Delta Bohemian

Starting with two words and a passion to promote their Delta birth land, Madge and Billy Howell have created an empire of celebrating the unity and diversity of the Mississippi Delta.

They are Poor William and Magical Madge to locals and thousands of online followers. Collectively they are Delta Bohemian. It’s an appropriate designation for these two Mississippi Delta-born free spirits.

“We both lived away from here, separately. And, we both found ourselves back here. When we came back, we kind of got to know all different kinds of people, because we’re not like everybody else here — we aren’t like the people we grew up with anymore. We’re different. And we like that,” Madge said. “And we kind of celebrate our differences. So, we liked the bohemian aspect, because we are ourselves. And that’s how I define bohemian, is, there’s all kinds of ways to define it — it’s more recognizing that you, me, everyone is different and unique. God made us that way and that’s something worth celebrating.”

Billy said the juxtaposition of the words perfectly describes them and their mission.

“They kind of — at the same time — are oxymoronic and redundant. I mean, there’s a strange connection between the two,” he said.

The connection between the two words is not unlike the connection between Madge, who grew up in Tallahatchie County, and her husband, Clarksdale native, Billy. Both had recently returned to their Delta roots when they met. When they married in 2009, Billy wore a pirate outfit, complete with eye patch, and Madge donned a short wench outfit. It was the perfect beginning to their adventure.

It was through Billy’s management of the Clark House, one of Clarksdale’s unique lodging offerings, and Madge’s management of actor Morgan Freeman’s now-closed Madidi Restaurant, that the Delta Bohemian was borne.

“Not like we were the only ones that saw the value, but we really saw the value of trying to have some kind of linguistic vehicle to help locals really appreciate the socioeconomic impact of all the folks from all over the world that came to this low burg that we never really appreciated growing up as far as the genesis of the blues,” Billy said. “We have a huge community, and it’s just steadily growing with people who are discontent with the city life, looking for something more organic, more real, grittier.”

After establishing a suitable tag, Madge and Billy were ready to take the next step in “celebrating the unity and diversity of the Mississippi Delta” with their newly developed online personas.

“I was at a meeting with (John Ruskey, founder of Quapaw Canoe Company) once, and he made a comment I will never forget. He said ‘blogs’ — and this was back in 2009 or 2010,” Madge said. “He said, ‘Blogs are powerful,’ and John Ruskey is a man of few words. So, when he said that, I remembered. Billy and I just decided to start some kind of website. ‘Let’s just do something and call it the Delta Bohemian.’”

“Quirky, off-the-wall, literary, zany, unconventional and fresh” were the six words that kicked off the couple’s blog — www.deltabohemian.com — that now has more than 500 articles and nearly 250 YouTube videos penned and posted by Magical Madge, Poor William and a few guest bloggers.

“We’re novices. We don’t profess to know what we’re doing. We just feel like there’s — we have something to share and from a unique perspective, because we’re from here,” Madge said.

Since the blog launched in 2010, Madge said it has received between 300 and 400 hits per day, and she maintains stats on 10,000 visits, even though she knows the site has reached well over a million visitors.

The popularity of the website has led to three businesses — all boasting the Delta Bohemian name and celebrating Madge and Billy’s beloved Delta.

The Delta Bohemian Guest House, a renovated “funky and upscale” house adjacent to the Howells’ home that formerly was a long-term rental property, is open to weekend and short-term guests looking to explore the Delta Bohemian side of Clarksdale.

“It took us nine weeks, and we did it. We had a blast decorating this place. It was great. It was fun,” Madge said.

The cozy little house is warm and welcoming with unique — some vintage, some contemporary — light fixtures in every room. The walls and the furniture are brightly colored and the décor is authentically Delta-inspired. It also features the Delta Bohemian Garden, which Madge describes as “an eclectic Dollywood meets the Delta” display.

Delta Bohemian Excursions, the newest adventure for Clarksdale guests who encounter Madge and Billy, began in April. The couple takes guests out on their pedicab, a bicycle-like taxi, or on a backroad tour of the Delta in one of two vehicles they have dedicated for the tours.

Madge was inspired after riding in pedicabs in New York City and Savannah, Ga., both cities that are opting for the more al fresco, environmentally friendly form of shuttling tourists. After lots of research, the couple purchased a pedicab to begin this open-air offering for guests and locals to Clarksdale.

