On Fortune Street, 0.1 miles east of Hattiesburg Street, on the right when traveling east.
~Front~
One of the earliest blues musicians from Mississippi to make recordings, Ishmon Bracey (1899-1970) is buried in the nearby Willow Park Cemetery. In the 1920s and '30s Bracey was a leading bluesman in the Jackson area and . . . — — Map (db m71512) HM
On West Capitol Street at South Mill Street, on the right when traveling east on West Capitol Street.
Constructed in 1923 and renamed the King Edward Hotel in 1954, the Edwards Hotel was the site of temporary studios set up by OKeh Records in 1930 and the American Record Corporation in 1935 to record blues artists Bo Carter, Robert Wilkins, Joe . . . — — Map (db m49680) HM
On Raymond Clinton Road at Raymond Bolton Road (Mississippi Highway 467), on the left when traveling south on Raymond Clinton Road.
(side 1)
Joe McCoy and his brother Charlie McCoy, both born on a farm near Raymond, performed and recorded widely during the pre-World War II era, but their most important legacy may rest with the songs they wrote or cowrote. These . . . — — Map (db m70324) HM
On Newport Road (County Road 415) 3.9 miles west of State Route 17, on the left when traveling west.
[Front]
The cemetery of the Newport Missionary Baptist Church is the final resting place of Elmore James (1918-1963), often described as the "king of the slide guitar." James' electric style built on the approach of Robert Johnson and later . . . — — Map (db m140748) HM
On Yazoo Street (Mississippi Route 17) at Elder James Rodgers Street, on the right when traveling north on Yazoo Street.
[Front]
Holmes County has been a significant contributor to the legacy of African American blues and gospel music in Mississippi. Heralded blues artists born or raised in the Lexington area include Elmore James (a native of Richland, . . . — — Map (db m140751) HM
On Martin Luther King Drive (U.S. 49E) at Main Street, on the right when traveling south on Martin Luther King Drive.
Front
Many blues performers who gained fame in the Delta, Jackson, and Chicago and on the southern soul circuit have lived in or near Tchula, including Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor, Jimmy Dawkins, Jesse Robinson, Lewis "Love Doctor" . . . — — Map (db m121121) HM
On Castleman Street west of Church Street, on the right when traveling east.
Front
Soul and blues star Denise LaSalle was born Denise Allen near Sidon in rural Leflore County on July 16, 1939, but spent much of her childhood here in Belzoni. After moving to Chicago in her teens, she began writing songs and . . . — — Map (db m77269) HM
On U.S. 49W, 1 mile north of State Route 7, on the right when traveling north.
Front
Blues piano master Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins was born on July 7, 1913, on the Honey Island Plantation, seven miles southeast of Belzoni. Perkins spent much of his career accompanying blues icons such as Sonny Boy Williamson . . . — — Map (db m77268) HM
On South Hayden Street at East Jackson Street, on the right when traveling north on South Hayden Street.
Front
The names of Turner’s Drug Store (located on this corner) and the Easy Pay Store across the street are etched into blues history as sponsors of some of the first radio programs in Mississippi to feature Delta blues. In 1947-48 . . . — — Map (db m77270) HM
On U.S. 49W at South Belzoni Street, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 49W.
Front
One of country music's most prolific and revered songwriters, Hank Cochran (1935-2010), was born in Isola and spent his early childhood years here. He wrote "Make the World Go Away," "A Little Bitty Tear," "She's Got You," and . . . — — Map (db m77169) HM
On West Wiygul Street at South Gaither Street, on the left when traveling west on West Wiygul Street.
Front
Jazz bandleader and saxophonist James Melvin “Jimmie” Lunceford was born just outside Fulton on June 6, 1902. He formed his first band, the Chickasaw Syncopators, while teaching at Manassas High School in Memphis in . . . — — Map (db m96781) HM
On Mississippi Route 178 at Stone Drive, on the left when traveling west on State Route 178.
