Sounds of the Mississippi South

It�s true: Mississippi is the True South. It�s also true that Mississippi is the birthplace of America�s music. Country, blues, rock �n� roll .... they all started in Mississippi. 

�From the father of country music, Jimmie Rodgers, and the king of rock �n� roll, Elvis Presley, to the originators of blues like Son House, Robert Johnson and B.B. King, Mississippi is home to the ones who started it all,� said Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of the Mississippi Development Authority�s Tourism Division. �Come to Mississippi in May and experience our authentic musical heritage as we celebrate some of the finest musicians, festivals and venues in the world.�

The Mississippi Blues Trail continues its incredible journey of bringing to life the history of blues music all across the state. Blues Trail markers have been placed at sites where blues musicians lived and entertained. Others are situated at historic streets, train depots, blues clubs, cemeteries and even churches where blues musicians made their mark.

This month � May 8 to be exact � marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous bluesmen of all time, Robert Johnson. His life and legend have served as inspiration for musicians and storytellers around the world. 

Several Robert Johnson 100^th anniversary events are scheduled this year including the Official Centennial Concert from May 5 to 8 in Greenwood with free concerts and more to commemorate this historic year and musician.  

No musical journey to Mississippi is complete without a visit to the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo and true fans of Elvis will want to be sure to attend the Elvis Festival in Tupelo during June 2 to 5 this year. 

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi.  

To learn even more to help you plan your musical trip to Mississippi in May, go to www.VisitMississippi.org

Rockin� the Globe on Mississippi Gulf Coast

There�s a warm Aloha from Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as it hosts the 7th annual voyage of Rockin� the Globe on April 16.

This time revelers will will be traveling to the Pacific for a Hang 10 in Hawaii.

The event promises to top last year's Sojourn on the Serengeti, where a record-breaking 4,000 people attended, refreshed themselves from a bounty of over 100 restaurants and bars, browsed multitudes of auction items, moved to the sounds of more bands than ever, and hobnobbed with guests of all types, including a lion and some of her wild friends.

This year's luau promises even more excitement � over 125 restaurants, an actual surf board theme park ride, the Kahua Pig Hawaiian BBQ contest, and even more exciting auction items � including a live whole organic cow from Texas. A spectacular fireworks display ends the event.

In addition, there are a multiple of new bands, which include the Escalade Show & Dance Band, the Topcats, and the Tsunami Wave Riders, all jamming to the moves of thousands of partygoers.

The Topcats are famous for their win as the 2009 New Orleans Magazine's Best Local Band Award and their induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. 

So find your Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts and head for Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to join in the fun as money is raised for one of the country's oldest Catholic boarding schools, St. Stanislaus College in nearby Bay St. Louis, MS. 

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi. 

For more information on events on the Mississippi Gulf Coast visit www.gulfcoast.org

Explore Mississippi History and Heritage

Mississippi invites visitors to experience the state�s rich history and cultural heritage and to find their true south during the month of February. Whether you are interested in Civil War history, the Civil Rights Movement or Native American culture, Mississippi is full of authentic sights, sounds, attractions and events for you to experience firsthand. It�s true: Mississippi is home to some of the nation�s most important history and heritage.

�So many historical figures lived, fought, struggled and endured in Mississippi,� said Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of the Mississippi Development Authority�s Tourism Division. �You can walk where they walked, see many of the things they saw and envision the years past that shaped our future and the world we live in today. That�s a key part of what makes Mississippi the perfect place to find your true south � we are real, honest and ready to share our story with you.�

Mississippi�s museums, historical homes, Civil War sites and Civil Rights landmarks are located throughout the state. From the Vicksburg National Military Park and the Corinth Interpretive Center near Shiloh National Military Park to the home of Medgar Evers and Freedom Corner in Jackson, plan a trip to Mississippi this month to experience it for yourself.

The year 2011 marks the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War, and Mississippi is home to many of the Civil War Sesquicentennial activities and events being planned for 2011-2015. The Civil War Preservation Trust lists 39 Mississippi sites on its Civil War Discovery Trail. 

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi. 

The recently launched www.mscivilwar150.com is an excellent resource for up-to-the-minute details about Civil War-related activities happening around Mississippi.

�Coming Home� on Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Spring Pilgrimage is "Coming Home�. When March 26 � April 3 arrives, it will be six years since the Gulf Coast Council of Garden Clubs held its last Spring Pilgrimage. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed homes and gardens, many of which have only recently been completely restored. "Coming Home" will be the very appropriate theme of the return of this 58-year tradition of hospitality.

From Pascagoula to Pass Christian, the eight-day event will feature approximately 50 elegant homes, gardens and historic landmarks, all free of charge to visit, thanks to the individual garden clubs and Gulf Coast business sponsors.

The "Coming Home" Spring Pilgrimage will officially open at 9am, Saturday, March 26 with ceremonies and refreshments at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center of Arts and Education, 1600 Government Street, Ocean Springs, Miss. The closing ceremonies will be on the grounds of the Michael and Janet McElroy home (pictured here), 533 E. Scenic Drive, Pass Christian, Miss, at 5pm, Sunday, April 3.

