Dickinson’s gone but spirit present at Music and Heritage Festival

Courtesy of the Center for Southern Folklore

Jim Dickinson, in an undated photo, performs at the Center for Southern Folklore's annual Memphis Music and Heritage Festival.

When the Center for Southern Folklore hosts its annual Memphis Music and Heritage Festival this weekend, one of the event's great champions, the late Jim Dickinson, won't be there in body, but he will be there in spirit and in song.

This year's festival is dedicated in Dickinson's honor. The Memphis music legend passed away in August of 2009 after a long, colorful career as a pianist, producer and all-around repository of Bluff City wisdom.

Photo by Mike Maple

Paul Rhodes and Elizabeth Massengill danced to the music of Los Cantadores at the 2009 Memphis Music and Heritage Festival.

Photo by file

Musician and producer Jim Dickinson

Center for Southern Folklore executive director Judy Peiser says the decision to honor Dickinson was an easy one. "A festival like this, which is so much about the essence of Memphis music -- well, that was Jim," says Peiser. "It's about the people who could do anything anywhere in the world, but when they were in front of their home audience they knew how to perform, they knew how to talk, they understood Memphis and its people so well. That's what Jim was so great with."

Dickinson had a long history with the Heritage Festival dating back to the inaugural edition of the event in 1982. "Also, Jim was always someone I'd go to with questions as we developed things," says Peiser. "There were a couple people I would go to -- Rufus Thomas was one and Jim was another. They not only knew the music, but they knew the underpinnings of why the culture of Memphis is so important to the music."

This year, the festival's official poster and T-shirt bear artist Bob Gray's portrait of Dickinson, and the lineup will include a host of the late musician's friends, fans and family paying homage.

For Dickinson's widow, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, the recognition is special. "It was the festival that was closest to Jim's heart and he always supported it as best as he could," she says. "So the fact that this year's (event) is dedicated to Jim means a lot to the family."

Fittingly, the Heritage Festival stage is also where Dickinson's sons -- Luther and Cody, of the North Mississippi Allstars -- made their professional debut backing their father while barely out of their teens. Cody will be performing a couple sets during this weekend's festivities, including an experimental/audience participation performance on Sunday evening and an event-capping finale with his new band the Hill Country Revue later that night. Luther Dickinson won't be able to appear due to prior commitments as a touring member of the Black Crowes.

For the family, the work of preserving Dickinson's legacy continues. Mary Lindsay has been running the day-to-day operations of their Zebra Ranch studios in Coldwater, Miss. Over the past year, , it has been a hive of activity. Aside from the new Hill Country Revue and North Mississippi Allstar albums, the studio has hosted sessions for British bluesman Ian Seigal, Canadian roots artist Ross Neilsen, and Replacements/Guns N' Roses member Tommy Stinson.

Luther Dickinson and Mary Lindsay have also been working to finalize Dickinson's memoir, which was largely completed prior to his death. Along with Birdman label head David Katznelson and his editor wife Barbara Bersche, they've been polishing up the book, which will cover Dickinson's life in detail through the late-'60s and early-'70s. "And there's also a section that's somewhat philosophical, there's some poetry, and some road diaries that pull it all together," says Mary Lindsay, who hopes the book will hit shelves next year.

Meanwhile, Dickinson's music output will be the subject of a career-spanning CD anthology. The project, which will compile Dickinson's various productions, and work as a session musician and songwriter, will be released by the U.K.-based label Ace Records, possibly as early as 2011.

With all the activity, Mary Lindsay says Dickinson's presence remains strong. "It would be really gratifying to Jim," she says, echoing her late husband's epitaph, "to know that he is just dead, not gone."

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2010 Memphis Music and Heritage Festival

From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Main Street, from Peabody Place to Gayoso Avenue. All events are free.

SATURDAY

ArtsMemphis Stage, Peabody Place and Main Street

2 p.m. MouseRocket

3 p.m. Devil Train

4:00 p.m. Stevenson Clark

5 p.m. Los Cantadores

5:45 p.m. Watoto Memphis, Mi Tierra and Calaberro

6 p.m. Elmo & the Shades

7 p.m. Bluff City Backsliders

7:45 p.m. Watoto Memphis;

8 p.m. Joyce Cobb

9 p.m. Darrell Petties & S.I.P.

10:15 p.m. Bobby Rush

Folklore Store Stage, 123 S. Main St.

1:15 p.m. Roy Harper

2:15 p.m. Nancy Apple

3:15 p.m. William Lee Ellis and Jimmy Crosthwait songwriting workshop

4:15 p.m. Tonya Dyson & Green Onions

5:15 p.m. The Josh Shoe Band

6:15 p.m. Don McMinn

7:15 p.m. Sidney, Cidney

8:15 p.m. The Sultana

9:15 p.m. William Lee Ellis

Comcast Folklore Hall Stage, 119 S. Main St.

