Welcome to Mississippi Trails to the Past!
History of music in Mississippi
Musicians of the state's Delta region were
historically significant to the development of the blues.
Their laments arose out of the region's hard times after
Reconstruction. Although by the end of the 19th century,
two-thirds of the farm owners were black, continued low
prices for cotton and national financial pressures resulted
in most of them losing their land. More problems built up
with the boll weevil infestation, when thousands of
agricultural jobs were lost. Many Mississippi musicians
migrated to Chicago and created new forms of jazz and other
genres there.
The Delta blues is often regarded as the most rootsy or
traditional style of the blues, or as the ultimate origins
of the blues. The style has also been called the "most
influential form of rural blues (with an) eerie, sometimes
demonic power that is unmatched by other American acoustic
music".[1] Many of these performers recorded in the early
20th century; however, by the 1950s, they were largely
forgotten outside of Mississippi. Many moved to Chicago, and
became a part of the more mainstream Chicago blues scene.
In the 1960s, however, a roots revival began across the
United States, and interest in Mississippi's blues musicians
increased.
The state is creating a Mississippi Blues Trail, with
dedicated markers explaining historic sites significant to
the history of blues music, such as Clarksdale's Riverside
Hotel, where Bessie Smith died after her auto accident on
Highway 61. The Riverside Hotel is just one of many
historical blues sites in Clarksdale. The Delta Blues Museum
there is visited by tourists from all over the world. Close
by is "Ground Zero", a contemporary blues club and
restaurant co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman.
Jimmie Rodgers, a native of Meridian and
guitarist/singer/songwriter known as the "Father of Country
Music", played a significant role in the development of the
blues. He and Chester Arthur Burnett were friends and
admirers of each other's music. Their friendship and respect
is an important example of Mississippi's musical legacy.
While the state has had a reputation for being the most
racist in the United States, individual musicians created an
integrated music community. Mississippi musicians created
new forms by combining and creating variations on musical
traditions from Africa with the musical traditions of white
Southerners, a tradition largely rooted in Scots–Irish
music.
Many Mississippians have contributed to American music.
Elvis Presley, who created a sensation in the 1950s as a
crossover artist and contributed to rock 'n' roll, was a
native of Tupelo. From opera star Leontyne Price to the
alternative rock band 3 Doors Down, to gulf and western
singer Jimmy Buffett, modern rock/jazz/world music
guitarist-producer Clifton Hyde, to rappers David Banner,
Big K.R.I.T. and Afroman, Mississippi musicians have been
significant in all genres.
Courtesy of Wickipedia
Read about Robert Johnson's deal with the devil at the Crossroads:
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/cursed/
http://www.visitthedelta.com/explore_our_region/trip_ideas/robert_johnson.aspx