Historical Marker Series

Mississippi Blues Trail

Page 4 of 11 — Showing results 31 to 40 of 106
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1CU6_summers-hotel-subway-lounge_Jackson-MS.html
During the era of segregation, traveling African Americans had few options for lodging. In Jackson, many black musicians stayed at the Summers Hotel, established in 1944 by W.J. Summers. In 1966 Summers opened a club in the hotel basement that he called the…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1DA6_cassandra-wilson_Jackson-MS.html
~Front~Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, a native of Jackson, is known for her broad explorations of various forms of music, including the blues. Her recordings include versions of songs by Delta blues artists Robert Johnson, Son House, a…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GN6_the-blues-trail-mississippi-to-maine_Rockland-ME.html
As blues has spread from Mississippi to the far corners of the country and the world, the state of Maine has assumed an active role in the presentation and promotion of the music to appreciative local audiences ever since Mississippi born blues giants Muddy…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GNC_arthur-big-boy-crudup_Forest-MS.html
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, Crudup became known as &…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOB_blues-deejays_Greenwood-MS.html
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 African American de…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOC_peavey-electronics_Meridian-MS.html
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 Meridian native Hartl…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOD_elks-hart-lodge-no-640_Greenwood-MS.html
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 Improved Benevolent Protec…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOG_furry-lewis_Greenwood-MS.html
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 worked as a street sweepe…
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOI_baptist-town_Greenwood-MS.html
Front Baptist Town, established in the 1800s in tandem with the growth of the local cotton industry, is one of Greenwood oldest African American neighborhoods. Known for its strong sense of community, it is anchored by the McKinney Chapel M.B. Church and …
historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1GOJ_wgrm-radio-studio_Greenwood-MS.html
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 featured gospel music on…
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