CLARKSDALE , the first significant town south of Memphis, has an unquestionable claim to consider itself the home of the blues. Its quite phenomenal roll call of former residents - stretching from Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson up to Ike Turner and Sam Cooke - is celebrated in the Delta Blues Museum , housed at 1 Blues Alley (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, closed Sunday; $6; tel 662/627-6820, ). The centerpiece among the photos, instruments, personal possessions, videos and recordings is the "Muddywood" guitar, created by ZZ Top using wood from Waters' old cabin. Each year, around the second weekend in August, the town holds the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival (free; tel 1-800/626-3764).
