Synopsis:

Aerial heads down to Clarksdale, Mississippi, hoping to shine a spotlight on the innovators and artists that have impacted the music of America. Her first stop is the Devil’s Crossroads, where according to legend, musician Robert Johnson sold his soul in exchange for mastery of the guitar. A local sits with her at Hopson Commissary to give her the low­down on the infamous tale, as well as other forgotten stories that surround the area. Then, it’s all music and dancing at the Deep Blues Festival. Aerial visits both the Ground Zero Blues Club and the New Roxy to talk to the owners of these remarkable venues about what blues music means to the city. Afterward, she stops into Deak’s Mississippi Saxophones and Blues Emporium, where she meets owner Deak Harp. Not only does she learn how he got into playing the harmonica and how he keeps the craft alive by offering repairs to the instrument, but she also gets to hear a performance! Next, Aerial relives her student days by visiting Quitman County Middle School, where she helps the manager of the TVA Science Kids World Water Monitoring Program collect samples for a lab that she then gets to participate in during class. There, she discovers why it’s important for kids to learn about their local water sources, and to get hands­on experience with scientific experiments. Before she concludes her trip to Mississippi, Aerial meets up with the owner of the Shack Up Inn, a collection of sharecropper shacks that are as historically prominent as they are comfortable.


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