101 ► Mississippi, Jackson County, Pascagoula — 191 — Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues & Heritage Festival — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Front The Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues & Heritage Festival, one of the longest running blues festivals in the Deep South, was founded in 1991 by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues Commission, Inc. At the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in . . . — — Map (db m102158) HM

102 ► Mississippi, Jefferson County, Fayette — 85 — Charles Evers & The Blues —

Side 1 In 1973 Mayor Charles Evers of Fayette and B. B. King began to cosponsor concerts at the Medgar Evers Homecoming in honor of the slain civil rights activist. Dozens of blues, soul, and gospel acts performed at the annual festival . . . — — Map (db m162116) HM

103 ► Mississippi, Jones County, Laurel — 127 — Jones County Blues —

Front The Laurel area, a hub of musical activity in southeast Mississippi, has been home to a number of noted blues performers including harmonica player Sam Myers, singer Albennie Jones, and guitarist Blind Roosevelt Graves. R&B, blues, . . . — — Map (db m110992) HM

104 ► Mississippi, Lafayette County, Oxford — 143 — Oxford & Lafayette County Blues —

Lafayette County’s blues history has encompassed a wide range of activity by scholars, promoters, record companies, and musicians. The nightlife of Oxford has welcomed both local performers and national touring acts. The most famous musician . . . — — Map (db m102876) HM

105 ► Mississippi, Lafayette County, University — 62 — Documenting the Blues —

Front The University of Mississippi is internationally famous for its work in documenting and preserving African American blues culture. In 1983 the Center for the Study of Southern Culture acquired Living Blues magazine, which . . . — — Map (db m102770) HM

106 ► Mississippi, Lauderdale County, Meridian — 10 — Jimmie Rodgers & The Blues —

Jimmie Rodgers (1897 – 1933) is widely known as the "father of country music," but blues was a prominent element of his music. The influence of his famous "blue yodels" can be heard in the music of Mississippi blues artists including . . . — — Map (db m59656) HM

107 ► Mississippi, Lauderdale County, Meridian — 198 — Meridian Blues & Jazz — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Front Meridian blues and jazz performers have played important roles in musical history, both locally and nationally, not only supplying a foundation for other genres but also propelling music in new directions. Notables with Meridian . . . — — Map (db m111037) HM

108 ► Mississippi, Lauderdale County, Meridian — 178 — Meridian Rhythm & Blues and Soul Music —

Front Rhythm & blues and soul singers have been major contributors to Meridian’s deep African American musical heritage, extending the legacy molded by gospel, jazz and traditional blues artists. David Ruffin of the Temptations and his . . . — — Map (db m77426) HM

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109 ► Mississippi, Lauderdale County, Meridian — 169 — Peavey Electronics —

Front The electronic amplification of vocals and musical instruments resulted in dramatic changes in the blues in the post-World War II era, notably the rise to prominence of the electric guitar. Peavey Electronics, founded in 1965 by . . . — — Map (db m77192) HM

110 ► Mississippi, Lawrence County, Monticello — 145 — J. B. Lenoir —

Monticello area native J. B. Lenoir (1929-1967) was best known during his lifetime for his 1955 hit “Mama, Talk to Your Daughter,” but he also played an important role in blues history because of his political engagement. In the 1960s . . . — — Map (db m79029) HM

111 ► Mississippi, Lee County, Tupelo — 28 — Elvis Presley and the Blues —

Marker Front: Elvis Presley revolutionized popular music by blending the blues he first heard as a youth in Tupelo with country, pop, and gospel. Many of the first songs Elvis recorded for the Sun label in Memphis were covers of earlier . . . — — Map (db m29823) HM

112 ► Mississippi, Lee County, Tupelo — 60 — Shake Rag — (Shakerag) —

Marker Front: Shake Rag, located east of the old M & O (later GM & O) railway tracks and extending northward from Main Street, was one of several historic African American communities in Tupelo. By the 1920s blues and jazz flowed freely . . . — — Map (db m29629) HM

113 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Berclair — 48 — B.B. King Birthplace —

