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Joe Cole

Bobo MS 1995

Retired mechanic and musician Joe Cole lived on his former employer’s farm in the same small home with no plumbing for almost 50 years. Cole, an accomplished musician who never recorded or played his music beyond Coahoma Co., preferred to spend his time gardening and working on his truck. Twice weekly Cole collected fresh water for himself and his wife from a spigot one mile away and hauled it home for cooking and bathing. Cole exemplified the resilience of African Americans in the Mississippi Delta to carve out a life and create art despite the horrific conditions under which he was forced to live.

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Joe Cole "Feather Bed"

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