Front
Born Virginia Wyette Pugh and raised on her grandparents' farm near Tremont, Tammy Wynette (1942-1998) might have remained an unknown local hairdresser, but with fierce determination and a voice and resilient life story that . . . — — Map (db m117206) HM
On Main Street (Mississippi Route 613) north of Robinson Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Front
The African American community of Moss Point has produced an abundance of talented musicians, including many who entertained along the Gulf Coast as well as some who traveled across the country and overseas as members of prominent . . . — — Map (db m102156) HM
On Washington Avenue at Robinson Street, on the right when traveling south on Washington Avenue.
Front
Music has been an integral component of Ocean Springs’ legacy as a coastal cradle of the arts and a sponsor of festive celebrations. Notable African-American musicians born in Ocean Springs include Jaimoe (Johnnie Lee Johnson), who . . . — — Map (db m122355) HM
On Roosevelt Street at Garfield Street, on the right when traveling south on Roosevelt Street.
James William Buffett, known to the entertainment world as Jimmy Buffett, was born in Pascagoula on December 25, 1946. He and his family lived at his location on Roosevelt Street. Jimmy spent his early years here before eventually moving to Mobile. . . . — — Map (db m200216) HM
On Shortcut Road, 0.1 miles east of Hospital Road when traveling east.
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
On Main Street at Medgar Evers Boulevard, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
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
On North Maple Street north of Central Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
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
On East Jackson Street at Courthouse Square, on the left when traveling west on East Jackson Street.
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
On Sorority Row north of Student Union Drive, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Drive, 0.2 miles north of Highland Park Drive, on the left when traveling north.
Born Sept. 8, 1897, at Meridian, Miss. Known as the “Singing Brakeman,” Rodger's recordings of Southern blues and ballads greatly contributed to the world-wide popularity of a distinctly American musical form. — — Map (db m77219) HM
Near 22nd Avenue (Mississippi Route 493) at 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Front
Meridian's Jimmie Rodgers Day festivals of the 1950s, the first held May 26, 1953, became known as National Country Music Days, marking a turning point in the nation's enthusiasm for country music. Stars and fans from every . . . — — Map (db m77171) HM
On 5th Street at 20th Avenue, on the left when traveling north on 5th Street.
Front
Elsie Williamson McWilliams (1896-1985), the sister of Jimmie Rodgers's second wife Carrie, wrote or contributed to music and lyrics for thirty-nine of the songs that Rodgers performed or recorded, although she never received . . . — — Map (db m77170) HM
On 44th Avenue at Jimmie Rogers Memorial Drive, on the right when traveling north on 44th Avenue.
Opened in 1909 as one of the South's premier streetcar pleasure parks, it consists of 32 informally landscaped acres and contains an 1890s Dentzel Carousel which is designated a National Historic Landmark. — — Map (db m77218) HM
On Oak Grove Drive, 0.1 miles north of Azalea Drive (Old Mississippi Route 19), on the right when traveling north.
Front
Singing winningly, with storytelling clarity and physicality, of the real lives and fondest dreams of his down home audience, with varied musical backing that ranged from his own solitary guitar to rural pickers, horns, and . . . — — Map (db m77176) HM
On Front Street near 17th Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
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
On 25th Avenue at 5th Street, on the left when traveling north on 25th Avenue.
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
On 23rd Avenue (State Highway 493) at 6th Street, on the right when traveling south on 23rd Avenue.
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
On Front Street near 21st Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Born in Meridian and the grandson of the railway yard manager where Jimmie Rodgers
worked, Moe Bandy became one of country music’s most popular singers of the 1970s and ‘80s. A master of honky
tonk as well as cowboy songs that reflected . . . — — Map (db m60544) HM
On State Highway 493, 0.1 miles north of North Hills Street, on the right when traveling north.
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
On 8th Street at 24th Avenue (Mississippi Highway 493), on the right when traveling west on 8th Street.
Erected 1923-27 by the Hamasa Shriners in Moorish Revival style, this theater was among the finest movie/vaudeville “palaces” of its day, having one of the largest stage facilities in the United States. — — Map (db m77217) HM
On 22nd Avenue north of 5th Street, on the left when traveling north.
