Face to Face with a Legend
Even Hardface would have found it difficult to keep from smiling as a marker was unveiled in his honor on Oct. 8.
The fourth Blues Trail marker is now at home in downtown Tunica just steps away from Harold “Hardface”
Clanton’s famous Harold’s Cafe on Magnolia Street. The nightclub, now being operated by Clanton’s longtime friend
Hosia Nickson and renamed for Nickson, has been a downtown staple for decades. Under Clanton, the cafe, along
with his business “The Barn” on Mhoon Landing Road, became a popular spot on the blues circuit.
The marker details Clanton’s life, describing him as the man who “controlled a flourishing local operation that
offered games of chance, bootleg liquor and the best in blues music.” He owned and operated multiple businesses,
which offered a stage for legendary blues artists like B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Ike Turner, Albert King, Sam Carr and
others to perform. He was dubbed “the black sheriff of Tunica County” and was reportedly the first black
millionaire.
Blues fans Peter Arridson and Tommy Lofgren of Sweden remember “Hardface” as a legend in his own right. The
pair visited Tunica in 1972, seeking to meet the man they heard about from afar.
The men approached Clanton in Harold’s Cafe, where he was playing pool. Clanton asked them to come back later,
and they were never able to meet up with him. They were on hand for the dedication and met those who knew
Clanton well.
Among Clanton’s friends and family was Nickson, who offered remarks before the marker made its debut.
Nickson described Clanton as a mentor.
“His name was Harold, but I always called him Hardface,” Nickson said. “He made a man out of me.”
Nickson said if a bad time fell on any of his friends, Clanton was on the way. He noted that he was liked “by both
black and white” and is the reason Nickson is in business today.
“He was a wonderful guy. He was as good to me as a father. He took me under his wing and treated me like his
son,” Nickson said.
The father of the local entertainment scene died in 1982 at the age of 66 and the community mourned his loss. His
funeral drew such a large crowd that it was moved from a local baptist auditorium to the gymnasium at Rosa Fort
High School.
It was a similar scene at the marker dedication held on an overcast day in Rivergate Park. In addition to Nickson,
officials with the Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tunica Main Street and the Mississippi Development
Authority offered remarks.
Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, welcomed everyone to the
dedication.
“Today we honor one of our own,” Franklin said, noting Hardface’s mark on Tunica County. “He knew how to
gamble before there was gambling here.”
Franklin thanked town and county officials for coming and contributing to the Blues Trail.
He then introduced Main Street Director Lynn Ryals. Ryals stressed the importance of the marker in honoring
Clanton and downtown.
At the end of the ceremony, Mississippi Blues Trail Program Director Alex Thomas gave a brief overview of the
program.
Thomas said the Hardface marker was the 54th of its kind in the state and the trail will likely include around 160
markers.
“You should be proud,” Thomas said to the crowd. “I want to thank you for be part of the community and bringing
the blues trail forward.”
Franklin then asked officials to come forward for the unveiling. Visitors circled the marker to read the information
and study the pictures.
With help from the community, officials were able to find several pictures of Clanton including one showing how he
wore a railroad cap turned to the side. Guests received their own Hardface replica hat to turn to the side in his
honor.
While the hat was his trademark, his nickname was his calling card. The name Hardface was known up and down
the Delta, but stories of over the names origins differ. One version suggests that Clanton earned the name for his
ability to keep emotions off his vice while he played a three card game called kotch. Another version states that he
earned the name while sleeping in the “gambling joins where he worked, with his face against he hard surface of
the craps table.”
No matter the reason, Hardface will now be a part of Mississippi history and heritage for years to come. And no can
is singing the blues about that.