Festival lives on in the spirit of creator Willie King

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Festival lives on in the spirit of creator Willie King
May 29, 2009
By Ashley Boyd
Tuscaloosanews.com

While this year marks the first time renowned bluesman Willie King won’t make it to the Freedom Creek Festival he founded, the event lives on.

FREEDOM CREEK FESTIVAL
What: Two-day blues festival in Old Memphis
When: 4-10 p.m. today, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday
Where: Old Memphis in Pickens County.

Directions: From Tuscaloosa, drive US Highway 82 West to Reform, then take State Highway 17 south to Aliceville. Continue on 17 South toward Geiger. About 9 miles out of town, turn right on County Road 32 West, toward Macon. About 1 mile further on, turn right onto County Road 1. Just over 4 miles down the road you will see Cedar Grove Church on your right. Take the next turn on the right, just under 1 mile, onto Old Memphis Road, which will have signs to the festival. In case of rain, the festival’s alternate venue will be the Aliceville Activity Center.
Lineup: Today’s lineup includes Little Willie Farmer, Lightnin Malcolm, Vanessia Young, the True Blues Express, Taylor Moore, the Old Memphis Blues Kings, Caleb Childs and Cedric Burnside scheduled to go on stage at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s lineup includes the Alabama Blues Women Revue with Sweet Claudette, Shar Baby, Carroline Shines and Debbie Bond; Todd Johnson; Big Joe Shelton; Clarence Davis; “Birmingham” George Conner; Jerry “Boogie” McCain at 6:45 p.m.; followed by Kenny Neal at 8 p.m.
Cost: Suggested donation of $10 for today, $12 for Saturday.
More: Food and beverages will be sold at the festival, and attendees are free to bring their own. 205-752-6263. www.willie-king.com.

“At first I was kind of sad about the whole thing, but as a little time’s gone by, I feel it can be a great celebration of his life,” said Rick Asherson, who’s assisted King with the two-day festival for the past five years, and who’s taken on much of the responsibilities for this year.

King, who died in March from a massive heart attack near his home in Old Memphis, Ala., outside Aliceville, founded the Freedom Creek Festival in 1983 in the hopes of bringing together both local and international blues artists. According to blues musician Rick Asherson, who was influenced to relocate to the South after meeting Willie King, the festival is about more than music, but also about the culture and history that surrounds the blues.

“To me, the blues started as much in Alabama as it did in Mississippi. I feel when you’re out at the festival, you see the circumstances where this music arose,” Asherson said. “It’s a wonderful chance to bring first-class musical acts in a traditional rural setting that still struggles economically.”

Since moving to Alabama in 2001, Asherson has performed with a number of blues greats including Little Jimmy Reed, B.J. Miller, Carroline Shines, Eddie Kirkland and King. Asherson worked closely with King after playing keyboard and harmonica in King’s band The Liberators, and co-produced King’s last two CDs.

“In some ways we hope this year isn’t a lot different. There’s no way we can replace Willie King, but we’re hoping his spirit will be reigning over the event,” Asherson said.

When he last spoke with King three days before his death, Asherson said King had already done extensive planning for this year’s festival.

“We had organized the festival between us, and I feel like we’re carrying out his last wishes for the festival. I think a lot of people will come this year in his honor. We’ve had a lot of interest to hear that the festival will continue,” he said.

Headlining acts include Kenny Neal, Jerry “Boogie” McCain, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm. Like King, New Orleans based Neal is a blues player with a distinct sound combining Louisiana swamp blues, rhythms and vocals that have made him a mainstay in the blues circuit. In addition to playing with his father, blues musician Raful Neal, Neal has performed with B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker.

McCain is a celebrated harmonica player and songwriter from Gadsden. Asherson said no artists come close in terms of his musical talent.

“Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain is a totally respected internationally known harmonica player from Gadsden,” he said. “He’s in his 70s now but would describe himself as the best harmonica player in the world, and many people would agree.”

King himself will be heard, probably through different tracks from his albums, but in spoken word.

“Most of his CDs have a track where he’s just talking, explaining what the blues is about,” Asherson said, who will take on additional emcee duties where King once reigned. “I also have some good interviews, so I’ll probably intermittently be playing those.”

The festival will also include performances by Alabama blues women Carroline Shines, Debbie Bond, Shar-Baby and Sweet Claudette, as well as performances by Taylor Moore, Julius Conner, Caleb Childs and the Old Memphis Kings, along with Little Willie Farmer, Vanessia Young and the Pure Blues Express.

“We’ve always tried to bring local and Alabama blues artists to the same stage as national and international artists on a rural setting. It’s part of the country where the blues is born,” Asherson said.

Beyond the music, the Freedom Creek Festival gives back to the surrounding community. It is sponsored in part by the Rural Member Association, a non-profit organization King created to bring together elders in the community for the purpose of passing on local heritage and traditions to younger generations.

“We’re going to miss Mr. King this year, and we’re keeping up the festival going in honor of him. This is something that he wanted to keep going and has worked to get the younger generation involved so it will continue on,” said Mary Coleman, King’s widow.

The festival shows visitors how important the blues culture is to the community, she added.

“It’s offered the community a lot through the music. They play the music from way back when my mom was growing up. It brings back memories as to the way we were raised, the music we listened to and the people we grew up with,” she said.

Peter Guralnick, the nation’s preeminent writer on the blues, said when he first met King years ago, he was impressed by the musician’s vision for his community.

“I’m just a huge Willie King fan and see his importance as being reflected through his social and political work. King wanted to bring people back to the land,” he said.

Guralnick, who has written numerous books including “Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues, Country and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Searching for Robert Johnson” and three books on Elvis Presley, remembers traveling to King’s home in Aliceville. He was introduced to King’s friends and family and got to visit the now defunct Bettie’s Place, the juke joint where King played for years before releasing his first album. Guralnick learned that King’s passion for music was directly inspired by the community.

“He always spoke about the ghosts who inhabited the blues that he sang about. The ghosts of the ancestors who inspired his sense of community in which there was true equality and true recognition of the gifts of every person in the community,” Guralnick said.

Even without its founder, the Freedom Creek Festival should continue indefinitely. Asherson will continue to write the grant requests that have, in recent years, landed them funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alabama State Council on the Arts, among others. And the RMA board has been strong.

“I’m hoping we’re going to continue very much in the same vein,” Asherson said. “I think Willie’s view and presence is going to be there, the same kind of embracing, warm, loving spirit he brought, I think people will bring it themselves.”

While King music lives on, Asherson said he would want to be remembered by the community work. The Freedom Creek Festival is both the culmination and continuance of King’s life.

“Someone once asked me what he’d want to be remembered by, and I think he would want to be known for bringing people far and wide to his community in the middle of the rural Alabama black belt,” Asherson said.