tradition. The town of Clarksdale MS has a sign downtown where the claim the crossroads of highways 61 and 49 meet and could possible be the crossroads that Robert Johnson sang about. I believe they do this more as a tourist photo op than as any type of claim to reality.

This whole area is part of the Mississippi Delta and is the birthplace and home of many of the blues players that we have come to love: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Skip James, and the list can go on almost indefinitely.

It is certainly worth the effort to make the trip. While I have never had the urge, most people want to be sure to stop in Memphis and visit Elvis’s Graceland. It doesn’t make any difference who sings it, it is all blues.