The long and remarkable life of B.B. King began near this site, where he was born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925. His parents, Albert and Nora Ella King, were sharecroppers who lived in a simple home southeast of here along Bear Creek. After . . . — — Map (db m173997) HM

114 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 80 — Baptist Town —

Front Baptist Town, established in the 1800s in tandem with the growth of the local cotton industry, is one of Greenwood’s oldest African American neighborhoods. Known for its strong sense of community, it is anchored by the McKinney . . . — — Map (db m77198) HM

115 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 153 — Blues Deejays —

Front Radio disc jockeys played a major role in the spread of the blues, boosting the careers of local artists, introducing listeners to performers from across the country, and more generally serving as a voice for the community. Early . . . — — Map (db m77191) HM

116 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 34 — Elks Hart Lodge No. 640 —

Front During the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, the Elks Hart Lodge No. 640 at this site was one of the most important venues for rhythm and blues in the Delta. Particularly during the segregation era, fraternal organizations such as the . . . — — Map (db m77193) HM

117 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 150 — Furry Lewis —

Front Greenwood native Walter “Furry” Lewis (c. 1899-1981) was a favorite figure on the Memphis blues revival scene of the 1960s and '70s, decades after he made his historic first recordings in the 1920s. Lewis, who had . . . — — Map (db m77196) HM

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118 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 114 — Guitar Slim —

Front Eddie Lee “Guitar Slim” Jones brought new levels of energy and intensity to electric guitar playing with his raw, incendiary approach in the 1950s. An impassioned singer and a flamboyant showman, Jones was best known . . . — — Map (db m77211) HM

119 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 39 — Hubert Sumlin —

Front Hubert Sumlin’s sizzling guitar playing energized many of the classic Chicago blues records of Howlin’ Wolf in the 1950s and ‘60s. His reputation in blues and rock circles propelled him to a celebrated career on his own after . . . — — Map (db m77209) HM

120 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 11 — Robert Johnson —

Front A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues, Robert Johnson (1911-1938) synthesized the music of Delta blues pioneers such as Son House with outside traditions. He in turn influenced artists such as Muddy Waters and Elmore . . . — — Map (db m77203) HM

121 ► Mississippi, Leflore County, Greenwood — 3 — WGRM Radio Studio —

Front Before the 1950s, relatively few African American voices were heard on the radio in the South. A major exception was live broadcasts of performances by gospel groups. During the 1940s this building housed station WGRM, which . . . — — Map (db m77200) HM

122 ► Mississippi, Lincoln County, Brookhaven — 210 — Brookhaven Blues: A Tribute — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Front Virgil Brawley, Blind Jim Brewer, Moses “Whispering” Smith and other Brookhaven musicians have spread the blues far and wide, across the country or overseas. Brawley (1948-2018) remained the most locally connected, often returning here to . . . — — Map (db m202883) HM

123 ► Mississippi, Lincoln County, Brookhaven — 142 — Little Brother Montgomery —

Side ALittle Brother Montgomery (1906-1985), a major presence on south Mississippi's blues and jazz scene during much of the pre-World War II era, was famed for his trembling vocals and masterful piano playing. The Montgomery family, . . . — — Map (db m117480) HM

124 ► Mississippi, Lowndes County, Columbus — 20 — Columbus Mississippi Blues —

The Black Prairies of eastern Mississippi have produced a number of notable blues musicians, including Howlin’ Wolf, Bukka White, and Big Joe Williams. Activity in Columbus, the largest city in the region, centered around areas such as this block of . . . — — Map (db m27607) HM

125 ► Mississippi, Lowndes County, Columbus — 115 — Queen City Hotel and 7th Avenue —

Front For several decades beginning in the early 1900s, the Queen City Hotel, which stood across the street from this site, was at the center of a vibrant African American community along 7th Avenue North. Clubs and cafes in the area . . . — — Map (db m140699) HM

