Tutwiler Tracks


Tutwiler is where the blues began its migration from oral tradition to popular art form. Here, WC Handy, known as the 'Father of the Blues', first heard a sharecropper moan his 12-bar prayer while the two waited for a train in 1903. That meeting is immortalized by a lonely, faded mural that feels a thousand years old.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Sonny Boy Williamson II's Grave

1.4 MILES

Acclaimed harmonica player and host of the King Biscuit Time radio hour, Williamson – aka Aleck Miller – is buried amid a broken-down jumble of…

2. Emmett Till Interpretive Center

4.69 MILES

In 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago, was lynched in Mississippi after being accused of flirting with a white woman. An all-white…

3. Crossroads

14.54 MILES

The Crossroads of Hwys 61 and 49 is supposedly the intersection where the great Robert Johnson made his mythical deal with the devil, immortalized in his…

4. Riverside Hotel

14.81 MILES

A historic marker fronts the historic Riverside Hotel, a well-loved place soaked in blues history. Blues singer Bessie Smith died here in 1937 when it was…

5. Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center

15.12 MILES

Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black youth from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle's house by two white men for allegedly flirting with one of the men's…

6. Delta Blues Museum

15.14 MILES

A small but well-presented collection of memorabilia is on display here. The shrine to Delta legend Muddy Waters includes the actual cabin where he grew…

7. Dockery Farms

22.33 MILES

Some of the earliest and most influential blues musicians, including Charlie Patton, worked and gathered here, developing and sharing their unique playing…

8. Po' Monkey's Lounge

22.6 MILES

This legendary rural juke joint, famous for its knick-knacks, string lights and Thursday night gatherings, closed its doors in 2016 after the death of…