Mississippi Arts Commission
This festival is made possible in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission
Alice Mae Blues festival 2021
The 2021 Alice Mae Festival will be on Friday, October 1, on the grounds of First Monday in Ripley, MS. We have a fantastic lineup again this year with Garry's brother DuWayne, nephew Kent, and friends Kenny Brown and Mark Massey headlining with him. Lots of details in the section below.....
Great big day of north mississippi hill country blues
9 am - Guitar Workshop
Students will arrive at the Ripley Arts Council at 106 S Main St. in Ripley. You'll be split into 4 groups and taught by Garry, Kent, Kenny and Mark Massey in 4 lessons. You can come if you are a beginner and just want the experience of learning from the masters or if you are experienced and looking to hone your skills. After the workshop, students and teachers will go to Blues Alley for a photo op and then across the street for lunch. You will get a VIP armband for the festival and be invited to jam on stage with the Burnsides that night.
1 pm - 5 pm
We have lots of local talent lined up for the afternoon. We will start the day off with three talented musicians: Tate Moore of Oxford, Tatum Shappley of Ripley and Skip Oliver of Tupelo. Somewhere in the middle of all that, Garry will play with his house band, The Grill House Band. This band plays most weekends at The Ripley Sports Grill. Tatum and Skip and Tate each put on a great show so don't miss any of them.
6 pm - 11 pm
At 6 pm Mark "Muleman" Massey takes the stage. He is followed by the great Kenny Brown, nephew Kent, brother Duwayne and then Garry. The lineup doesn't get any better and we fully expect to see more friends who show up to jam.
What and where is First Monday Trade Days??
First Monday Trade Days is the biggest and longest running flea market in Mississippi. It's open every Saturday and Sunday before the FIRST MONDAY of the month. It's been that way since people drove wagons to town to trade dogs and guns. Our stage is going to be right in the middle of the Flea Market with food and craft vendors set up a day early just for us. You really need to plan to spend the night and see First Monday for yourself on Saturday!! The market is easy to find on Highway 15 just South of Ripley. There's plenty of parking. You'll go to the main entrance for your armband.
Where should I stay
Ripley has two really nice Airbnb homes, a great little place on the square called The Inn on the Square and a nice Econo Lodge.
Who is Alice Mae?
Alice Mae and RL Burnside had thirteen children. DuWayne is their son, Kent is their grandson and Garry is their youngest son. Garry says that his dad, RL, was on the road a lot, playing gigs all over the world and Alice Mae had to be a soldier at home with all the kids. Garry created this festival to honor his mother's memory.