US Highway 61 runs for 1,400 miles between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota, generally following the course of the Mississippi River. This highway has been referenced in the lyrics of music by myriad artists with roots in the region. The junction of US 61 and US 49 in Clarksdale is the mythical crossroads where, according to legend, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the blues guitar style.
The Blues Highway portion of Highway 61 follows its path North from New Orleans to Chicago, passing through Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, past the western tip of Tennessee and through Missouri. It was here where Jeff Dunas headed in the mid-1990s to photograph many of the true blues legends for his portfolio and monograph State of the Blues.
For his contribution to our One Picture Book series, Jeff Dunas has retraced his steps from that journey, presenting here a selection of landscapes and portraits with accompanying texts describing what he saw, and why it is as important as ever.
Small format hardback 6" x 8 1/2", 16 pages.
Highway 61 to Honeyboy is limited to 500 numbered copies, each including a 5x7 inch original print that has been signed by the artist.