126 ► Mississippi, Lowndes County, Crawford — 56 — Big Joe Williams —

Side A Big Joe Williams (c. 1903-1982) epitomized the life and times of the rambunctious, roving bluesman, traveling from coast to coast and around the world playing rugged, rhythmic blues on his nine-string guitar at juke joints, house . . . — — Map (db m27750) HM

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127 ► Mississippi, Madison County, Canton — 65 — Club Desire —

The Club Desire, which stood across the street from this site, was one of Mississippi's premier blues and rhythm & blues nightclubs from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. Owner Clarence Chinn presented the top national acts, including B. B. . . . — — Map (db m80035) HM

128 ► Mississippi, Madison County, Canton — 15 — Hickory Street — (The Hollow) —

Side 1: Hickory Street, known locally as "The Hollow," was a hub of social life, commerce, and entertainment for the African American community of central Mississippi for several decades, up through the 1970s. Canton's most famous blues . . . — — Map (db m97089) HM

129 ► Mississippi, Marshall County, Cayce — 163 — Rufus Thomas —

Front A recording artist, disc jockey, comedian, and ambassador for Memphis music, Rufus Thomas (1917 – 2001) was born here in Cayce. As a young man Thomas toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, and later worked in Memphis as an . . . — — Map (db m96779) HM

130 ► Mississippi, Marshall County, Holly Springs — 45 — Hill Country Blues —

(side 1) Although Delta blues often claims the spotlight, other styles of the blues were produced in other regions of Mississippi. In the greater Holly Springs area, musicians developed a "hill county" blues style characterized by few chord . . . — — Map (db m84875) HM

131 ► Mississippi, Monroe County, Aberdeen — 90 — Aberdeen Mississippi Blues —

Front In 1940 singer-guitarist Booker “Bukka” White, who lived in Aberdeen during the 1920s and ‘30s, recorded the blues classic “Aberdeen Mississippi Blues.” Twenty-three years later the song’s title enabled . . . — — Map (db m102609) HM

132 ► Mississippi, Monroe County, Amory — 208 — Amory, Mississippi: Blues from a Railroad Town — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Just as Amory’s history is tied to the railroad, so is much of its musical legacy. Several generations of blues, soul and gospel performers came from the families of African-American workers employed here by the Frisco line. Others worked as . . . — — Map (db m174015) HM

133 ► Mississippi, Montgomery County, Kilmichael — 159 — Kilmichael: B.B. King's Roots —

Front Riley B. King, who was born in the Delta fifty miles west of here in 1925, spent many of his formative years in Kilmichael in the 1930s and ‘40s before achieving stardom as “B. B.” King. His first mentor on the guitar . . . — — Map (db m90016) HM

134 ► Mississippi, Montgomery County, Winona — 120 — Roebuck "Pops" Staples — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Front Roebuck “Pops” Staples, one of the foremost figures in American gospel music as a singer, guitarist, and patriarch of the Staple Singers family group, was born on a farm near Winona on December 28, 1914. Staples began playing . . . — — Map (db m90019) HM

135 ► Mississippi, Neshoba County, Philadelphia — 26 — Otis Rush —

The blues form reached both artistic and emotional peaks in the works of Otis Rush, who was born south of Philadelphia in Neshoba County in 1935. His music, shaped by the hardships and troubles of his early life in Mississippi, came to fruition in . . . — — Map (db m140850) HM

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136 ► Mississippi, Newton County, Newton — 202 — Newton County Blues — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Newton County has a dual claim to blues fame, first as the birthplace of several historical figures and later as the site of an important blues event, the Chunky Rhythm & Blues Festival. Newton County natives include record businessman H.C. Speir . . . — — Map (db m141357) HM

137 ► Mississippi, Noxubee County, Macon — 46 — Black Prairie Blues —

Front The roots of blues and gospel music run deep in the African American culture of the Black Prairie region. Among the performers born near Macon here in Noxubee County, Eddy Clearwater, Carey Bell, and Jesse Fortune went on to . . . — — Map (db m92636) HM

