Mississippi Blues Trail

Blues Trail marker in Hernando, Mississippi

The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) the state of Mississippi. Within the state the trail extends from the Gulf Coast north along several highways to (among other points) Natchez, Vicksburg, Jackson, Leland, Greenwood, Clarksdale, Tunica, Grenada, Oxford, Columbus, and Meridian. The largest concentration of markers is in the Mississippi Delta, but other regions of the state are also commemorated. Several out-of-state markers have also been erected where blues with Mississippi roots has had significance, including Waterloo, Ontario, Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago, Illinois.

Implementation

The list of markers and locations was developed by a panel of blues scholars and historians. The trail has been implemented in stages as funds have become available. The National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Mississippi Department of Transportation have provided grants for funding of various markers, which are co-sponsored with funds from local communities. The marker texts are researched and written by Jim O'Neal and Scott Barretta, former editors of Living Blues magazine, together with an editorial and design team that has included Wanda Clark; Chrissy Wilson; Allan Hammons; and Sylvester Oliver.

Prior to the founding of the Mississippi Blues Trail, two preliminary markers were placed in Indianola, Mississippi, at a corner where B.B. King played as a young man, and at the Club Ebony.

The first three Mississippi Blues Trail markers were dedicated on December 11, 2006. The first, at Holly Ridge, is dedicated to Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton.

The second marker is located by the Southern Whispers Restaurant on Nelson Street in Greenville. Nelson Street, the home of many nightclubs, cafes, and juke joints over the years, was once the primary center of African-American business, entertainment, and social life in the Delta. For many decades this historic strip drew crowds to the flourishing club scene to hear Delta blues; big band; jump blues; rhythm & blues; and jazz.

The third marker was unveiled at the original location of WGRM radio station in Greenwood, where B.B. King first broadcast as a gospel singer.

By the end of 2016, the Mississippi Blues Trail had placed nearly 200 markers. They honored individual artists, clubs, record companies, radio stations, and historic events, but also the plantations, streets, cities, and counties that developed as centers of blues activity. Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman was also commemorated, as folklorists such as Alan Lomax recorded blues there by inmates (most notably Bukka White) on several occasions, dating to the 1930s.

Current markers

Locations are in Mississippi unless otherwise stated.

