from the Front Porch

Summer 2015

As we gear up for another hot and humid Mississippi summer, thoughts of cold drinks and fresh-picked produce come to mind.

By Lauchlin Fields

Photographs by Melanie Thortis; Millet Studio

“You only live but once, and when you’re dead you’re done, so let the good times roll.” — as sung by B.B. King

As we gear up for another hot and humid Mississippi summer, thoughts of cold drinks and fresh-picked produce come to mind. This issue celebrates summer with a big “sip” of blueberries in all their glory along with an old-school butcher shop, biscuits, bees and the blues.

Speaking of blues…I can’t help but join the chorus of people remembering the legacy of Mississippi’s own B.B. King, whose death has lain heavily on the hearts of people across the world. And when a photo of me with B.B. in 2011 recently resurfaced, it sparked a conversation with my 3-year-old son, with whom, coincidentally, I was nearly 8 months pregnant in the photo. After my explanation of who B.B. King was, my music-loving child, Grady, asked, “Does he play the blues in Heaven?” Bless him.

Strange as it now seems, my fondness for B.B. King came when I was a (pre) pre-teen watching The Cosby Show. Seeing the larger-than-life, Mississippi-born bluesman perform on my favorite Thursday night TV show triggered an undying pride for my home state.

In college, I took a class on the anthropology of the blues culture, which deepened my appreciation for B.B.’s art form. That same summer, I caught a live homecoming performance in the Delta and was beyond thrilled when he stopped to shake my hand as he left the stage.

During the time I traveled with H.C. Porter to build Blues @ Home, a project featuring portraits and oral histories of living Mississippi blues legends, I attended a performance by B.B. King and, once again, met him backstage. I was just as enamored with him then as I was as that star-struck child and giddy college girl.

An icon of Mississippi culture and a true ambassador for our state, B.B. has been a beacon for me on this journey of celebrating the culture of Mississippi through this publication. His love for the ‘Sip lives on through his undying legacy. And, I’m sure he is, indeed, playing his blues in Heaven.

Summer is full of live music opportunities, and this issue offers a jump-start with a list of can’t-miss summer acts. So…

Let the good times roll,

Lauchlin

PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Millet Studio, 2011

This story first appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of The 'Sip Magazine.

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Lauchlin Fields

Lauchlin Fields began her career as a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. In 2014, she launched The 'Sip Magazine, serving as publisher and editor across all 15 issues and writing the magazine's From the Front Porch column along with features on the people and places of Mississippi. She was audience development director at Mississippi Today and director of growth and innovation at Deep South Today. She is now founder and chief visionary officer of The Sip Collective, a cultural storytelling studio in Vicksburg, and publishes Amplify The Sip. She also serves as program and coaching manager at Blue Engine Collaborative. More at thesipcollective.org.