Teaching the Blues at Parchman Farm

A short impromptu dispatch, with a bit of illustrative harmonica playing. Adam Gussow, your host, is a professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. In this video he speaks about teaching a course in blues literature to a class of incarcerated students in the pre-release unit at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Parchman Farm, as part of the Prison-to-College Pipeline Program. Students get college credit for the course. Thanks to a generous gift of free Hohner Blues Harps from Hohner/KHS America, Gussow is also able to give the student some basic instruction in the art of blues harmonica. (Each harmonica gets his own free harp.)

[JB-rwxt]

You’re a good man Adam Gussow. You’re giving those prisoners something to look forward to and hopefully they stick with the harmonica when they get out. Learning the harmonica has been a life changer for me.

[rayobannon]

This post spilled positivity all over me and now I gotta go around feelin' good all day. Well... I could get used to that. 😎

[greggmarkowski]

Thanks for the update. I was wondering how these classes were going. Glad it's beneficial to everyone.

[Axis_Mundi_Design]

How cool Adam, kudos to you and all your students!

[nacoran]

It's funny... I've never been in prison, but actually, running into harmonica (and your videos and site) really changed my life... not just the part where I got to become a part of the great harmonica community (although that has been great) but just the simple breathe in/breathe out part of it. If I'm having a panic attack I can snap myself out of it by playing harmonica a couple minutes. Give me a few more minutes and I can get out of most funks.

And then, the blues on top of it. Music is transformative. It's really cool that you are doing this.

[heiko]

Great project Adam🙏🏻 And you are right not to talk about the reasons why people are what and where they are. Because there is no real answere to that, that could be put into words or concepts. Your are such a friend of them, to let them play. Thanks man😌

[liquideffex]

I'm from Mississippi, and I've heard of the environment the prisoners are subjected to. This is nothing short of an incredible blessing you are bestowing on those men. God bless you, brother.

[andydunn]

Thanks for sharing Adam with us and them
I play Blues Harp because of you

[volkerschunck]

What a great project! I missed your lessons and was afraid that you may have become ill. But gosh, this is amazing! I can image that Johnny Cash smiles from heaven high above, because this is a step further of his prison work. Happy Easter, Adam! 👏

[garys_shave]

I be a watching and learning! Thank you so much for taking the time to help us newbies learn an instrument! ~cheers

[davyydsummers]

Thank you for taking the time to share your fascinating life. I’m reading Whose Blues and enjoying it.

[RebelTheUncanny]

That place is in my home state. I want another Blues Harp, but I ain't going to that extreme to get it. Those ol' boys have it bad in there.

[rumplefish]

Inspiring! For life attitude as much as music. Such a great project Adam

[neodutch]

Johnny Winters went down to Parchment Farm.

[raytay]

awesome work! looking forward to hearing Sir Rod and the Blues Doctors on Kiawah Island SC. and coming up to finally meet you and shake your hand!

[rocketgirllise]

You did walk about in Basic Juke Joint video ( my fave video). You were surrounded by toilets 😂

[deno]

Just watched your video on harmonica amplification. Freaking awesome bro! something I always wanted to know how they got that "honkin" tone. Going to turn up my harmonica playing a couple notches this summer. So nice to have some good advice...✌️

[georgerism]

have you ever played parchmans farm by john mayall??great blues harp by john mayall

[Human_Herbivore]

Reed plates hidden in cakes might be the new contraband.

[arcidiavolo]

i cannot imagine those inmate, who don't like music, blues music, harmonica, when you leave after your lesson and your students start practising.... uupss..