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, such as Chicago.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4] 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.[4]
By the end of 2016, the Mississippi Blues Trail had placed nearly 200 markers.[5] 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.[6]
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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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. [7] | ||
| Grammy Awards | Los Angeles, California | |||
| Grammy Museum Mississippi | Cleveland | |||
| Greasy Street | Ruleville | |||
| Grenada Blues | Grenada | |||
| Guitar Slim | Shellmound | |||
| Gulfport Boogie | Gulfport | |||
| H. C. Speir | 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 | |||
| Jessie Mae Hemphill | Senatobia | Jessie Mae Hemphill is buried at Senatobia Memorial Cemetery. | ||
| Jimmie Lunceford | Fulton | |||
| James "Son" Thomas | Leland | |||
| Jimmie Rodgers | Meridian | |||
| Dunleith | ||||
| Jimmy Rogers | Ruleville | |||
| Joe Callicott | Nesbit | |||
| John Lee Hooker | Vance | |||
| 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 BrothersKansas Joe McCoy and Papa Charlie McCoy | Raymond | |||
| Memphis Minnie | Walls | |||
| Meridian Blues and Jazz[8] | 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 Johnnie 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 Blues Foundation | Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| The Chatmon Family/Mississippi Sheiks | Bolton | |||
| 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,[9] 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 |