138 ► Mississippi, Oktibbeha County, Starkville — 146 — Oktibbeha County Blues —

Front Oktibbeha County has produced several blues artists who achieved fame for their recordings and live performances in Chicago, California, or other areas. Blues Hall of Famer Big Joe Williams (c. 1903-1982), who waxed the classic . . . — — Map (db m102869) HM

139 ► Mississippi, Panola County, Como — 71 — Mississippi Fred McDowell —

Front Fred McDowell, a seminal figure in Mississippi hill country blues, was one of the most vibrant performers of the 1960s blues revival. McDowell (c. 1906-1972) was a sharecropper and local entertainer in 1959 when he made his first . . . — — Map (db m102873) HM

140 ► Mississippi, Panola County, Como — 172 — Napolian Strickland —

Front Napolian Strickland (1924-2001) was one of Mississippi's most gifted musicians in the fife and drum and country blues traditions. A lifelong resident of the Como-Senatobia area, Strickland excelled on the homemade cane fife and . . . — — Map (db m102874) HM

141 ► Mississippi, Panola County, Como — 82 — Otha Turner —

Front The African American fife and drum tradition in north Mississippi stretches back to the 1800s and is often noted for its similarities to African music. Its best known exponent, Otha (or Othar) Turner (c. 1908-2003), presided over . . . — — Map (db m102872) HM

142 ► Mississippi, Pike County, McComb — 23 — Bo Diddley —

Front Acclaimed as the father of rock and roll, Bo Diddley (Ellas Bates McDaniel) was born near Magnolia, south of McComb, on December 30, 1928. Diddley wrote and recorded such hits as "I'm A Man", "Bo Diddley', "Say Man" and "I'm a . . . — — Map (db m104326) HM

143 ► Mississippi, Pike County, McComb — 93 — Summit Street —

Side A Summit Street was a thriving African American business district during the era of segregation, as well as a hotbed of musical activity. Blues, jazz, and rhythm & blues bands entertained at various nightclubs, cafes, and hotels, and . . . — — Map (db m51528) HM

144 ► Mississippi, Pontotoc County, Pontotoc — 155 — Pontotoc County Blues —

Front Pontotoc County's wide-ranging musical legacy encompasses African American blues from Baby Face Leroy Foster, Lee Gates, R. C. Weatherall, and Terry "Harmonica" Bean as well as music by white artists who combined blues or R&B . . . — — Map (db m102867) HM

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145 ► Mississippi, Quitman County, Lambert — 133 — Sunnyland Slim — Quitman County Blues —

Albert Luandrew, better known as Sunnyland Slim, who was born in Vance (c. 1906), was a central figure on the Chicago blues scene from the 1940s until his death in 1995. Other noted Chicago bluesmen with Quitman County roots included Snooky Pryor, . . . — — Map (db m174068) HM

146 ► Mississippi, Quitman County, Vance — 122 — John Lee Hooker —

John Lee Hooker (c. 1917-2001), one of the most famous and successful of all blues singers, had his musical roots here in the Delta, where he learned to play guitar in the style of his stepfather, Will Moore. Hooker spent many of his early years . . . — — Map (db m174054) HM

147 ► Mississippi, Rankin County, Flowood — 92 — The Gold Coast: Cross the River —

This area of Rankin County, formerly called East Jackson and later the Gold Coast, was a hotbed for gambling, bootleg liquor, and live music for several decades up through the 1960s. Blues, jazz, and soul performers, including touring national . . . — — Map (db m81859) HM

148 ► Mississippi, Rankin County, Pelahatchie — 61 — Rubin Lacy —

Front Rubin Lacy was one of the most talented and influential artists in Mississippi blues during his short career as a secular performer. The grandson of a minister, Lacy was born in Pelahatchie on January 2, 1901. He was a well-known . . . — — Map (db m111013) HM

149 ► Mississippi, Rankin County, Piney Woods — 47 — Piney Woods School —

The musical programs of the Piney Woods School have produced many fine artists over the decades, including bluesman Sam Myers, who sang in vocal groups while attending a school for the blind located here. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a . . . — — Map (db m50905) HM

150 ► Mississippi, Scott County, Forest — 52 — Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup —

Front Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, one of the most prominent blues recording artists of the 1940s, was born on his grandparents' land in Forest on August 24, 1905. After Elvis Presley recorded three Crudup songs in the 1950s, . . . — — Map (db m77153) HM

151 ► Mississippi, Sharkey County, Rolling Fork — 58 — Muddy Waters —

McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, was one of the foremost artists in blues history. In the late 1940s and 1950s he led the way in transforming traditional Delta blues into the electric Chicago blues style that paved the road to . . . — — Map (db m80120) HM

152 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Dockery — 37 — Birthplace of the Blues? —

The precise origins of the blues are lost to time, but one of the primal centers for the music in Mississippi was Dockery Farms. For nearly three decades the plantation was intermittently the home of Charley Patton (c. 1891–1934), the most important . . . — — Map (db m174017) HM

153 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Holly Ridge — 1 — Charley Patton —

The most important figure in the pioneering era of Delta blues, Charley Patton (1891-1934), helped define not only the musical genre but also the image and lifestyle of the rambling Mississippi bluesman. He roamed the Delta using Dockery as his most . . . — — Map (db m170525) HM

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154 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Indianola — 147 — Albert King —

Albert King (1923-1992), who was billed as "King of the Blues Guitar," was famed for his powerful string-bending style as well as for his soulful, smoky vocals. King often said he was born in Indianola and was a half-brother of B. B. King, . . . — — Map (db m77319) HM

155 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Indianola — 49 — Church Street —

Front Church Street catered to every need of the African American community during the segregation era, when most area residents worked in the cotton fields during the week and came to town on weekends. Church Street (also designated . . . — — Map (db m77308) HM

156 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Indianola — 84 — Club Ebony —

Front Club Ebony, one of the South’s most important African American nightclubs, was built just after the end of World War II by Indianola entrepreneur Johnny Jones (1907-1950). Under Jones and successive owners, the club showcased Ray . . . — — Map (db m77307) HM

157 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Inverness — 68 — Little Milton Campbell —

Front Little Milton Campbell, one of the world’s leading performers of blues and soul music for several decades, was born on the George Bowles plantation about two miles southwest of this site on September 7, 1933. Acclaimed as both a . . . — — Map (db m77276) HM

158 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Moorhead — 182 — "Where the Southern Cross the Dog" —

W. C. Handy, "The Father of the Blues," immortalized the crossing of the Southern Railway and the Yazoo Delta ("Yellow Dog") Railroad at Moorhead in his 1914 song "Yellow Dog Rag," better known under its later title, "Yellow Dog Blues." Handy wrote . . . — — Map (db m170520) HM

159 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Parchman — 113 — Parchman Farm Blues —

The Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman has inspired many songs, including “Parchman Farm Blues” by singer-guitarist Booker “Bukka” White, who was once an inmate here, and “Parchman Farm” by jazz singer-pianist Mose Allison. Folklorists from . . . — — Map (db m174051) HM

160 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Ruleville — 171 — "Greasy Street" —

Front For many decades this block of Front Street, known locally as “Greasy Street," was the center of commercial activity for African Americans in the Ruleville area. On Saturday nights Greasy Street was packed with . . . — — Map (db m160403) HM

161 ► Mississippi, Sunflower County, Ruleville — 144 — Jimmy Rogers —

Front Born James A. Lane at Dougherty Bayou just west of Ruleville, guitarist and vocalist Jimmy Rogers (1924-1997) played a pioneering role in the post-World War II Chicago blues scene. A member of Muddy Waters first band in . . . — — Map (db m160405) HM

162 ► Mississippi, Tallahatchie County, Glendora — 63 — Sonny Boy Williamson — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Front Sonny Boy Williamson (c. 1912-1965), one of the premier artists in blues history, was born on a Glendora plantation under the name Alex Miller. A colorful character and charismatic performer, he was widely known as “Rice” Miller . . . — — Map (db m90025) HM

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163 ► Mississippi, Tallahatchie County, Tippo — 149 — Mose Allison —

