A few Sundays ago at Club Ebony, the 20th Annual Mississippi Delta Regional Blues Challenge saw John Clayton White crowned the winner, flipping the results from last year when Columbus Toy claimed the top spot, and White came in second.
White, only 13 years old, impressed the audience and judges with his original songs and guitar mastery, earning him first place and a chance to compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next January.
Even though White is only 13, his mother said he's been playing guitar since he was in diapers.
With no hard feelings, Toy, a seasoned musician from Belzoni, congratulated White after the winner was announced.
In third place was the Redroot Revival Band, a Greenwood-based group fronted by 19-year-old Charlie Robbins. Despite being new to the blues scene, the band made a strong impression with their electrifying performance.
"We literally practiced for the first time this morning," Robbins said. "This was our first performance together as a band."
Robbins’ guitar playing and knowledge of blues music should take him far once he gets more experience.
“Last year I didn’t even know how to play guitar,” Robbins said. “I learned by watching YouTube videos and from my mentor, Mark Hudson.”
The fourth band was Ballou and The Bears Blues Band from Jackson, who were supposed to be the third band to perform but had to cancel due to illness.
The event was emceed by Cyreio Hughes, program director of WGNG-FM and WGLN-FM in Greenwood.
The judges included notable blues figures such as Al White from Duck Hill, founder of the annual Grassroots Blues Festival; Jimmie Lee from Indianola, owner of BoGimme Music Academy; Ricky Stevens from Coldwater, a longtime blues fan and former IBC volunteer judge; Paul Schreiber from Greenwood, a professor at Mississippi Valley State University; and Rodney “Big Rod” Hurt from Jackson, a blues guitarist who has played with legends like Denise LaSalle.
After the competition, outside of the club, the three artists stood around swapping stories of places they’ve played and artists they’ve played with.
White said he was on the way to play at Ground Zero in Clarksdale that very evening, while Robbins said he gets stage time in Jackson at Hal and Mal's for Blue Monday, but what he was excited about was playing with Keith Johnson, Muddy Waters’ great-nephew, between the bridges In Greenwood.
Toy said in his 30 years of performing, he once opened for B.B. King and traveled with and sang backup for Brian McKnight.
The three artists seemed like old friends by the time they parted ways.
This year, like in years past, the Blues Challenge brought both veteran and new blues artists together, keeping the tradition alive and well in the Delta.
