UPDATE

Thanks for all of you who sent donations to David Tollison on behalf of Jessie
Mae Hemphill.

We have solved the immediate problem and did it in short order. It should go without saying that Jessie Mae can also thank the internet. 20 years ago something like would have been impossible to experience.

1,075 dollars came from the Blue at Heart benefit in Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks Dar. South Florida is one area that has always been very supportive of the hill country artists. Dar and friends were involved as soon as the news hit. Thanks for sharing your results Dar.

I'm well aware that uncharted funds were also raised by various sources such as, Catfish Keith, tweedsblues.net (http://www.tweedsblues.net), blues (http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/) and many others.

Thanks for replying with your donation amount in the e-mail. As of today, verified donations from richardjohnston.com list members total 5,255 dollars and many e-mails were received stating donations would be made but no amount was indicated. I assume that means we raised more than 5,255 dollars.

1,755 dollars from scattered contributions made by over 40 list members. 2,000 dollars from Chris Johnson in Hudson, WI in exchange for one of my performances in his hometown.
And another 1,500 dollars was raised the day of the Hudson, WI show from members
of Chris Johnson's community.

With the funds sent from the Blue At Heart benefit I ca! n attest that Jessie Mae
has received over 6,330 dollars in immediate relief. That is, assuming all the
people who wrote to me did indeed send the amount stated in the reply.
There was an article in Friday's Commercial Appeal (biggest news paper in the
mid-south).

http://www.richardjohnston.com/news.html

Times are hard all over and I can't Thank You all enough. I've never used this
list to raise money and I really appreciate you all letting me intrude as much
as I already have. Jessie Mae means the world to me and I was happy to see such
positive reactions from so many of you.

David Tollison (Senatobia, MS) and Barbara Blue (Mem, TN) have search over 30
suitable home-sites for Jessie Mae. All are in Clarksdale -- Barbara tells me
they have moved on the best option, signed the paperwork and are packed to move.
I will post photos of her new home on my site. Barbara says they should have her
settled wit! hin a month.

Barbara Blue, David Tollison, Bruce Newman and Joni Mayberry were the right
people at the right time. They actually assumed responsibility for the
day-to-day concerns of making this happen. Suffice to say your donations
wouldn't have helped without people who could find and orchestrate a sensible
solution -- on a tight budget. Jessie Mae is very relieved, I am very relieved.


Be well and, as always, Thanks for your support!
Richard Johnston

Jessie Mae Hemphill Needs Your Help:
This important message comes from Bluesman Catfish Keith. Please read his message and help the Blues help its own:

Legendary Mississippi hill country Blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jessie Mae Hemphill needs your help. As many of you know, back in 1994 she was the victim of a debilitating stroke that left her unable to play guitar and brought her vital music career to an abrupt halt. She was left without any means to make a living. Her feisty spirit and her faith, however, have always remained very strong. Friends and fans in the Blues world helped her to get a new trailer to live in. She was told the trailer was hers for the rest of her life.

Then it was very recently discovered that the woman that gave her the trailer no longer has control of it, and Jessie Mae has just been given an eviction notice. She is now technically evicted and, and doesn't know where to turn. She very much wants to remain there, she's been quite happy living independently there with her little dog, Sweet Pea. As I understand it, friends of Jessie Mae are looking to, at least temporarily, move her to Clarksdale, where she'll have more support, with the goal of finding her a permanent place to live, perhaps with an assisted living program in Memphis and setting her up to cover her living expenses.

If you would like to help Jessie Mae, I know she would truly appreciate it. Make sure any financial contributions are made out to her personally and are in the form of a U.S. Postal Money Order.

Jessie Mae has no bank account, so she can't cash personal checks, please only send postal money orders that are purchased at the Post Office. You can send contributions directly to her at:

Jessie Mae Hemphill
PO Box 975
Senatobia, MS 38668