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09/12/10: Tater FosterWiley - Visitation and Services

4:3O p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, 2010

Services for our good friend and blues musician Tater Foster Wiley, who performed every year on our Sunflower River Blues Association acoustic stage and frequently at our Thanksgiving Eve fund-raiser at Ground Zero will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Pilgrim's Rest Church on New Africa Rd., (Highway 322) approximately a mile or so from Clarksdale, according to Woolf Funeral Home directors.

Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, in Clarksdale at Woolf Funeral Home, 761 McKinley (one block off Highway 61 North)

Tater died Thursday at a Memphis Hospital where he had been hospitalized for several days in intensive care; Laura Mayfield and Shelley Ritter visited him there a week ago and reported that he was seriously ill and was not improving. For months Tater had been undergoing dialysis several days a week.

Tater performed on the 23rd annual Sunflower Festival's acoustic stage in the Civic Auditorium Saturday, Aug. 7, with John Ruskey as M/C. Later he and his signature kick drew applause from the Main Stage audience Saturday night when he performed with Jimbo Mathus.

Updated 9/13/10

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS (per Tater's brothers Joshua and Joe Wiley)

Viewing:

Monday, September 13, 2010

2pm - 6pm

Woolf Funeral Home

761 Mckinley St.

Clarksdale, MS 38614

662-624-2025 / 662-624-2522 (more info)

Wilbert D. Phillips, funeral director

Funeral:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

11am

Vincent Productions

313 Issaquena

downtown Clarksdale, MS 38614

662-621-8925

Cemetery:

Procession to cemetery, etc. immediately following the funeral.

Pilgrim's Rest Church

Directions: From 161 North State Street (headed away from "Crossroads" marker and toward

Kroger), turn left on New Africa Road (by the McDonalds) going toward Roundaway. Drive

approximately "3-4 miles to old church on right" (painted white).

Reception/blues jam:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

3pm

Vincent Productions

313 Issaquena

downton Clarksdale, MS 38614

662-621-8925

DONATIONS FOR FUNERAL EXPENSES (per Joshua and Joe Wiley)

Donations: Can be accepted at the Reception above, or...

Per the family, please mail checks in Mr. Tater's brother's name, "Joshua Wiley"; he is temporarily covering the funeral expenses:

Joshua Wiley

4123 Farmview Dr.

Nashville, TN 37218

615-498-0244 / 615-876-9449 (questions)

the Music Maker Foundation has minted a special edition CD "The Best of Mr. Tater: The Greatest Music Maker Alive" -- purchase of which helps defray costs of the funeral for Tater's brothers Joshua & Joseph. You can find copies of this CD for $15 at the Delta Blues Museum or at Cat Head Music & Arts, both in downtown Clarksdale. Call them today and order some of Tater's music and help his family out.