Mississippi Blues Trail Series
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trails Series as we recognize the marker honoring multiple award-winning blues musician Bobby Rush. The 87 year old Rush continues to perform and be praised for his work. Earlier this year, his album Rawer than Raw won the Grammy award for Best Traditional Blues Album, only four years after his album Porcupine Meat won in…
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An Article by Brenda Germany Photos by Stephen Anderson Just an hour south of Memphis, at the legendary Crossroads of MS Hwy 61 and Hwy 49 lies the blues steeped city of Clarksdale, Mississippi. This historic delta city is home to an amazing total of ten Mississippi Blues Trail markers: Cotton Pickin’ Blues, Delta Blues Museum, Ike Turner, Riverside Hotel, Sam Cooke, Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, The New…
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trails Series in Clarksdale, Mississippi at the marker recognizing the great Sam Cooke. The legendary music artist would have celebrated his 90th birthday on January 22nd of this year. Born in 1931, Samuel Cook (later known professionally as Sam Cooke, adding the “e” to his last name in 1957 to signify a new…
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An Article by Brenda Germany Photos by Stephen Anderson Cotton Pickin’ Blues (listed on the Mississippi Blues Trail website as Hopson Planting Co.) highlights one of the most prominent factors in the “Great Migration” of African Americans from the rural South to the North in search of employment and its effect on the evolution of blues music. During the 1920’s to 1940’s Hopson Planting Co., originally established as Hopson Plantation…
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson The Southland Music Line continues its Mississippi Blue Trail Series as we spotlight one of the markers located in Helena, Arkansas. In 2019 while traveling to the world famous King Biscuit Blues Festival, photographer Stephen “Andy” Anderson, photographed an array of markers celebrating the rich music heritage linked to the state of Mississippi. One such marker located on Biscuit Row (Phillips…
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An Article by Brenda Germany Photos by Stephen Anderson Additional photos by Brenda Germany Nestled in the lush rolling landscape of Pike County in southwest Mississippi, the city of McComb lies just above the Louisiana state line. Its advantageous location of 100 miles north of New Orleans, 80 miles from Jackson, and 75 miles from Hattiesburg made it the perfect choice for Colonel H. S. McComb, President of the New…
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson As we continue to explore the Mississippi Blues Trail, we come to the marker honoring the legendary Mississippi John Hurt, located near Avalon, Mississippi. Mississippi John Hurt (1893-1966) became famous after having been rediscovered during the American folk music revival of the early 1960’s. Hurt spent much of his life farming in Carroll County, Mississippi while also performing as a musician…
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson The history of Pensacola, Florida dates back to its original site in 1559, six years prior to the founding of St. Augustine. Throughout Pensacola’s history, its importance to the region has been vital culturally, economically and politically. For centuries, immigrants from all over the world have found their way to the great port city located on Florida’s northwest coast. I highly…
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An Article by Brenda Germany Photos by Stephen Anderson It is often said that there are two sides to every story. This is undeniably true of Mississippi’s “Bluff City”, Natchez. The Southland Music Line visited Natchez to explore more of the Mississippi Blues Trail in addition to discovering both sides of the history, sights and, in particular, sounds of this beautiful city. For many, the mention of Natchez brings to…
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An Article by Johnny Cole Photos by Stephen Anderson Our journey tracing the world-renowned Mississippi Blues Trail now takes us to the state’s Pinebelt region and in particular, the cities of Hattiesburg and Laurel. In the early summer of 2019, we decided to visit the three markers in these cities deemed worthy of the honor to be selected for inclusion in the Mississippi Blues Trail, furthering our appreciation for Mississippi’s…
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