Pianist, vocalist and songwriter Mose Allison was born in 1927 in Tippo, where he often listened to blues records on the jukebox at his father’s service station. In 1956 Allison moved to New York City, where he soon achieved acclaim as a jazz . . . — — Map (db m174101) HM

164 ► Mississippi, Tallahatchie County, Tutwiler — 95 — W.C. Handy Encounters the Blues —

Front Bandleader W. C. Handy was waiting for a train here at the Tutwiler railway station circa 1903 when he heard a man playing slide guitar with a knife and singing “Goin’ where the Southern cross’ the Dog.” Handy later . . . — — Map (db m90027) HM

165 ► Mississippi, Tate County, Coldwater — 165 — Tate County Blues: Coldwater —

The Coldwater area has been home to a wide array of African American singers and musicians, including Chicago-based singer Big Time Sarah (Streeter), R. L. Burnside’s son Duwayne Burnside, soul vocalist Bill Coday, and Stonewall Mays, who often . . . — — Map (db m174094) HM

166 ► Mississippi, Tate County, Senatobia — 125 — Jessie Mae Hemphill —

Front One of the few female performers of country blues, Jessie Mae Hemphill (c. 1923 – 2006) was a multi-instrumentalist who performed in local fife and drum bands before gaining international recognition in the 1980s as a . . . — — Map (db m102871) HM

167 ► Mississippi, Tate County, Senatobia — 199 — Sid Hemphill — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Sid Hemphill (1878-1961) was the most storied African-American musician in the Mississippi hills in the early decades of the 20th century, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, bandleader and instrument maker whose music largely predated the . . . — — Map (db m174073) HM

168 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Commerce — 75 — Abbay & Leatherman —

Abbay & Leatherman, one of the oldest and largest cotton plantations in the Delta, is known to music enthusiasts worldwide as the boyhood home of blues icon Robert Johnson (c. 1912-1938). Johnson lived here with his family in a tenant shack by the . . . — — Map (db m174079) HM

169 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Tunica — 54 — Harold "Hardface" Clanton —

Long before casinos brought legalized gambling and big-name entertainment to Tunica, African American entrepreneur Harold "Hardface" Clanton (1916~1982) ran a flourishing operation here that offered games of chance, bootleg liquor, and the best in . . . — — Map (db m51763) HM

170 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Tunica — 30 — James Cotton —

James Cotton, one of the world’s most popular and dynamic blues harmonica players, was born just east of this site on the Bonnie Blue plantation on July 1, 1935. Cotton apprenticed with harmonica master Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2 (Rice Miller) in . . . — — Map (db m51770) HM

171 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Tunica Resorts — 40 — Highway 61 Blues —

U.S. Highway 61, known as the "blues highway," rivals Route 66 as the most famous road in American music lore. Dozens of blues artists have recorded songs about Highway 61, including Mississippians Sunnyland Slim, James “Son” . . . — — Map (db m68076) HM

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172 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Tunica Resorts — 13 — Son House — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Eddie James "Son" House (1902-1988) plumbed the emotional depth of the blues perhaps more than any other Delta blues artist. A preacher at times, a barrelhousing bluesman at others, House was fiercely torn between the sacred teachings of the . . . — — Map (db m235156) HM

173 ► Mississippi, Tunica County, Tunica Resorts — 177 — The Hollywood Cafe —

The Hollywood Café, both at this site and its original location in Hollywood, Mississippi, earned fame as a Delta dining institution but has also shared in the area's musical history. Pianist Muriel Wilkins performed here for years, and she and the . . . — — Map (db m174082) HM

174 ► Mississippi, Union County, New Albany — 91 — Elder Roma Wilson & Rev. Leon Pinson —

Front The down-home gospel sounds of renowned Union County musicians Elder Roma Wilson (b. 1910) and Rev. Leon Pinson (1919-1998) won them many admirers among blues and folk music audiences, although they were evangelists rather than . . . — — Map (db m96789) HM

175 ► Mississippi, Union County, New Albany — 59 — Mosley and Johnson —

Front Although the African American community of New Albany has been small in number, it has produced many citizens of distinction. In the fields of blues, rhythm & blues, and gospel music, the names of Sam Mosley, Bob Johnson, Billy . . . — — Map (db m96783) HM

176 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 64 — 61 Highway —

Side 1: The rise of the automobile and the development of a national highway system in the 1920's and '30s coincided with the initial boom of blues, jazz, and spiritual recordings by African American artists. Songs in the African American . . . — — Map (db m97080) HM

177 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 98 — Marcus Bottom —

Front The historic African American community of Marcus Bottom was an important center of early blues, jazz, and gospel music activity. Pianist Eurreal “Little Brother” Montgomery, one of the premier blues artists of the . . . — — Map (db m103895) HM

178 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 140 — The Blue Room —

Front One of the most storied night spots in the South, the Blue Room, which stood across the street at 602 Clay Street, was operated for more than thirty years by flamboyant owner Tom Wince. Ray Charles, Fats Domino, B. B. King, Dinah . . . — — Map (db m103897) HM

179 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 33 — The Red Tops —

Front Between 1953 and 1974 the Vicksburg-based Red Tops entertained legions of dancers with their distinctive mix of blues, jazz, and pop. Under the strict direction of drummer and manager Walter Osborne, the group developed a devoted . . . — — Map (db m103896) HM

180 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 205 — William R. Ferris — Mississippi Blues Trail —

(side 1) The long and distinguished career of William “Bill” Ferris, one of America’s leading folklorists, was inspired by the blues, religious music, and stories he heard while growing up on his family’s farm in rural Warren County. . . . — — Map (db m148589) HM

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181 ► Mississippi, Warren County, Vicksburg — 14 — Willie Dixon —

(front) Willie Dixon, often called “the poet laureate of the blues,” was born in Vicksburg on July 1, 1915. As a songwriter, producer, arranger, and bass player, Dixon shaped the sound of Chicago blues in the 1950s and '60s with . . . — — Map (db m69778) HM

182 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Dunleith — 43 — Jimmy Reed —

Mathis James “Jimmy” Reed, one of the most influential blues artists of the 1950s and ‘60s, was born here on the Shady Dell plantation on September 6, 1925. Reed was one the first bluesmen to achieve “crossover” success, . . . — — Map (db m170523) HM

183 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Greenville — 50 — Freedom Village —

(Front) The first Mississippi Delta Blues Festival was held on October 21, 1978, here at Freedom Village, a rural community founded as a refuge for displaced agricultural workers. In 1987 the festival, organized by Greenville-based M.A.C.E. . . . — — Map (db m154769) HM

184 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Greenville — 2 — Nelson Street —

Front Nelson Street was once the epicenter of African American business and entertainment in the Delta. Nightclubs, cafes, churches, groceries, fish markets, barbershops, laundries, record shops, and other enterprises did a bustling . . . — — Map (db m107636) HM

185 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Greenville — 196 — Prince McCoy — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Side A Prince McCoy (1882-1968), a prominent early 20th century Greenville musician, played a pivotal yet long unacknowledged role in blues history. At a dance in Cleveland, Mississippi, an astonished W.C. Handy watched a crowd throw money at . . . — — Map (db m157534) HM

186 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Hollandale — 86 — Sam Chatmon —

Front Sam Chatmon (c. 1899-1983), a celebrated singer and guitarist who spent most of his life in Hollandale, sometimes performed with his brothers in a renowned family string band billed as the Mississippi Sheiks. He embarked on a new . . . — — Map (db m121115) HM

187 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Leland — 7 — Corner of 10 and 61 —

Front A major source of income for blues artists in the first half of the 20th century was tips. This corner, formerly the intersection of highways 10 and 61, was a profitable spot, particularly on Saturdays when people from the . . . — — Map (db m90131) HM

188 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Leland — 76 — James “Son” Thomas —

Front James Henry “Son” Thomas, internationally famed blues musician and folk sculptor, worked as a porter at the Montgomery Hotel, which once occupied this site, after he moved to Leland in 1961. Born in the Yazoo County . . . — — Map (db m90136) HM