Jewish merchants contributed greatly to Meridian's growth. The Grand Opera House (MSU Riley Center) and the Threefoot Building stand as evidence of their business success. Although Jews were well accepted in Meridian, their support of Civil Rights . . . — — Map (db m111054) HM
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
On West Main Street west of North 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west.
An "Opera House" once stretched west inside a now-vanished 2nd story of this building. As many as 300 guests enjoyed live theater and silent movies up there in the early decades of the 1900's, while merchants like J.A. Bonds and John Youngblood . . . — — Map (db m155359) HM
On West Main Street west of North 2nd Street, on the left when traveling west.
Completed in the 1930's by Audie Coggins; later owned and operated by Claude Gentry as the Ritz Theater. The west side was Gentry Insurance. Restored by Wayne Stone in 1981 as Stone's Jewelry & Gifts.
National Register of Historic Places. — — Map (db m155360) HM
On Elvis Presley Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born Jan. 8, 1935, in this house built by his father. Presley's career as a singer and entertainer redefined American popular music. He died on Aug. 16, 1977, at Memphis, Tennessee. — — Map (db m4477) HM
On Elvis Presley Drive at Reese Street, on the right when traveling north on Elvis Presley Drive.
Front
Raised on country here in Tupelo, first introduced as “The Hillbilly Cat,” then by RCA Victor as “the hottest new name in country music,” Elvis Presley’s revolutionary musical mix always had country as a key ingredient. Appearing . . . — — Map (db m102752) HM
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
On Fairpark Drive at East Main Street (Mississippi Highway 6), on the right when traveling south on Fairpark Drive.
On October 3, 1945, a ten-year old Elvis played to his first crowd on these grounds and took 5th place in a talent show.
Eleven years later he returned as the King of Rock and Roll!
Elvis in Tupelo
Elvis Aron Presley was born . . . — — Map (db m91174) HM
Attend a Pentecostal church service where Elvis first fell in love with gospel music.
Elvis Presley Birthplace presents a unique experience in the First Assembly of God Church where Elvis and his family regularly attended service. This structure . . . — — Map (db m29821) HM
On North Spring Street north of Court Street, on the left when traveling north.
In 1946, Tupelo radio station WELO broadcast weekly music jamborees from the Courthouse. Mississippi Slim, who had his own show on WELO, arranged for Elvis to perform at the jamboree. Elvis’ dream was to become as famous as Mississippi Slim and to . . . — — Map (db m144724) HM
On North Broadway Street at Court Street, on the right when traveling south on North Broadway Street.
Elvis enjoyed going to the movies, especially "westerns," at the Lyric Theatre. Friends recall how Elvis would climb over the divider in the balcony to sit among his African-American friends. The sweetest of the legends associated with this theatre . . . — — Map (db m155325) HM
On North Green Street at North Spring Street, on the right when traveling north on North Green Street.
In 1947, Elvis lived at the North end of Green Street, not far from here. Mayhorn Grocery previously occupied this space, and Elvis would walk to the store and sit on the porch listening to the blues. It was also here that he heard the sounds of . . . — — Map (db m102821) HM
From 1943~47, Elvis' father, Vernon, worked for L.P. McCarty & Son's local wholesale grocery company making deliveries to various parts of the City. Shake Rag, a historically black community, was one of his delivery areas.
It was here that Elvis . . . — — Map (db m29630) HM
The Birthplace. The Elvis Presley Birthplace Park was begun with proceeds Elvis donated from his 1957 concert at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair. Unchanged since it was built in the 1930's, the two-room birthplace sat unoccupied and in poor . . . — — Map (db m122996) HM
On North Broadway Street just north of Court Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Lyric Theatre was built in 1912 by Mr. R. F. Goodlett. Originally named The Comus, it hosted live vaudeville shows. In the 1930's it became a part of the Malco chain of movie houses and the name was changed to the Lyric Theatre. Its sturdy . . . — — Map (db m144732) HM
On County Road 305 at County Road 513, on the right when traveling south on County Road 305.
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
On Short Street at Short Court, on the left when traveling south on Short Street.
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
On Ione Street, 0.1 miles north of Highland Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
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
On Grand Boulevard (County Road 518) 0.1 miles north of Rosemary Lane, on the right when traveling north.
Front
Born Roberta Lee Streeter in Chickasaw County (1944) and spending her childhood here, Bobbie Gentry brought the accents, sounds and images of Delta life into scores of haunting songs she wrote and records she made, to become one . . . — — Map (db m77177) HM
On East Scott Street at Avenue F, on the left when traveling west on East Scott Street.
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
On East Johnson Street at Lamar Street, on the left when traveling east on East Johnson Street.
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
On County Road 101, 1.5 miles east of U.S. 49E, on the left when traveling north.
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
On 12th Street at River Road Extended, on the right when traveling north on 12th Street.
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
On Money Road (County Road 518) 0.2 miles north of County Road 151, on the left when traveling north.
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
On Howard Street at West Washington Street, on the left when traveling north on Howard Street.
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
On South Whitworth Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
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
On North Railroad Avenue west of First Street, on the right when traveling west.
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
On College Street at South 4th Street, on the right when traveling east on College Street.
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
One of America's leading playwrights, Tennessee Williams was born here March 26, 1911. He received the Pulitzer Prize for "Streetcar Named Desire" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Both stories set in the South. — — Map (db m8556) HM
On 6th Avenue North at 9th Street North on 6th Avenue North.
Joshua Lawrence Meador was born in 1911 in Greenwood, Mississippi, and moved here at age seven. Meador worked for Walt Disney Productions from 1936 to 1965 as head of the effects department. His film credits include Snow White, Fantasia, Bambi, . . . — — Map (db m64694) HM
On 7th Avenue at 15th Street North, on the left when traveling east on 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
On Main Street, 0 miles east of Seitz Road, on the left when traveling west.
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
On Cross Street at South Union Street, on the left on Cross Street.
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
On North Hickory Street at West Center Street, on the right when traveling north on North Hickory Street.
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
Near Broad Street at Alberta Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Mississippi's first rodeo was held here September 24-26, 1935. The rodeo was sponsored by two local businessmen, rancher Samuel Hickman of the B Bar H Ranch and George Baylis, owner of the Baylis Drug Store. Several notable cowboys were involved, . . . — — Map (db m143125) HM
On Lee Creek Road east of Cayce Road, on the right when traveling east.
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
On East College Avenue at North Center Street, on the right when traveling west on East College Avenue.
(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
On North Meridian Street at East Commerce Street, on the right when traveling north on North Meridian Street.
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
Born in Smithville, Rod Brasfield was the Grand Ole Opry's top male comedian from 1947-1958, a beloved sad sack foil for Red Foley and Hank Williams and a comic sparring partner for Minnie Pearl and June Carter. He played dramatic and comic roles in . . . — — Map (db m173897) HM
On South Depot Avenue at West Main Street, on the right when traveling south on South Depot Avenue.
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
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
On Industrial Road, 0.1 miles east of High School Circle, on the right when traveling east.
[Front]
Long-time Neshoba County resident Bob Ferguson (1927-2001) was a key shaper of the “Nashville Sound” of the 1960s and ‘70s, as the producer of hundreds of major recordings and writer of such classic country songs as “Wings of a . . . — — Map (db m140732) HM
On Byrd Avenue at Oak Street, on the right when traveling south on Byrd Avenue.
[Front]
A native of Philadelphia, Marty Gamblin began his long career in the music business through booking bands while still in high school. He later worked closely with Mississippi songwriter/performer Jim Weatherly, and ran Glen . . . — — Map (db m140736) HM
On Main Street (Mississippi Route 16) at Byrd Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
(side 1)
From his boyhood days performing here, Marty Stuart displayed singular zest for every flavor of country music. Beginning as a teenage mandolin player with Lester Flatt, he became an ebullient Grand Ole Opry star, "hillbilly . . . — — Map (db m130000) HM
On Mississippi Route 21 at County Road 147, on the right when traveling north on State Route 21.