“We’re really more interested in just a real and personal encounter with our visitors here,” Madge said. “But we’ve also done tours for our locals, too, because they don’t — a lot of the locals, even though they grew up here, like I said earlier, they don’t know anything about the blues.”

Poor William pedals people around downtown Clarksdale, which is about three blocks from the couple’s home. The pedicab tour consists of strolls by Red’s Lounge, Ground Zero Blues Club, the Delta Blues Museum and other downtown Clarksdale landmarks.

The Back Road Excursions offer a grittier Delta experience — a drive through what Billy calls the Delta “hinterlands.” They have a luxury tour in their Lexus sedan or a more “down and dirty” — no air conditioner, but they open the windows — adventure in their Jeep, highlighting the more unseen, off-the-beaten path scenes of the Delta. Deer in soybean fields, alligators behind the levee, sunsets over the Mississippi River and seldom-seen Delta churches along the treelines are some of the rare treats the excursions highlight.

“It’s really added a neat leg to the Delta stool in that folks come here for the blues, but what informs the blues is really the landscape and the characters, and we’re rife with both,” Billy said. “Probably one of the most quintessential quotes I’ve heard that sums up, I think, why folks come here…one guy said a couple of years ago, ‘You know, I came here for the blues, but I’ll come back for the people.’ And I think that’s really the gist of why folks come here.”

For Madge and Billy, Delta Bohemian is their perspective and their way of celebrating the Delta.

“It’s not all encompassing,” Billy said. “It’s just one lens — one lens of the Delta.”

They send e-mails to their devoted subscribers, who sign on for free to receive notifications of recent posts. While Madge and Billy don’t stick to any sort of schedule, the couple tries to post about five entries a week. Their content and subjects vary. They have nearly a dozen categories of posts, which range from writings with a faith-based element to some rather “racy” posts — think Poor William’s bare chest and legs in a Delta snow. Some posts are by fictional characters Billy and Madge have created and others note community outreach or local event offerings. They also post an array of columns, photos and video of everything Delta.

“We are just constantly evolving — we don’t want to be all things, all people,” Billy said. “If we just happen to be out and it inspires us, we kind of cover it, either a video or audio, some writing or a combination thereof.”

Delta Bohemian has become a way for Madge and Billy to connect with their community and the hundreds of tourists who flock to Clarksdale. Madge calls it “living like a Delta convict,” a concept she created after observing a friend who was a literal convict, forced to get along with his fellow inmates. Through his conviction, he discovered he had a talent for art, and it helped him make connections while serving time. Madge applies the same theme to her own life and encourages others to do the same.

“I relish living like a convict in my own community,” she said.

The Delta Bohemian Gift Shop, online through the website, sells all sorts of DB merchandise, including T-shirts that boldly state, “Delta Convict” and those that sport the Delta Bohemian logo.

People all over the world don T-shirts, hats and stickers that display the two words that have become synonymous with celebrating life in the Delta. The widespread phenomenon that is Delta Bohemian has recently turned the heads of the state’s tourism professionals. Madge and Billy were presented with the 2014 Travel Media Award at the annual Mississippi Governor’s Conference on Tourism in September. The award, which is prominently displayed inside the guesthouse, has helped bring more recognition and even a little income to their efforts. They now have paid advertisers on their website.

Bringing people to the Delta, keeping them there a while and making them want to come back is the name of the game for Madge and Billy. Their goal as they grow to reach more tourists is to keep the guesthouse booked and the excursion tours loaded.

“We want to keep sharing the good news, so to speak,” Madge said. “I don’t know that there is another website that’s drawing the traffic (to the Delta) and doesn’t show a preference to anyone. We stay out of the conflicts and try to love as many people as we can. I hope I can just keep doing that.”

With a “Tell ‘em Madge and Billy sent you” kind of experience, Delta Bohemian guests see a unique and very personal side of the Delta, and there is no doubt it keeps them coming back.

“What it does, some of the folks we really connect with, it allows us to kind of stay in touch with them and when we post stuff, it’s just amazing the folks who come here and how they feel a connection with Clarksdale when they leave,” Billy said. “And, even though we see it all the time, it still always surprises us — the affinity they have for the area. But, even with what we post, even if it is not completely blues-related, we reach a lot of them. It still keeps them connected here, and they really appreciate feeling like they’re still here.”

STORY Lauchlin Fields
PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis