Swapping the Dutch lowlands for a year in the mountains of Colorado seemed exciting enough—but I wanted more. From previous visits to the U.S. I knew how vast and beautiful the backcountry of ...

As I drive my rented Dodge Hornet south on Highway 61 across the flat Mississippi Delta, the region’s famous native son B.B. King croons “Why I Sing the Blues” on the radio. Music that sprung from ...