Est. in 1889, the Neshoba County Fair fosters political, agricultural, educational, and social exchanges of knowledge and ideas. Home of the state's only licensed horse track since 1922 and the nation's largest campground fair, the Fair is . . . — — Map (db m140932) HM
Near West Beacon Street (Mississippi Route 21) west of Front Ave, on the left when traveling west.
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
This Pavilion was constructed in 1914 as a shelter for gatherings and a venue for entertainment and public speaking; it continues to serve these purposes for the Fair as well as provide a location for selected events in the off season. Entertainment . . . — — Map (db m140940) HM
On South Main Street at Cedar Street, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street.
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
On Jefferson Street (State Highway 145) at East Green Street, on the right when traveling north on Jefferson Street.
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
On Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr E (Mississippi Route 182) at North Lafayette Street, on the right when traveling west on Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr E.
In the early morning hours of May 11, 1965, Johnny Cash was arrested for public drunkenness after he was found picking flowers on this site following a show at Mississippi State University the previous evening. Cash, who spent the night at the . . . — — Map (db m235196) HM
On Fellowship Street at Russell Street, on the right when traveling south on Fellowship Street.
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
On Main Street at Sledge Street, in the median on Main Street.
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
On Main Street, 0.1 miles north of East Oak Street (State Route 310), in the median.
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
On Main Street at Sledge Street, in the median on Main Street.
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
On Easley Road, 0.5 miles east of State Highway 568.
Pre Crash: Rise of the Simple Man
In 1964 Lynyrd Skynyrd began humbly in Jacksonville, Florida. The founding members jokingly named the band after a gym coach, Leonard Skinner. Eventually, after numerous police interruptions of the band's . . . — — Map (db m146841) HM
On North Railroad Avenue north of Main Street, on the right when traveling north.
In the 1950s, as a founder of rock 'n' roll, Bo Diddley helped to reshape the sound of popular music worldwide. His original style of rhythm and blues influenced
generations of musicians. He was one of rock's most influential artists because he had . . . — — Map (db m201232) HM
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
On Marion Avenue north of Harrison Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
This marker is presented to Southwest Mississippi
Regional Medical Center in grateful appreciation to
rescuers and caregivers for the tremendous care
provided to the twenty survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd
Band Airline Crash, October 20, 1977. . . . — — Map (db m202905) HM
On Summit Street, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Liberty Street (Mississippi Route 584) at 1st Road West, on the right when traveling east on Liberty Street.
Raised in Osyka, the versatile T. Tommy Cutrer succeeded as a country and gospel singer and instrumentalist and also as a businessman and politician, but his greatest fame came as a radio/television personality from the 1940s through the 1990s. As . . . — — Map (db m51625) HM
On East Oxford Street (Old Mississippi Route 9) at North Main Street, on the right when traveling east on East Oxford Street.
Pontotoc native Jim Weatherly is best known as
the author of "Midnight Train to Georgia,"a huge
hit for R&B group Gladys Knight
and the Pips, and he also had success as a
country songwriter and recording artist.
Charley Pride. Ray Price, Glen . . . — — Map (db m235192) HM
On East Marion Street east of South Main Street, on the right when traveling east.
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
On Darby Avene east of 8th Street, on the right when traveling east.
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
On Mississippi Route 3 at Joe Brown Avenue, on the right when traveling south on State Route 3.
The son of a Sledge sharecropper, Charley Frank Pride first won notice as a singer when music was just a sideline to his early baseball career. Taking a shot at what seemed an unlikely career in Nashville, he went on to record fifty-two Top Ten . . . — — Map (db m107544) HM
On Charlie Pride Highway (Mississippi Route 3) south of King Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
Near Access Road, 0.5 miles north of Flowood Drive (County Route 468).
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
On Second Street (U.S. 80) east of Goforth Street, on the right when traveling east.
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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
On Piney Woods Drive, on the right when traveling north.
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
On West Main Street at Mangum Drive, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street.
(side 1)
From the time of her childhood here in Star, Faith Hill demonstrated a zest for music and performing that took her to Nashville while still a teenager, and to stardom from the release of her first record in 1993. She became a . . . — — Map (db m91738) HM