Marker name	Marker location	Photograph	Notes
100 Men D.B.A. Hall	Bay St. Louis
61 Highway	Vicksburg
Abbay & Leatherman	Robinsonville		Robinsonville is now known as Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Aberdeen Mississippi Blues	Aberdeen
Ace Records	Jackson
Albert King	Indianola
Alligator Blues	Alligator
Amory: Blues From A Railroad Town	Amory
Arthur Crudup	Forest
B.B. King Birthplace	Berclair
B.B. King's Roots	Kilmichael
Baptist Town	Greenwood
Beale Town Bound	Hernando
Big Jack Johnson	Clarksdale
Big Joe Williams	Crawford
Big Walter Horton	Horn Lake
Biloxi Blues	Biloxi
Birthplace Of The Blues?	Dockery Plantation
Black Prairie Blues	Macon
Blue Front Cafe	Bentonia
Blue Room	Vicksburg
Blues and Jazz in the Pass	Pass Christian
Blues Deejays	Greenwood
Blues Legends of Duncan	Duncan
Bo Diddley	McComb
Bobby Rush	Jackson
Broadcasting the Blues	Gulfport
Brookhaven Blues	Brookhaven
Bud Scott	Natchez
Buddy Guy	Lettsworth, Louisiana
Bukka White	Houston
Cahors, France	Cahors, France
Calhoun County Blues	Bruce
Casey Jones	Water Valley
Cassandra Wilson	Jackson
Castro "Mr. Sipp" Coleman	McComb
Charles Evers	Fayette
Charley Patton Birthplace	Bolton
Charley Patton gravesite	Holly Ridge		Blues singers Asie Payton and Willie James Foster are also buried at this cemetery with Charley Patton.
Charlie Musselwhite	Kosciusko
Choctaw County Blues	Weir
Chrisman Street	Cleveland
Church Street	Indianola
Clinton's Blues Legacy	Clinton
Club Desire	Canton
Club Ebony	Indianola
Columbus - Catfish Alley	Columbus
Corner of 10 and 61	Leland
Cotton Pickin Blues	Hopson
Delta Blues Museum	Clarksdale
Denise LaSalle	Belzoni
Documenting The Blues	Oxford
Dorothy Moore	Jackson
Ealey Brothers	Natchez
Eddie Shaw	Benoit
Eddie Taylor	Benoit
Edwards Hotel	Jackson
Elks Hart Lodge No. 640	Greenwood
Elmore James	Ebenezer
Elvis Presley and the Blues	Tupelo
Fred McDowell	Como		Two other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Othar Turner and Napolian Strickland.
Freedom Village	Greenville
Furry Lewis	Greenwood
Gatemouth Moore	Yazoo City
Gold Coast	Flowood
Gospel Music and the Blues	Cleveland		Reverend C.L. Franklin, father of R&B singer Aretha Franklin, preached his first trial sermon at St. Peter's Rock M.B. Church, where this Blues Trail marker is located.
Grammy Awards	Los Angeles, California
Grammy Museum Mississippi	Cleveland
Greasy Street	Ruleville
Grenada Blues	Grenada
Grits & Gravy	Clinton
Guitar Slim	Shellmound
Gulfport Boogie	Gulfport
H. C. Speir	Jackson
Hal & Mal's	Jackson
Harlem Inn	Winstonville
Harold "Hardface" Clanton	Tunica
Henry Townsend	Shelby
Hi-Hat Club	Hattiesburg
Hickory Street (The Hollow)	Canton
Highway 61 Blues	Robinsonville
Hill Country Blues	Holly Springs
Holmes County Blues (Lexington)	Lexington
Holmes County Blues (Tchula)	Tchula
HoneyBoy Edwards	Shaw
Hot Tamales And The Blues	Rosedale
Houston Stackhouse	Wesson
Howlin' Wolf	West Point
Hubert Sumlin	Greenwood
Ike Turner	Clarksdale
Ishmon Bracey	Jackson		Ishmon Bracey is buried at Willow Park Cemetery, which is located across the street from the Blues Trail marker.
J.B. Lenoir	Monticello
Jack Owens	Bentonia
James Cotton	Clayton
Jesse Robinson	Jackson
Jessie Mae Hemphill	Senatobia		Jessie Mae Hemphill is buried at Senatobia Memorial Cemetery.
Jimmie Lunceford	Fulton
James "Son" Thomas	Leland
Jimmie Rodgers	Meridian
Jimmy Reed	Dunleith
Jimmy Rogers	Ruleville
Joe Callicott	Nesbit
John Lee Hooker	Vance
John Primer	Camden
Johnny Winter	Leland
Jones County Blues	Laurel
Junior Kimbrough	Holly Springs		This is Blues Trail Marker #215, unveiled on February 21, 2024, along with Blues Trail Marker #214 honoring R. L. Burnside.
Lil Green	Port Gibson
Little Brother Montgomery	Brookhaven
Little Junior Parker	Bobo
Little Milton	Inverness
Liverpool	Liverpool, England
Livin' at Lula	Lula
Magic Sam	Grenada
Magic Slim	Grenada
Malaco Records	Jackson
Marcus Bottom	Vicksburg
McCoy Brothers Kansas Joe McCoy and Papa Charlie McCoy	Raymond
Mel Brown	Waterloo, Ontario
Memphis Minnie	Walls
Meridian Blues and Jazz	Corner of 5th Street & 25th Avenue Meridian		More than 30 musicians are acknowledged at this marker including Alvin Fielder and Eddie Houston. It is located on the former site of the Fielder & Brooks Pharmacy, which Fielder's father (Alvin Fielder Sr., also a musician) started in 1934.