2:45 p.m. Barbara Blue

3:45 p.m. The Jumpin' Chi Chis

4:45 p.m. The Kattawar Brothers

5:45 p.m. The Golden Keys

6:45 p.m. Lisa Lambert & the Pine Ridge Boys

7:45 p.m. Jack Oblivian and the Tennessee Tearjerkers

8:45 p.m. Blind Mississippi Morris

Tennessee Arts Stage, Main Street and Gayoso

12:30 p.m. Randal Morton -- Banjo workshop

1:00 p.m. Watoto Memphis -- African dance clinic and performance

1:30 p.m. David Evans -- Jug band workshop

2:00 p.m. Desert Rose, belly dancers

2:30 p.m. David Bowen -- Guitar and Memphis music workshop

3:00 p.m. Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl, Aztec dance

3:30 p.m. Johnny Yancey & the Sanctuary Jazz Orchestra

4:30 p.m. Sweet Angel

5:15 p.m. Millennium Maddness Fancy Trick Drill & Drum Show Team

5:30 p.m. The True Sons of Thunder

6:30 p.m. The Bell Singers

7:15 p.m. Watoto Memphis

7:30 p.m. The Bo-Keys

8:30 p.m. Symbiosis

9:30 p.m. Exodus

Talkers' Corner Heritage Hallway, 119 S. Main St.

3 p.m. Hattie Childress -- Center for Southern Folklore: A Place for Quilting and Chatting

3:45 p.m. Martin Fisher -- Cylinder recordings

4:30 p.m. Donald O'Connor -- Watoto Memphis

5:15 p.m. Lisa Lambert & the Pine Ridge Boys -- Hillbilly Blues "Grass with Soul"

6 p.m. Joyce Cobb -- Memphis Music History

Cooking Stage, Peabody Place Trolley Stop

11 a.m. Thomas Sit Sr., of the Mid South Chinese Association -- Chinese fried rice

Noon Chris Ruess and Shane Mosby of Mississippi Mud Coffee -- French press and iced coffee

1 p.m. Michael Patrick of Mesquite Grill -- Preparation and cooking hanger steak

2 p.m. Suzanne Powers of Delta Pecans -- cooking with pecan oil

3 p.m. Mary Kirkpatrick of Mary's Kitchen -- Fried pies

4 p.m. Nick Scott of Bluefin -- Sushi rolls

5 p.m. Claudia Thompson of the Choctaw community -- Choctaw Fry Bread

6 p.m. Ella Kizzie -- hot water cornbread

SUNDAY

ArtsMemphis Stage, Peabody Place and Main St.

1:30 p.m. Hickory Withe Bluegrass

2:30 p.m. Voice of Golden Eagle, Cherokee flute

3:30 p.m. Promise

4:30 p.m. Daddy Mack Blues Band

5:15 p.m. Watoto Memphis,

5:30 p.m. John Paul Keith and the 145s

6:30 p.m. Sonny Burgess & the Pacers

7:30 p.m. The Brown Singers

8:30 p.m. The Reba Russell Blues Band

9:30 p.m. Funzo Crush aka Young A.J. featuring Al Kapone

10:15 p.m. Hill Country Revue

Folklore Store Stage, 123 S. Main St.

1:15 p.m. Roy Harper

2:15 p.m. Lauren Strange

3 p.m. Bill Shipper

4 p.m. Deborah Swiney

4:55 p.m. The Paperboyz

5:15 p.m. Last Chance Jug Band

6:15 p.m. Cody Dickinson Project Experimental

7:15 p.m. Sons of Mudboy Small Band

8:15 p.m. Valerie June

9:15 p.m. Eden Brent

Comcast Folklore Hall Stage, 119 S. Main St.

2:45 p.m. The Agitators

3:45 p.m. Memphis Klezmer All Stars

4:45 p.m. Moments of Joy

5:45 p.m. Eddie Bond

6:45 p.m. Papa Top's Westcoast Turnaround

7:45 p.m. Orange Mound Jazz Messengers

9:00 p.m. Kate Campbell

Tennessee Arts Stage, Main Street and Gayoso

Noon Valerie & Jason

12:30 p.m. Watoto Memphis

1 p.m. Pyramid Dancers

1:30 p.m. Michael Graber and Jason Freeman

2 p.m. Chinese Dance, Song and Martial Arts

3:15 p.m. The Jazz Collective

4:15 p.m. Smoochy Smith Trio

5:00 p.m. Millennium Maddness Fancy Trick Drill & Drum Show Team

5:15 p.m. The Memphis Harmonizers

6:15 p.m. Star & Micey

7 p.m. Watoto Memphis

7:15 p.m. The Mellow Tones

8:15 p.m. FreeWorld

9:30 p.m. Homemade Jamz Blues Band

Talkers' Corner Heritage Hallwaym 119 S. Main St.

3 p.m. Peter Bellis -- Excerpts from his book, "Conjure Man"

3:45 p.m. Joe Scott -- Playing baseball during the 1930s-1950s

4:30 p.m. Valerie June From TV to New York

5:15 p.m. Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith -- Sun Studio Days

6:00 p.m. Noki Taylor and Herman Green -- Memphis Horn Legends

Cooking Stage, Peabody Place Trolley Stop

11 a.m. Hongbo Wang -- Mushu Chicken

Noon Nickson Vu -- H'Mong Delights

1 p.m. Leslie Berkelhammer of American Pie -- Making pie crusts

2 p.m. Marco Martinez of Las Delicias -- Making guacamole, tortillas, chips and more

3 p.m. John Bragg of Circa -- Brown Butter Peaches

4 p.m. Deanna Lubin -- Making Challah (bread)

5 p.m. Claudia Thompson of the Choctaw community -- Choctaw Fry Bread

6 p.m. The Abdun Family -- cooking Swahili Chai and Mahamri

7 p.m. Ella Kizzie Peach Cobbler

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