Mississippi Blues Trail Series
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The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Church Street, located in the heart of Indianola, Mississippi. Early in his career, B.B. King used to play the blues on Church Street. Later, he described this location as “like a good fishing hole.” This inspired the legacy of Church Street. When is a street more than just an address? When that address serves as the…
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The Southland Music Line explores the life of Albert King as part of our Mississippi Blues Trail Series. Albert Nelson (Stage name: Albert King) was born on April 23, 1923, on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. King created confusion early in his career over his real name. While at a homecoming concert at Club Ebony in Indianola, King claimed that B.B. King was his half-brother, asserting that B.B. King’s…
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By Deborah Chatham . Photos by Stephen Anderson . Edited by Johnny Cole The Southland Music Line delves into the life of a true blues legend, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, as part of our Mississippi Blues Trail Series. Born on June 28, 1915, in Shaw, Mississippi, Edwards was affectionately called Honeyboy by his older sister, a name that would stick with him throughout his illustrious career. His musical journey began at…
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By Deborah Chatham .Photos by Stephen Anderson .Edited by Johnny Cole . The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Denise LaSalle, located near 102 Castleman Street west of Church Street in Belzoni, Mississippi. Born Ora Denise Allen, from humble beginnings, she was the youngest of eight children. Her parents were sharecroppers, and she picked cotton alongside them to help support the family. LaSalle…
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By Deborah Chatham Photos by Stephen Anderson The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Club Ebony at 404 Hannah Avenue in Indianola, Mississippi. Club Ebony has a long and storied history since its inception during the early days of the Chitlin’ Circuit. The term Chitlin’ Circuit indicated Black-run venues across the region during segregation. Johnny Jones first opened Club Ebony in 1948 to…
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By Deborah Chatham Photos by Stephen Anderson Piney Woods Country Life School, located just 21 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi, hardly sounds like the name of a school based on music education. However, the school boasts a rich, historical connection to the education and development of many notable Mississippi music artists. The founder and first president of Piney Woods School, Laurence C. Jones, envisioned an educational program that emphasized classroom…
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By Deborah Chatham Photos by Stephen Anderson Edited by Johnny Cole The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Po’ Monkey’s Lounge, an authentic juke joint, located outside of Merigold, Mississippi in an unincorporated area of Bolivar County. The history of the juke joint in Mississippi is essential to understanding the development of the blues. Juke joints were created by using existing buildings and…
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By Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi located on the campus of Delta State University at 800 W. Sunflower Rd. in Cleveland, Mississippi. Recently while attending the Mississippi Songwriters Festival: Delta Region 2023 in Cleveland, The Southland Music Line thoroughly enjoyed touring the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. In 2016, The GRAMMY Museum in…
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By Deborah ChathamPhotos by Stephen AndersonEdited by Johnny Cole The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Scott Radio Service Company located at 128 North Gallatin Street in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi has a rich history of producing some of the most world-renowned musical artists. However, before World War II, Mississippi artists often had to seek alternatives to recording locally. Expensive recording technology left these…
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By Deborah Chatham Photos by Stephen Anderson Edited by Johnny Cole The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Ace Records located at 207 W. Capitol St. in Jackson, Mississippi. Nestled about halfway between the iconic Mayflower Café and the historic King Edward Hotel (now the Hilton Garden Inn) is the site of the former Ace Records. Located in the black business district, Ace…
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