Born in Rayville, Louisiana, Po’ Henry and Tookie's music has an international appeal. Their music represents the best of northeast Louisiana traditional and old Delta blues. They have been designated as ambassadors of blues revival in the region.
Po’ Henry and Tookie is an interracial blues duo that consists of Henry Dorsey, who is African-American, on guitar and vocals; and Wayne "Tookie" Collom, who is Caucasian, on harmonica. Both from cotton sharecropping families, the two met in 1986 and began playing music together, only to be discovered a mere three months later by folklorist Ben Sandmel.
From there, the duo performed at the Louisiana Folklife Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as the 1997 Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife. Po’ Henry and Tookie toured with acts such as Gatemouth Brown and Buckwheat Zydeco and were awarded the 2005 Louisiana Governor’s Arts Award for Folk Artist of the Year.
Byway Blues is produced with the generous support of Washington Wine and Spirits, the Entergy Charitable Foundation, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.