Mr Johnnie

Mr Johnnie to be featured
on PBS Series
The Mississippi: River of Song
January 20, 1998

Lead teacher and mentor of the Delta Blues Education Program, Johnnie "Mr. Johnnie" Billington will be featured on the third episode of the PBS musical journey down the Mississippi River THE MISSISSIPPI: RIVER OF SONG. Tune in at 9:00 CST (Clarksdale Standard Time) on Wednesday, January 20th.

THE MISSISSIPPI: RIVER OF SONG is a Smithsonian Institution series for public television and radio that explores the richness and vitality of American music at the close of the twentieth century.

Through live performances and intimate discussions with musicians along the course of the Mississippi River, the series discovers the music that has flourished in the heart of the nation. Traveling from an Ojibwe powwow in northern Minnesota to the bandstands of New Orleans, the series builds a dynamic and complex portrait of music and the American community.

PBS broadcast of the series began January 6, 1999, and will broadcast four consecutive Wednesday nights) with South Carolina Educational Television as the presenter. In addition to Mr. Johnnie is Clarksdale musician (and former DBEP teacher) Big Jack Johnson.

For more information, please email John Ruskey

Or write to: John Ruskey
291 Sunflower Avenue
Clarksdale, MS 38614
(601) 627-4070

Or log on to
BluesEd.Org
Island63.Com
The Mississippi: River Of Song