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."BLUES TRAIL MARKS PARCHMAN AS MAJOR INFLUENCE ." State of Mississippi. September 23, 2010. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.

Current markers

Locations are in Mississippi unless otherwise stated. Marker nameMarker locationPhotographNotes100 Men D.B.A. HallBay St. Louis61 HighwayVicksburgAbbay & LeathermanRobinsonvilleRobinsonville is now known as Tunica Resorts, MississippiAberdeen Mississippi BluesAberdeenAce RecordsJacksonAlbert KingIndianolaAlligator BluesAlligatorAmory: Blues From A Railroad TownAmoryArthur CrudupForestB.B. King BirthplaceBerclairB.B. King's RootsKilmichaelBaptist TownGreenwoodBeale Town BoundHernandoBig Jack JohnsonClarksdaleBig Joe WilliamsCrawfordBig Walter HortonHorn LakeBiloxi BluesBiloxiBirthplace Of The Blues?Dockery PlantationBlack Prairie BluesMaconBlue Front CafeBentoniaBlue RoomVicksburgBlues and Jazz in the PassPass ChristianBlues DeejaysGreenwoodBlues Legends of DuncanDuncanBo DiddleyMcCombBobby RushJacksonBroadcasting the BluesGulfportBrookhaven BluesBrookhavenBud ScottNatchezBuddy GuyLettsworth, LouisianaBukka WhiteHoustonCahors, FranceCahors, FranceCalhoun County BluesBruceCasey JonesWater ValleyCassandra WilsonJackson Castro "Mr. Sipp" ColemanMcCombCharles EversFayetteCharley Patton BirthplaceBoltonCharley Patton gravesiteHolly RidgeBlues singers Asie Payton and Willie James Foster are also buried at this cemetery with Charley Patton. Charlie MusselwhiteKosciuskoChoctaw County BluesWeirChrisman StreetClevelandChurch StreetIndianolaClinton's Blues LegacyClintonClub DesireCantonClub EbonyIndianolaColumbus - Catfish AlleyColumbusCorner of 10 and 61 LelandCotton Pickin BluesHopsonDelta Blues MuseumClarksdaleDenise LaSalleBelzoniDocumenting The BluesOxfordDorothy MooreJacksonEaley BrothersNatchezEddie ShawBenoitEddie TaylorBenoitEdwards HotelJacksonElks Hart Lodge No. 640 GreenwoodElmore James EbenezerElvis Presley and the BluesTupeloFred McDowellComoTwo other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Othar Turner and Napolian Strickland.Freedom VillageGreenvilleFurry LewisGreenwoodGatemouth Moore Yazoo CityGold CoastFlowoodGospel Music and the BluesClevelandReverend 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 AwardsLos Angeles, CaliforniaGrammy Museum Mississippi ClevelandGreasy StreetRulevilleGrenada BluesGrenadaGrits & GravyClintonGuitar SlimShellmoundGulfport BoogieGulfportH. C. SpeirJacksonHal & Mal'sJacksonHarlem InnWinstonvilleHarold "Hardface" ClantonTunicaHenry TownsendShelbyHi-Hat ClubHattiesburgHickory Street (The Hollow)CantonHighway 61 BluesRobinsonvilleHill Country BluesHolly SpringsHolmes County Blues (Lexington)LexingtonHolmes County Blues (Tchula)TchulaHoneyBoy EdwardsShawHot Tamales And The BluesRosedaleHouston StackhouseWessonHowlin' WolfWest PointHubert SumlinGreenwoodIke TurnerClarksdaleIshmon BraceyJacksonIshmon Bracey is buried at Willow Park Cemetery, which is located across the street from the Blues Trail marker.J.B. LenoirMonticelloJack OwensBentoniaJames CottonClaytonJesse RobinsonJacksonJessie Mae HemphillSenatobiaJessie Mae Hemphill is buried at Senatobia Memorial Cemetery.Jimmie LuncefordFultonJames "Son" ThomasLelandJimmie RodgersMeridianJimmy Reed DunleithJimmy RogersRulevilleJoe CallicottNesbitJohn Lee HookerVanceJohn PrimerCamdenJohnny WinterLelandJones County BluesLaurelJunior KimbroughHolly SpringsThis is Blues Trail Marker #215, unveiled on February 21, 2024, along with Blues Trail Marker #214 honoring R. L. Burnside.Lil GreenPort GibsonLittle Brother MontgomeryBrookhavenLittle Junior ParkerBoboLittle MiltonInvernessLiverpoolLiverpool, EnglandLivin' at LulaLulaMagic SamGrenadaMagic SlimGrenadaMalaco RecordsJacksonMarcus BottomVicksburgMcCoy Brothers Kansas Joe McCoy and Papa Charlie McCoyRaymond Mel Brown Waterloo, OntarioMemphis MinnieWallsMeridian Blues and