TUPELO TO NEW ORLEANS

Howlin’ Wolf Blues Museum This museum draws visitors from all over the world to see its collection of memorabilia and artifacts from the life of West Point native and blues legend Howlin’ Wolf.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howlin%27_Wolf) Born Chester Arthur Burnett, Wolf got his introduction to the blues from the great Charley Patton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Patton)atDockery Plantation,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dockery_Plantation) a stop on the Delta Highway leg of the Gold Record Road. After leaving the Delta, he headed for Chicago and Chess Records,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_Records) becoming one of the most popular bluesmen in the 1950s and ’60s. Today, he’s known as one of the most influential musicians to shape the blues, R&B, and rock and roll. As of this writing, the museum is open by appointment only as the construction gets underway for a new, larger museum space to house and display the foundation’s entire collection. Don’t forget to stop for a photo with the black granite statue of Howlin’ Wolf in the town park, a short walk from the museum. 307 W. Westbrook St., West Point. 662-605-0770 Howlin’ Wolf Mural When you visit West Point’s Main Street, you can’t miss the Howlin’ Wolf Mural covering an entire wall of a century-old building. Stop and sign the autograph wall next to it, and read what other die-hard fans have written about the legendary bluesman, his music and his legacy. Main St., West Point. Find a Mississippi Blues Trail (http://msbluestrail.org/)marker honoring the life and career of Howlin’ Wolf (http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/howlin-wolf)in downtown West Point. MUSIC CONNECTION Visit West Point over Labor Day weekend to experience the music and vibe of the Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival, an annual event celebrating West Point’s famous son, as well as blues greats like Bukka White and Big Joe Williams. The event is centered on the Mary Holmes College (http://hbcuconnect.com/colleges/56/mary-holmes-college)campus, with West Point’s well-known Prairie Arts Festival (http://www.wpnet.org/index.php/attractions/prairie_arts_festival)kicking off the next day. MUSIC Jimmie Rodgers Museum (http://www.jimmierodgers.com/)Experience the birthplace and life of the Father of Country Music himself at this Highland Park museum. This free attraction displays memorabilia of Jimmie Rodgers’(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Rodgers_(country_singer)) life and career, including one of his guitars; you’ll also find railroad equipment from the steam-engine era. As a young man, Rodgers worked on the railroads alongside black laborers, and developed a deep appreciation for their songs and chants; he eventually learned to pick and strum from railroad workers and hobos. Known as the “Singing Brakeman” famous for his “blue yodel,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Yodel)” Jimmie combined his blues heritage with country style and became the first country music star, paving the way for countless others and officially intertwining the blues and country music genres. 1725 Jimmie Rodgers Dr., Meridian. 601-485-1808 FAST FACT: “Blue Yodel #9,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_Corner_(Blue_Yodel_No._9))” also known as “Standing on the Corner,” was recorded in 1930 with jazz legend Louis Armstrong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong)backing Rodgers on trumpet, and Armstrong’s wife Lil Hardin Armstrong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Hardin_Armstrong)on piano. The song tells the story of a “Tennessee Hustler” in Memphis. This wasn’t the only time Rodgers crossed genre lines, though—as an artist so heavily influenced by the traditions of the Delta Blues, he actually put his stamp on its future as well. Blues great Howlin’ Wolf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howlin%27_Wolf)found his signature sound by blending the blues style of Charley Patton—Father of the Delta Blues—with a yodel influenced by none other than the Father of Country Music.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWgZVX4yPeI) Peavey Electronics (http://www.meridianms.org/index.cfm/visitors/attractions/)Tour the Peavey Visitors Center (http://www.meridianms.org/index.cfm/visitors/attractions/)to learn about the contributions of Peavey Electronics,(http://www.peavey.com/) founded in 1965 by Meridian native Hartley Peavey, to the changing sounds of blues, rock and country. Peavey has manufactured electric guitars and basses, amps and sound systems for almost half a century. Marion Russell Rd., Montgomery Northeast Industrial Park, Meridian. 601-483-5365 Mississippi Blues Trail.