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MAGNOLIA

Blues festival brings people together at historical juke joint for good tunes and times

Portrait of Lauren Witte Lauren Witte
Irene Carrera performs with 19th Street Red during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Irene Carrera performs with 19th Street Red during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Martin and Laura McGraw dance and listen to a band perform during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Martin and Laura McGraw dance and listen to a band perform during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Crew McNeill, 4, reaches for a bubble to pop it during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Crew McNeill, 4, reaches for a bubble to pop it during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Nette Davis and Renee Jackson dance while their uncle Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Nette Davis and Renee Jackson dance while their uncle Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
The 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival is held at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival is held at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Genevieve Busby, left, of Holly Springs, Miss., and Larry Troyer, right, of Tyler, Texas, clap at the end of Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' performance during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Genevieve Busby, left, of Holly Springs, Miss., and Larry Troyer, right, of Tyler, Texas, clap at the end of Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' performance during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Randy Cohen performs with Jimmy "Duck" Holmes during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Randy Cohen performs with Jimmy "Duck" Holmes during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Magdalena Pimentel of Colorado dances during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. Pimentel came for the blues and to see her boyfriend perform on Saturday.
Magdalena Pimentel of Colorado dances during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. Pimentel came for the blues and to see her boyfriend perform on Saturday.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Rebecca Jenkins of Ridgeland, Miss., takes a video of performers during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. "We came about three weeks ago for the first time and fell in love with it," Jenkins said.
Rebecca Jenkins of Ridgeland, Miss., takes a video of performers during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. "We came about three weeks ago for the first time and fell in love with it," Jenkins said.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Randy Cohen and Irene Carrera play guitar during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Randy Cohen and Irene Carrera play guitar during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
The sun sets during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The sun sets during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
John Yutzy of Mooresville, North Carolina, films as Irene Carrera performs with a band during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. "I'm a bluesman," Yutzy explains his reason for attending. "I was born for this."
John Yutzy of Mooresville, North Carolina, films as Irene Carrera performs with a band during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024. "I'm a bluesman," Yutzy explains his reason for attending. "I was born for this."
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
19th Street Red performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
19th Street Red performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Attendees watch Jimmy "Duck" Holmes perform during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Attendees watch Jimmy "Duck" Holmes perform during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Dena Walker takes a photo with her mother Angela Bates during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Dena Walker takes a photo with her mother Angela Bates during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Randy "19th Street Red" Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
An attendee drops a tip in a band's bucket during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
An attendee drops a tip in a band's bucket during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Attendees kick back and listen during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Attendees kick back and listen during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Randy Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Randy Cohen performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Sylvia Stephens, middle, smiles as a girl tells her that she likes her boots during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Sylvia Stephens, middle, smiles as a girl tells her that she likes her boots during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes performs during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger
Irene Carrera performs with 19th Street Red during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Irene Carrera performs with 19th Street Red during the 52nd Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Miss., on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger