Crosse Roads: Clarksdale's Blues Bass Master

Upon completing the recording of her new album, blues bassist and Clarksdale resident Heather Crosse left the country for a long journey consisting of an 8-month tour of Europe. But her journey began long ago, where as a young girl growing up in the small town of Colfax, Louisiana, she caught the fever of playing and creating music. Many musicians speak of learning at the feet of their musician parents, or being inspired by an aunt or uncle, maybe a neighbor. For Crosse, none of those are true. For her, the inspiration came out of the ether, as if destined by kismet. “I believe I am an old soul,” Crosse explains. “Because I felt the music come to me at age 10, as if by magic.”

Thus began her journey, as she took mentor, Saint Thomas Jenkins, until his “music lessons, ferociously jumping from one instrument to the next. First it was her natural instrument—her voice. But later, piano, saxophone and guitar. She performed in local musical theater productions. She was in her junior high and high school band and choir. At age 13, she graduated from The Governor’s Program for Gifted Children as a music major. One day, at age 25, she picked up the bass guitar.

She hasn’t put it down since. She gravitated towards Hot Springs, Arkansas, and played alongside her death. She became ensconced in the music scene of Hot Springs, sometimes performing in as many as seven bands simultaneously. Those bands varied stylistically, covering a wide swath of genres. But Crosse wanted to get back to the blues. In 2007, she formed her own band, Heavy Suga’ and the SweeTones, the name coming from her nickname for her bass guitar.

Through the subsequent years, she attended the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival in Clarksdale nearly every year. Year after year, she felt the pull of Clarksdale. It was the pull of the blues, but it also reminded her of home. “I grew up in a very small town,” she says. “Colfax was home of the Pecan Festival on the Red River. [It was] very much like Clarksdale, but no tourism for the blues.”

On one of her Clarksdale sojourns, she connected with James “Super Chikan” Johnson at a post-festival performance at a juke joint. He invited her to join him on a tour of Mexico. By the time she got back from Mexico, the pull of Clarksdale had become irresistible. She moved to Clarksdale to play in Super Chikan’s band. But once there, she hooked up with other musicians too, notably drumming prodigy Lee Williams. She reconvened Heavy Suga’ and added Oxford keyboardist Mark Yacovone. The group gigged at Ground Zero, various blues festivals and by 2009 had cut a demo recording. They shared the stage with B.B. King and Robert Plant.

But while all this trajectory was taking place, she found another calling, again as if by kismet, this time unexpected. She started teaching music. She taught music lessons at Tutwiler Community Education Center in Tutwiler for a while. She taught music at St. Elizabeth Catholic School for two years. She still teaches private lessons.

During this time, she started writing her own music for the first time. This year, she headed into the studio to record them. The lineup of the SweeTones has shifted over time, due to the death of original guitarist Jerry Jines and the illness of harmonica player Greg Batterton. When they reconvened in producer Jim Gaines’ Bessie Blue Studios in Stantonville, Tennessee, to record Crosse’s first album, the Heavy Suga’ and the SweeTones consisted of Heather Crosse on bass and vocals; Lee Williams on drums and vocals; Mark Yacovone on piano and organ and Dan Smith on guitar and vocals. They also brought in special guest Dick “The Poet” Lourie on saxophone for a few tracks.

The result will be Heather Crosse…Groovin’ at The Crosse Roads, a CD to be released in the summer of 2015 on the Germany-based blues label Ruf Records. In the meantime, Crosse plans to continue her journey, whether it takes her to Arkansas, Clarkdale, Europe or beyond.

Story by Tom Speed/Delta Magazine
Story and photos courtesy Delta Magazine

Crosse Roads: Clarksdale’s Blues Bass Master

Most Popular

Question throws off Lane Kiffin at press conference

Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin not portal fan, but not losing games over it

WATCH: Rebels’ Coach Lane Kiffin Before First Bowl Practice

HottyToddy.com is coming home.

Recent Comments

Crosse Roads: Clarksdale’s Blues Bass Master

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments