Learning from Wade Walton - Clarksdale, MS
I suppose some folks, if they're lucky enough, get to know what they want to do with their life when they're young. Some want to be firemen, some want to be nurses. Wade wanted to become a barber.
Wade: I picked cotton when I was a little boy and it was hard work. My daddy did sharecropping. No matter how hard he worked or how much cotton he picked come the end of the season the best he cleared was about one hundred dollars, and that's in a good year. After the man takes what you owe him; for feed, tools, mules the land, that's what you would wind up with.
Toby: Sound's pretty unfair.
Wade: I'd say so. And I worked real hard too picking that cotton, couple of hundred pounds a day. Enough of that. I was gonna make something of myself.
Toby: So you became a barber.
Wade: That's right. I learned how to cut hair. Once I qualified I moved to Clarksdale. Been working in this shop ever since. Toby: But you do more than cut hair here, don't you?
Wade: Well, I always keep my harp handy you know. Sometimes somebody comes in like yourself and they may want to hear me blow some harp. So I do that too. If it's they're birthday, I'll play them 'Happy Birthday.' Sometimes I play them my 'Barber Strop Blues.'
At this point Wade takes a razor and belts out an infectious rhthym on a barber strop while playing a blues accompaniment on his harp. Wade has become somewhat of a local celebrity around Clarksdale. He plays harp and guitar, and has been known to sing a mean blues as well. If you're lucky enough to be around during the Mississippi Sunflower Blues Festival, you'll catch Wade up on stage entertaining flocks of blues fans.
Now one of the highlights of going to Wade's was visiting his back room. He had a little bar back there complete with a pool table and piano. Not something you'd find in just any old barber shop. Here's a friend of mine - Willie Steel - with a pool que in hand celebrating a good shot:
Toby: What's in the back room?
Wade: I picked cotton when I was a little boy and it was hard work. My daddy did sharecropping. No matter how hard he worked or how much cotton he picked come the end of the season the best he cleared was about one hundred dollars, and that's in a good year. After the man takes what you owe him; for feed, tools, mules the land, that's what you would wind up with.
Toby: Sound's pretty unfair.
Wade: I'd say so. And I worked real hard too picking that cotton, couple of hundred pounds a day. Enough of that. I was gonna make something of myself.
Toby: So you became a barber.
Wade: That's right. I learned how to cut hair. Once I qualified I moved to Clarksdale. Been working in this shop ever since. Toby: But you do more than cut hair here, don't you?
Wade: Well, I always keep my harp handy you know. Sometimes somebody comes in like yourself and they may want to hear me blow some harp. So I do that too. If it's they're birthday, I'll play them 'Happy Birthday.' Sometimes I play them my 'Barber Strop Blues.'
At this point Wade takes a razor and belts out an infectious rhthym on a barber strop while playing a blues accompaniment on his harp. Wade has become somewhat of a local celebrity around Clarksdale. He plays harp and guitar, and has been known to sing a mean blues as well. If you're lucky enough to be around during the Mississippi Sunflower Blues Festival, you'll catch Wade up on stage entertaining flocks of blues fans.
Now one of the highlights of going to Wade's was visiting his back room. He had a little bar back there complete with a pool table and piano. Not something you'd find in just any old barber shop. Here's a friend of mine - Willie Steel - with a pool que in hand celebrating a good shot:
Toby: What's in the back room?
Wade: Well, I have a pool table and a little bar you know. Just the other day Billy come in here. (He was speaking of course of Billy Gibbons, the lead guitarist for ZZ Top). We shot some pool. He's a nice fella. Ike Turner, he drops by from time to time too. And last week I had a bunch of folks from Japan, come all the way over here just to visit me.
Toby: All these visitors must get in the way of your haircutting.
Wade: Well, no not really. I can cut and talk and my customers don't seem to mind.
So you see, a haircut is not all you'll get at Wades. You can get a nice blues along with your shave. Of course if he's busy with his customers, which he usually is, you may have to wait for a tune. Wouldn't want to interupt his business. He does have to pay the rent you know.
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