JazzCorner of 5th Street & 25th AvenueMeridianMore 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 SoulMeridianMississippi Gulf Coast Blues FestivalPascagoulaMississippi John HurtAvalonMississippi River Blues: The 1927 FloodScottMississippi to AlabamaMuscle Shoals, AlabamaMississippi To ChicagoChicago, IllinoisBlues Trail: Mississippi to FloridaTallahassee, FloridaMississippi to HelenaHelena, Arkansas]Mississippi to LouisianaFerriday, LouisianaMississippi to MaineRockland, MaineMississippi To MemphisMemphis, TennesseeMose AllisonTippoMosley & JohnsonNew AlbanyMoss Point BluesMoss PointMound Bayou BluesMound BayouMuddy WatersRolling ForkMuddy Waters' cabin siteClarksdaleNapolian StricklandComoTwo other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Othar Turner and Fred McDowell.Natchez Burning (Natchez Rhythm Club)NatchezNelson StreetGreenvilleNewton County BluesNewtonThis Blues Trail Marker is located near the historic Alabama & Vicksburg Railroad Depot.NorwayNotodden, Telemark, NorwayOcean Springs BluesOcean SpringsOktibbeha County BluesStarkvilleOtha TurnerComoTwo other Blues Trail markers are in the same area with this marker that honors Napolian Strickland and Fred McDowell.Otis ClayWaxhawOtis RushPhiladelphiaOtis Spann & Little Johnny JonesJacksonOverton Park ShellMemphis, TennesseeThis is the 213th Mississippi Blues Trail marker, dedicated on September 23, 2023Oxford & Lafayette County BluesOxfordPapa LightfootNatchezParamount RecordsGrafton, WisconsinParamount Records & F.W. Boerner CompanyPort Washington, WisconsinParchman BluesParchmanPeavey ElectronicsMeridianPeavineBoylePensacola BluesPensacola, FloridaPinetop PerkinsBelzoniPiney Woods SchoolPiney WoodsPo' Monkey'sMerigoldPontotoc County BluesPontotocPops StaplesWinonaPrince McCoyGreenvilleQueen City Hotel & 7th AvenueColumbusQueen of HeartsJacksonRabbit Foot MinstrelsPort GibsonRalph LemboItta BenaRediscovery of Son HouseRochester, New YorkRed TopsVicksburgRiverside HotelClarksdaleRiley B. KingIndianolaR. L. BurnsideHolly SpringsThis is Blues Trail Marker #214, unveiled on February 21, 2024, along with Blues Trail Marker #215 honoring Junior Kimbrough.Robert Johnson birthplaceHazlehurstRobert Johnson gravesiteGreenwoodRobert NighthawkFriars PointRocket "88"LyonRoma Wilson & Leon PinsonNew AlbanyRoots of Rock And RollHattiesburgRosedaleRosedaleRubin LacyPelahatchieRuby's Nite SpotLelandRufus ThomasCayceSam ChatmonHollandaleSam CookeClarksdaleScott Radio Service CompanyJacksonShake RagTupeloSid HemphillSenatobiaSkip JamesBentoniaSon HouseClackSonny Boy WilliamsonGlendoraSonny Boy Williamson In HelenaHelenaSubway LoungeJacksonSummit StreetMcCombSunflower River Blues & Gospel FestivalClarksdaleSunnyland Slim: Quitman County BluesLambertTate County BluesColdwaterThe Alamo Theatre/Dorothy MooreJacksonThe B.B. King MuseumIndianolaThe Blues FoundationMemphis, TennesseeThe Chatmon Family/Mississippi SheiksBoltonThe Crossroads of 49 & 61ClarksdaleThe Dickinson FamilyHernandoThe Enlightenment of W.C. HandyClevelandThe Hollywood CafeRobinsonvilleThe New WorldClarksdaleThe Staple SingersDrewTommy JohnsonCrystal SpringsTommy McClennanYazoo CityTrumpet RecordsJacksonTurner's Drug StoreBelzoniTwo Steps From The BluesAckermanTexas Johnny Brown, a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, wrote the blues song "Two Steps from the Blues".Tyrone DavisLelandW.C. Handy BirthplaceFlorence, AlabamaWade WaltonClarksdaleW.C. Handy Encounters The BluesTutwilerWGRM Radio StudioGreenwood"Where The Southern Cross The Dog"MoorheadWilliam R. FerrisVicksburgWillie DixonVicksburgWillie MitchellAshlandWoodville BluesWoodvilleWROXClarksdale Source: Mississippi Blues Trail official web site

See also

Delta Blues Museum

References

External links

Mississippi Blues Trail list and map

Delta Blues in the Lower Mississippi Valley, Indianola Mississippi Blues Highway Registry