Selmer in McNairy County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends

Inducted 2013

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 13, 2021

1. McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends Marker

Inscription.
Stanton Littlejohn
Musician, Music Preservationist & Amateur Sound Engineer Stanton Littlejohn is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, but his lasting legacy is in local music preservation. In an incredibly prolific ten-year period (1947-1957), Littlejohn made acetate (lacquer) recordings from his Eastview, Tennessee home preserving the rich sonic legacy of Southwest Tennessee at a pivotal point in American music history. He is the first to record many area masters, including a young Carl Perkins on the verge of stardom. The significance of Littlejohn's work has been recognized by the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Center for Popular Music, and the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Brian Tull
Music Heritage Advocate, Painter & Muralist Brian Tull is an acclaimed professional artist originally from Selmer, Tennessee. He is the creative mind behind downtown Selmer's iconic Rockabilly Highway Murals 1 & 2.These murals are widely regarded among the highest quality public art installations in the country. The images have been featured in numerous print and online publications and used by the Tennessee

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Department of Tourism Development for promotional purposes. Through his creative depiction of local music tradition, Tull has raised national and international awareness of McNairy County's distinctive cultural heritage.

Dewey Phillips
Legendary Broadcaster, Rock 'N' Roll's First Deejay Dewey Phillips from Adamsville, Tennessee is one of the most influential broadcasters of the twentieth century. His groundbreaking and controversial "Red, Hot and Blue” radio program on WHBQ Memphis was instrumental in integrating the southern airwaves playing a heady mix of rhythm and blues, gospel, country, jazz, and pop to racially diverse audiences across the Mid-South. Phillips introduced the world to the sounds of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis among other early rockabilly artists. The popular Broadway musical Memphis is loosely based on his life and radio career.

Sandy Carroll
Blues Artist, Singer, Songwriter and Pianist Sandy Carroll, of Stantonville, Tennessee, is a paragon of the Memphis music scene. She was honored in 2010 with a "Brass Note on Beale” commemorating her role of reviving interest

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 13, 2021

2. McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends Marker

One of inductee Brian Tull's murals is in the background.

in one of America's most storied music traditions. A gifted pianist, vocalist, and songwriter, Carroll has performed, toured, recorded with, and written for some of the biggest names in blues and americana music. Several solo albums testify to Sandy Carroll's talents and lasting appeal as a recording artist and performer.

Erected 2013 by McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 2013.

Location. 35° 10.184′ N, 88° 35.492′ W. Marker is in Selmer, Tennessee, in McNairy County. It is at the intersection of West Court Avenue and North Front Street, on the left when traveling east on West Court Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 W Court Ave, Selmer TN 38375, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western

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World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Selmer, Tennessee (a few steps from this marker); Rockabilly Highway Murals (within shouting distance of this marker); McNairy County Music Hall of Fame (within shouting distance of this marker); Mobile & Ohio Railroad (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named McNairy County Music Hall of Fame (within shouting distance of this marker); McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends — 2014 Inductees (within shouting distance of this marker); Meskers (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Selmer.

Also see . . . Class of 2013. More details about the inaugural class members, from the McNairy County Music Trail of Legends website. (Submitted on March 15, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 545 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.