If you ever get the chance to hang out with D.K. Harrell and his band, make sure it's over the breakfast table. The conversation flows fast and thick like our biscuits and gravy and the subject matter ranges from everything family and friends, good times, hard times and all things music. The entire band is well-versed in the latter and all speak fluent blues, jazz, soul, R&B and roots dialects. Not only young and talented, they openly display a shared enthusiasm and serious commitment to the music they love. You see it clearly when they acknowledge influences or when praising those who paved the way, but it grabs you by the throat when they step on stage and you witness it up close and personal with every note they play.

Castro Coleman has had and continues to have a masterful career in the Gospel music realm. His gospel catalogue includes over 125 recording credits on more than 50 national releases and the man continues to perform and produce music in that genre with his quartet, The True Believers. But his versatility and showmanship has blossomed in so many directions over the years even fans are surprised by his accomplishments; and there are many.

I've been on several boat trips - a barge cruise in France, a Danube River cruise, a sail along the Nile - and always the accommodations have been lovely. Sometimes very lovely. But it took a Mississippi River Cruise from Memphis to New Orleans with American Cruise Lines to reach luxurious.

The Gateway Arch towers over the mighty Mississippi. Built in 1963, it is today the symbol of St. Louis. Blues music fills the night, and St. Louisans sit at sidewalk cafes in the historic Soulard neighborhood in front of tables of toasted ravioli, paper-thin square-cut pizza, and frosted mugs of Bud, the beer here that is still king.

It’s been almost 30 years now since I ran into Carey Bell. He was touring through Europe and was gracious enough to sit down and talk for awhile about his friends, his life in music and the road he travelled. He was a remarkable talent and genuinely funny human being.

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s first poll for 2021 is dedicated to favorite domestic destinations: Cities, Towns and Sites. We felt this would be an appropriate theme as traveling to domestic destinations is slowly opening up.