(http://msbluestrail.org/) The Father of Country Music and the home of southern electric guitars both received official markers on the Trail: ​Jimmie Rodgers(http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/jimmie-rodgers) ​Peavey Electronics(http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/peavey-electronics) ​Mississippi Country Music Trail(http://www.mscountrymusictrail.org/) ​Moe Bandy(http://www.mscountrymusictrail.org/markers/moe-bandy) ​Jimmie Rodgers’(http://www.mscountrymusictrail.org/markers/jimmie-rodgers) ​music crossed genres and broke boundaries; he has a marker on the Country Music Trail as well as the Blues Trail ​Country Music Comes of Age (http://www.mscountrymusictrail.org/markers/country-music-comes-of-age)the story and influence of the annual Jimmie Rodgers Festival ​Elsie McWilliams (http://www.mscountrymusictrail.org/markers/elsie-mcwilliams)who wrote many of Jimmie Rodgers’ songs MUSIC CONNECTION Check out these sites, festivals, shops and online resources for Meridian, and make sure you catch a show at a local venue while you’re in town. In mid-May, Meridian hosts the annual Jimmie Rodgers Festival (http://jimmierodgersmusicfestival.com/)with three days of music from all over Mississippi and beyond. The festival has been an annual event since 1953, serving, like its namesake, as a pioneering force in country music history. The first festival brought country musicians together like never before, paving the way for organizations like the Country Music Hall of Fame.(http://countrymusichalloffame.org/) Check Meridian’s live music and events calendar (http://www.visitmeridian.com/index.cfm/our-musical-legacy/live-local/)for shows, venues and events. Mississippi State University’s Riley Theater (http://www.msurileycenter.com/index.cfm/about-us/history-renovation/)occupies the town’s original 1899 Grand Opera House, now a beautifully and carefully restored entertainment venue featuring national acts. In its original form, the Opera House hosted some of the most popular traveling shows of the early 20th century, from vaudeville to minstrel shows to silent movies. Neshoba County Fair (http://www.neshobacountyfair.org/)It’s known as “Mississippi’s Giant House Party,” a tradition in nearby Philadelphia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia,_Mississippi)since 1899. This is a camp on-site affair, with people coming back year after year to fill more than 600 brightly colored cabins and 200 RV spots. It’s eight days of food, politics, revelry and live entertainment by national acts—a true one-of-a-kind Southern experience. ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCES Meridian’s main musical claim to fame is Jimmie Rodgers,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Rodgers_(country_singer)) the Father of Country Music and the man credited for blending the rural and urban sounds of the 1920s and ’30s to create something original and new. It’s also a town with a dramatic Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War)past, a significant Civil Rights era (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955%E2%80%9368))history and, today, a reputation as a city with deep music history roots. During the Civil War, Meridian was almost completely destroyed by 20,000 Union troops in a week’s time; it was an important Confederate railroad town and therefore a strategic target. Take the Meridian Civil War Trail (http://www.visitmeridian.com/index.cfm/historic-trail-markers/civil-war/)to see landmarks and learn more, including a tour of antebellum Merrehope,(http://www.merrehope.com/) one of only six buildings left standing in Meridian after General Sherman’(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman)s historic March to the Sea.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman#March_to_the_Sea) Buy some hoop cheese or fresh cornmeal ground on-site at the Causeyville General Store,(http://www.meridianms.org/index.cfm/visitors/attractions/) which houses a working gristmill and a music museum. Enjoy an upscale take on Southern cuisine with dishes like fried green tomatoes and black-bottom pie at Weidmann’s,(http://www.weidmanns1870.com/) a favorite local restaurant near the Riley Theater (http://www.msurileycenter.com/)and a downtown Meridian (http://meridianmainstreet.org/)tradition since 1870. Treat your inner child to a spin on the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel,(http://www.meridianms.org/index.cfm/city-departments/parks-recreation/dentzel-carousel/) handcrafted in 1896 for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The carousel has been in Highland Park in Meridian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Park_(Meridian,_Mississippi))since 1909 and is a local and national treasure, named by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.(http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/) TRAVELER RESOURCES This list represents our personal recommendations, but make sure to explore the Meridian Convention and Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitmeridian.com/)website for lodging, dining, events, additional attractions and more information on anything listed above. Conditions change, businesses open and close; the local CVB is the best source for current information. City of Meridian (http://www.meridianms.org/)Meridian Wiki(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridian,_Mississippi) Head due east of Meridian on Highway 80 to take the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights Trail,(http://www.nps.gov/semo/index.htm) tracing the route of one of the most significant civil rights protests in American history. The 54-mile Voting Rights March of 1965c(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches)onsisted of 600 whites and blacks walking side by side from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, in support of equal voting rights for all Americans. Along the way, the nonviolent marchers were teargassed, beaten and stopped by law enforcement officers, gaining international attention; the event became known as “Bloody Sunday.” Just a few weeks later, 