Digging for Roots in the Mississippi Delta

It may be based on fiction, but in the hearts of fans worldwide the blues has a birthplace: the intersection of highways U.S. 49 and U.S. 69, better known as The Crossroads. Close to Clarksdale, Mississippi, it's where, legend has it, seminal bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. While much has changed over the 80-some years since that fateful night, the delta blues still hit the heart in Clarksdale when the sun goes down. Writer Joshua Clark (special to the L.A. Times) presents an excellent chronicle of a recent road trip to Clarksdale and his encounters with the likes of James "Super Chikan" Johnson, creator of the Chikantar, and the fellow known only as "Puttin'" who deals 3-card monte at Morgan Freeman's club aptly named Ground Zero. Story (access requires free online L.A. Times registration).