Music moves along, and for those who love the Blues a trip along the Mississippi Blues Trail is a lively and moving experience. From the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, to the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksville to rock 'n' roll along the coast; Mississippi is home to the Blues.
Famed drummer, Jaimoe, from the Allman Brothers Band, was raised in Gulfport, as was the band’s onetime bassist, Lamar Williams, and both performed in many clubs along the coast during their early years. Among the other notable musician's from the area is Blues Hall of Fame pianist, Roosevelt Sykes, pianist Cozy Corley, singer Albennie Jones, and guitarist Blind Roosevelt Graves, and many others.
Did you know that Jaimoe later founded Jaimoe's Jasssz Band?
As you travel through Gulfport, you'll discover that town's blues and jazz history dates back to the early 1900's.
This was a time when New Orleans jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton played the Great Southern Hotel as well as local gambling dens. Another early New Orleans figure, Lee Collins, and Albennie Jones, a 1940's blues singer and Lee Collins spent some of their early years in Gulfport, and pianist Little Brother Montgomery was based here in the 1920's. And, Blind Roosevelt Graves, whose 1930s records exemplified some of the roots of rock ‘n’ roll, settled in Gulfport in his final years.
Like visiting a historic site, a trip along the Mississippi Blues Trail let's you walk in the footsteps of legends in history. As you travel the trail you find many sites and museum's to visit like the the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum in Tupelo, Howlin’ Wolf Museum in West Point, the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland, and many more place to get you in the groove.
From the early roots to today's shining stars in music, the Mississippi Blues Trail is a must for music lover's!
By Melody Schubert
Learn More About Mississippi Blues Trail
To explore the sites and music along the Mississippi Blues Trail visit https://www.msbluestrail.com/.
You can also find the Mississippi Blues Trail App's that are available for both Android and Apple devices in their stores.