25,000 civil rights supporters from all over the U.S. joined the original 600 demonstrators on another five-day march to the Capitol, protected by federal law enforcement. Five months later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965)gave all Americans the legal right to vote; the Voting Rights March was instrumental in shedding light on—and gaining broad support for—the effort. Fifty years later in 2015, the film Selma (http://www.selmamovie.com/)was released; President Obama, the First Family and many of the original “foot soldiers” joined thousands in a symbolic 50th Anniversary march across the bridge on March 7, 2015. In his stirring speech,(http://time.com/3736357/barack-obama-selma-speech-transcript/) the president remarked, “We are the inventors of gospel and jazz and the blues, bluegrass and country, hip-hop and rock and roll, our very own sounds with all the sweet sorrow and reckless joy of freedom.” The route is now a National Historic Trail (http://www.nps.gov/semo/)managed by the National Parks Department with interpretive centers and significant sites along the way to tell the incredible story. In Montgomery, start at the Hank Williams Museum (http://thehankwilliamsmuseum.net/)downtown and learn more about country music’s first superstar through memorabilia, exhibits and more, including the powder-blue Cadillac, where he took his last breath in 1953 at the age of 29. From there, travel along the “Lost Highway” to visit the H(http://www.hankmuseum.com/)ank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum (http://www.hankmuseum.com/) in Georgiana. For more attractions, lodging and things to do in Alabama’s capital city, visit the Montgomery CVB website (http://visitingmontgomery.com/)and the Alabama State Tourism (http://alabama.travel/)website.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c0ab57_5eea5c66697a48479c2b32996c74fb1f~mv2.jpg Oxford’s music legacy is closely tied to the Hill Country Blues, a distinctive style heavy on steady, driving rhythm and percussion, often incorporating fife and drum elements. Mississippi Fred McDowell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Fred_McDowell)was a Hill Country Blues pioneer, influencing artists like R. L. Burnside,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._L._Burnside)Junior Kimbrough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Kimbrough)and others; artists like Othar Turner,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othar_Turner) Rosa Lee Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Lee_Hill)and more helped to further define the sound. The Hill Country Blues are preserved and promoted by Oxford’s own Fat Possum Records,(http://www.fatpossum.com/) an independent record label (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Possum_Records)founded to record and promote unknown blues artists from North Mississippi. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c0ab57_b98dea3600f94df1a9e3aaa42c1d22c9~mv2.jpg Oxford is a vibrant college town with a thriving music scene. Pick a venue, discover a record store or find a festival (http://visitoxfordms.com/arts-entertainment/music-scene/)to enjoy the town’s unique culture—it’s one that draws a special mix of local artists and national acts. While you’re here, check out Oxford’s oldest venue, the now-restored Lyric Oxford,(http://www.thelyricoxford.com/) which was once used as a livery stable by author William Faulkner’(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner)s family in the early 20th century. In the fall and spring, catch the Thacker Mountain Radio Show, a live weekly radio broadcast featuring author readings and musical performances. (Location rotates, so check the website for details). Past performers have included Marty Stuart,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Stuart) Del McCoury,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_McCoury)Elvis Costello,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Costello) T-Model Ford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Model_Ford)and others. The show is broadcast live on 92.1 Rebel Radio (http://www.myrebelradio.com/)and rebroadcast Saturday nights on Mississippi Public Radio.(http://mpbonline.org/) https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c0ab57_1e9d582e055e4f04910de6279eaf585b~mv2.jpg Visit Rowan Oak,(http://www.rowanoak.com/) home of William Faulkner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner)and his family for more than four decades, just off the Oxford square. The Nobel Prize Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner is considered one of the most important figures in Southern literature and American literature in general. Check out the Blues Archive at the University of Mississippi,(http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/archives/blues/) one of the largest collections of blues recordings, publications and memorabilia in the world. You’ll also find two Mississippi Blues Trail (http://msbluestrail.org/)markers in Oxford: ​Oxford Blues (http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/oxford-blues)detailing the town’s music legacy ​Documenting the Blues (http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/documenting-the-blues)honoring the University’s preservation efforts For more on dining, lodging, entertainment and history, explore this one-of-a-kind Southern college town with the help of the local CVB.(http://visitoxfordms.com/)