189 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Leland — 109 — Johnny Winter —

Guitar icon Johnny Winter’s emergence on the national music scene in 1969 created a sensation among rock and blues audiences. The first of his many hit albums for Columbia Records featured the song “Leland, Mississippi Blues,” which paid tribute . . . — — Map (db m90143) HM

190 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Leland — 136 — Ruby's Nite Spot —

Ruby’s Nite Spot, operated at this site by Ruby Edwards, was one of the most prominent blues clubs in the Delta during the 1940s and ‘50s. Edwards booked nationally known acts such as T-Bone Walker, Little Walter, and Little Richard, newcomers Ike . . . — — Map (db m90129) HM

191 ► Mississippi, Washington County, Leland — 152 — Tyrone Davis —

Front Tyrone Davis, one of America's most popular soul singers, was born on a plantation near Leland on May 4, 1938. Davis lived in Leland before moving to Chicago, where he began his career billed as "Tyrone the Wonder Boy." From 1969 . . . — — Map (db m90130) HM

192 ► Mississippi, Wilkinson County, Woodville — 94 — Woodville Blues —

Musicians from Woodville demonstrate the breadth of the blues’s influence on American music. Composer William Grant Still incorporated the blues into his “Afro-American Symphony,” while the innovative saxophonist Lester . . . — — Map (db m50907) HM

193 ► Mississippi, Yalobusha County, Water Valley — 151 — Casey Jones —

(Front) On April 30, 1900, railroad engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones died when his Illinois Central train, the "Cannonball," collided with a stalled freight train in Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones, who once lived and worked in the railroad town . . . — — Map (db m55641) HM

194 ► Mississippi, Yazoo County, Bentonia — 67 — Jack Owens —

Front Jack Owens became one of Mississippi's most venerated blues artists in the 1980s and ‘90s after spending most of his life as a farmer in Yazoo County. Born November 17, 1904, or 1906 according to some sources, Owens did not . . . — — Map (db m77275) HM

195 ► Mississippi, Yazoo County, Bentonia — 51 — Nehemiah “Skip” James —

Front The haunting quality of Nehemiah “Skip” James’s music earned him a reputation as one of the great early Mississippi bluesmen. James (1902-1969) grew up at the Woodbine Plantation and as a youth learned to play both . . . — — Map (db m77272) HM

196 ► Mississippi, Yazoo County, Bentonia — 16 — The Blue Front Café —

Front The Blue Front Café opened in 1948 under the ownership of Carey and Mary Holmes, an African American couple from Bentonia. In its heyday the Blue Front was famed for its buffalo fish, blues, and moonshine whiskey. One of the . . . — — Map (db m77274) HM

197 ► Mississippi, Yazoo County, Yazoo City — 118 — Gatemouth Moore —

Front Arnold Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore was one of America’s most popular blues singers in the 1940s before becoming a renowned religious leader, radio announcer, and gospel singer. He served as pastor of several churches in . . . — — Map (db m77260) HM

198 ► Mississippi, Yazoo County, Yazoo City — 148 — Tommy McClennan —

Front Tommy McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America's most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan's most notable numbers were . . . — — Map (db m77258) HM

199 ► New York, Monroe County, Rochester, Corn Hill — 187 — Son House — Delta Blues Comes to Rochester — Mississippi Blues Trail —

Mississippi Delta blues icon Eddie James "Son" House became one of the most heralded figures în the blues revival of the 1960s, when he and his wife Evie lived in an apartment building here on Greig Street. House moved from Mississippi to . . . — — Map (db m170963) HM

200 ► Tennessee, Shelby County, Memphis, Downtown Memphis — 154 — The Blues Foundation —

Front The Blues Foundation, the world’s premier organization dedicated to honoring, preserving, and promoting the blues, was founded in Memphis in 1980. Mississippi-born performers and business professionals in the Foundation’s Blues Hall . . . — — Map (db m63288) HM

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