CLARKSDALE, Mississippi — On a summer Saturday in the Mississippi Delta, Australia “Honey Bee” Jones sat calm and reserved in a chair on the MLK Park Stage in downtown Clarksdale.
The weather was mild. A light wind blew, but the sun shone brightly, making it feel hotter than the actual temperature of 90 degrees.
It was a perfect day to watch Honey Bee sing, tap her feet, and electrify an audience with her guitar. A crowd gathered to watch her and other elders at the Red’s Old Timers Blues Festival, which honors blues musicians 60 years and older. The festival began in 2018, founded by the late Cornelius “Red” Paden, who opened several businesses, including his internationally known juke house: Red’s Juke Joint.
He converted a music store into Red’s in the New World District, the historic Black downtown in Clarksdale. It is one of the most revered and internationally known juke joints left in the country — and one of few that is still Black-owned.
It’s this history that led attendees to the park on Aug. 31 to participate in the old timer’s festival, which is free to the public. Since his father’s death in 2023, Orlando Paden — the former state representative who now serves as Clarksdale’s mayor — has taken over his dad’s business.
“He always said, ‘I’m the originator,’” Orlando chuckled as he remembered his father. “We’re here to pause and remember him as well.”
Orlando sat under a tent with Honey Bee adorned with lounge chairs, coolers, and volunteers manning the merchandise table displaying items emblazoned with his father’s name and legacy: Red’s Juke Joint.
Across the street from the park is the juke joint. In 2018, Red sat in a chair inside the club, sharing his vision for his first festival. He was candid about the divisions in the town, the commercialization of the blues, and how white people were attempting to take over his business.
He wanted to do more for Black folks and pay homage to the older blues musicians.
“Black people havin’ a hard enough time as it is. I wanted to put something on our side of town,” he said then. “Even at one point, I’d taken it for granted, you know. History is something else. You’re supposed to learn from history, and if you ain’t got no history, then how in the hell you gone learn what not to do?” he said.
The vision Red had for the festival is still alive and well, giving folks like Honey Bee, the longtime Mississippi blues guitarist who’s in her 80s and “done got old and retired and ain’t got nothin’ to do all day,” a chance to perform.
After her performance, she told Capital B she’s currently working on a new book, CD, and “I’m not trying to stop anything.”
Today, this event holds greater significance, as aging musicians pass on and juke joints continue to close their doors. At a time when society too often overlooks the wisdom of its elders, this event becomes a powerful reminder of their enduring talent — offering others the rare gift to learn at their feet and see them shine, said Clarksdale native Edna Luckett, also known by her stage name Edna Nicole.
This year, the 35-year-old musician served as one of the emcees for the event. It’s one of the few gatherings where youth can slow down and study, or experience, where the blues originates.
“I think it’s important for us to remember how rooted we are. I use this analogy all the time, if your great-grandmother is a Brown, I don’t care how many people get married … or who changed their name, in essence you’re a Brown,” she told Capital B. “People don’t come to juke [or dance] anymore. They come to learn. If we study, then we can appreciate it a little bit more.”
The event is also an opportunity to give back to the community and bridge the gap between younger and older blues artists, he said.
“It’s critical because it’s a part of our identity. When people sometimes think about the Delta, it’s just this looming, gloomy place, but it’s not, it’s where the birth of music is and people get a chance to really see the great part of Mississippi, a great part of the world. It’s right here,” Orlando said.
The festival, held at the MLK Park across from the Red’s Juke Joint, attracted a mix of older and younger attendees, including first-timers and familiar faces from both within and outside the Delta region. People came from Texas, North Carolina, and beyond to enjoy authentic blues music.
Caroline Gaston lived in Killeen, Texas, for the past 33 years, but recently moved back to her hometown Greenville, Mississippi. As a frequent patron of Red’s Juke Joint, she and her friend wanted to get the same feel of the juke house, but on a larger scale.
“We knew it was going on, and we were not gonna miss it,” she told Capital B. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and I’m sorry it’s getting ready to end, but we’re heading on over to Red’s to keep this party going.”
Clarksdale native Monica Thomas, 38, had never attended the festival before. She travels throughout the Mississippi Delta promoting her organization, Enlightened to Heighten, and wanted to support her hometown.
“The weather was beautiful, the music was smooth, and the people were peaceful,” she said.
Orlando Paden is proud to carry the torch and continue the legacy, he said. He wants to add more musicians to the festival’s lineup and add more activities like the finger-licking BBQ competition.
“I have that vision of what my dad had, and I added my own spin to it and everything, and let it continue to be family oriented,” he said, sitting inside of his juke joint. “Just like this place is any given night — mom, dad, children are here — and just enjoying the music, enjoying each other and making memories and that’s so important. They feel like they’re in their living room.”