Meridian R&B and Soul	Meridian
Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues Festival	Pascagoula
Mississippi John Hurt	Avalon
Mississippi River Blues: The 1927 Flood	Scott
Mississippi to Alabama	Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Mississippi To Chicago	Chicago, Illinois
Blues Trail: Mississippi to Florida	Tallahassee, Florida
Mississippi to Helena	Helena, Arkansas	]
Mississippi to Louisiana	Ferriday, Louisiana
Mississippi to Maine	Rockland, Maine
Mississippi To Memphis	Memphis, Tennessee
Mose Allison	Tippo
Mosley & Johnson	New Albany
Moss Point Blues	Moss Point
Mound Bayou Blues	Mound Bayou
Muddy Waters	Rolling Fork
Muddy Waters' cabin site	Clarksdale
Napolian Strickland	Como		Two other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Othar Turner and Fred McDowell.
Natchez Burning (Natchez Rhythm Club)	Natchez
Nelson Street	Greenville
Newton County Blues	Newton		This Blues Trail Marker is located near the historic Alabama & Vicksburg Railroad Depot.
Norway	Notodden, Telemark, Norway
Ocean Springs Blues	Ocean Springs
Oktibbeha County Blues	Starkville
Otha Turner	Como		Two other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Napolian Strickland and Fred McDowell.
Otis Clay	Waxhaw
Otis Rush	Philadelphia
Otis Spann & Little Johnny Jones	Jackson
Overton Park Shell	Memphis, Tennessee		This is the 213th Mississippi Blues Trail marker, dedicated on September 23, 2023
Oxford & Lafayette County Blues	Oxford
Papa Lightfoot	Natchez
Paramount Records	Grafton, Wisconsin
Paramount Records & F.W. Boerner Company	Port Washington, Wisconsin
Parchman Blues	Parchman
Peavey Electronics	Meridian
Peavine	Boyle
Pensacola Blues	Pensacola, Florida
Pinetop Perkins	Belzoni
Piney Woods School	Piney Woods
Po' Monkey's	Merigold
Pontotoc County Blues	Pontotoc
Pops Staples	Winona
Prince McCoy	Greenville
Queen City Hotel & 7th Avenue	Columbus
Queen of Hearts	Jackson
Rabbit Foot Minstrels	Port Gibson
Ralph Lembo	Itta Bena
Rediscovery of Son House	Rochester, New York
Red Tops	Vicksburg
Riverside Hotel	Clarksdale
Riley B. King	Indianola
R. L. Burnside	Holly Springs		This is Blues Trail Marker #214, unveiled on February 21, 2024, along with Blues Trail Marker #215 honoring Junior Kimbrough.
Robert Johnson birthplace	Hazlehurst
Robert Johnson gravesite	Greenwood
Robert Nighthawk	Friars Point
Rocket "88"	Lyon
Roma Wilson & Leon Pinson	New Albany
Roots of Rock And Roll	Hattiesburg
Rosedale	Rosedale
Rubin Lacy	Pelahatchie
Ruby's Nite Spot	Leland
Rufus Thomas	Cayce
Sam Chatmon	Hollandale
Sam Cooke	Clarksdale
Scott Radio Service Company	Jackson
Shake Rag	Tupelo
Sid Hemphill	Senatobia
Skip James	Bentonia
Son House	Clack
Sonny Boy Williamson	Glendora
Sonny Boy Williamson In Helena	Helena
Subway Lounge	Jackson
Summit Street	McComb
Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival	Clarksdale
Sunnyland Slim: Quitman County Blues	Lambert
Tate County Blues	Coldwater
The Alamo Theatre/Dorothy Moore	Jackson
The B.B. King Museum	Indianola
The Blues Foundation	Memphis, Tennessee
The Chatmon Family/Mississippi Sheiks	Bolton
The Crossroads of 49 & 61	Clarksdale
The Dickinson Family	Hernando
The Enlightenment of W.C. Handy	Cleveland
The Hollywood Cafe	Robinsonville
The New World	Clarksdale
The Staple Singers	Drew
Tommy Johnson	Crystal Springs
Tommy McClennan	Yazoo City
Trumpet Records	Jackson
Turner's Drug Store	Belzoni
Two Steps From The Blues	Ackerman		Texas Johnny Brown, a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, wrote the blues song "Two Steps from the Blues".
Tyrone Davis	Leland
W.C. Handy Birthplace	Florence, Alabama
Wade Walton	Clarksdale
W.C. Handy Encounters The Blues	Tutwiler
WGRM Radio Studio	Greenwood
"Where The Southern Cross The Dog"	Moorhead
William R. Ferris	Vicksburg
Willie Dixon	Vicksburg
Willie Mitchell	Ashland
Woodville Blues	Woodville
WROX	Clarksdale

Source: Mississippi Blues Trail official web site

See also

• Delta Blues Museum

External links

• Mississippi Blues Trail list and map
• Delta Blues in the Lower Mississippi Valley, Indianola
• Mississippi Blues Highway Registry