The first day, Saturday, March 26, will include visits to six homes in Ocean Springs hosted by the Ocean Springs Garden Club. On Sunday, Gautier Garden Club will present exhibits, displays and local artistic wares as well as a period flower show at "The Old Place�.

Monday morning visitors may tour four historic buildings in Bay St. Louis. In the afternoon, the tour will start at the new Town Green and City Hall in Long Beach with additional stops at the new Catholic church and two homes.

Tuesday will include tours of historic Beauvoir and the Biloxi Lighthouse in the morning followed by three homes in the afternoon, hosted by the Biloxi Garden Club.

The Beach Garden Society will show two homes Wednesday morning. This will be followed by a Gulf Hills (Ocean Springs) tour of the Gulf Hills Hotel and two homes on Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday, visitors will visit homes as well as have the opportunity to attend a landscaping seminar present by the Florence Gardens Garden Club, followed by nature walk in the morning, followed by visits to three residences in the afternoon.

Friday morning the Gulfport Garden Club will host visits to three homes and the historical courthouse, followed by two churches and a residence in the afternoon. Saturday morning will find visitors a walking tour in historic Pascagoula, followed by visits to two homes. In the afternoon, the Moss Point Garden Club will have three homes available for viewing, including a display by Gulf Coast Traditional Rug Hookers.

Sunday will bring visitors to Pass Christian, where they can visit three homes and see the concluding ceremonies in the afternoon at the home of Michael and Janet McElroy. Concurrently, they will be able to attend Art in the Pass, an annual juried art show in War Memorial Park.

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi.

For more information on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Spring Pilgrimage visit www.springpilgrimage.webs.com

CELEBRATE ELVIS� 75TH BIRTHDAY IN MISSISSIPPI

Get ready to celebrate the 75th Birthday Anniversary of the King of Rock and Roll � Elvis Presley � in the birthplace of America�s music, Mississippi!

�Elvis Presley�s 75th Birthday Celebration, beginning on January 7 in Tupelo, promises a variety of birthday week events that will help kick-off the year and continue the celebration of Mississippi�s musical influence on the world,� stated Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Director Mary Beth Wilkerson. �Additional events like �Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart�s American Musical Odyssey� will occur throughout 2010 to enhance the tourism experience for our guests.�

The party begins in the city of his birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi, on Thursday, January 7 at the Lyric Theatre. Two champions from the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest, Bill Cherry and Brandon Bennett, will perform all the classic hits by the man who from his humble beginnings in northeast Mississippi became the undisputed King of Rock and Roll. Tickets are $20 to $79.

On Friday, January 8, 2010, at the Elvis Presley Birthplace, you�re invited to enjoy free admission to the house all day, as well as all the other attractions at the memorial garden. At 1 p.m., Tupelo city leaders and other officials will be on hand to commemorate the day, and of course, like any great birthday party, a cake will be served to celebrate 75 years of the life and legend of Elvis.

Attractions in the garden represent Elvis� childhood including the �walk of life� around the birthplace, which features 42 granite blocks representing each year of Elvis� life, a �fountain of life,� which symbolizes his life spent in Tupelo, and a �story wall� featuring eleven childhood stories as told by boyhood friends.

The site also showcases a chapel for events and meditation. The newest attraction is the Assembly of God Church Elvis attended as a young boy. The building has been fully restored and offers a presentation of an old-fashioned worship service.

For more information about top events in Mississippi, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-mississippi.html

Or, take a look at the official web site for Mississippi at http://www.visitmississippi.org/

MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL SALUTES THE MUSICAL LEGACY OF HOLLANDALE

Governor Haley Barbour today announced the Mississippi Blues Trail will salute the musical legacy of Sam Chatmon and others of Hollandale, Mississippi on Friday, October 2, at 3 p.m. with the dedication of the trail's 86th historical marker on Simmons Street and West Washington Avenue.

"Towns like Hollandale, along with artists like Sam Chatmon, have truly earned a spot on the Mississippi Blues Trail," Governor Haley Barbour said. "The level of talent produced by this community is impressive, and I encourage blues enthusiasts to visit the Blue Front and see one of the important venues where our unique form of American music began."

The Mississippi Blues Trail is a museum without walls taking visitors on a musical history journey through Mississippi. The trail started with the first official marker in Holly Ridge, the resting place of the blues guitarist Charley Patton. The trail winds its way to sites honoring B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Son House and more.

The Mississippi Blues Trail markers are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by support from the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Delta State University and the Mississippi Development Authority.

Sam Chatmon (c. 1899-1983), a member of one of Mississippi�s most prominent musical families, came out of musical retirement in the 1960s to become a celebrated elder statesman of the blues. Chatmon sometimes performed with his brothers in an influential string band known as the Mississippi Sheiks in his younger days. The Sheiks� 1930 recording, �Sitting on Top of the World,� was one of the most popular blues recordings of the pre-World War II era, and their repertoire of blues, folk, country, pop, and minstrel songs kept them in demand among both white and black audiences. In 1928 several of the Chatmon siblings, including Sam and his brother Bo, who recorded under the name Bo Carter, moved from their native Bolton to the Hollandale area.

Sam recorded with his brother Lonnie as a duo for the Bluebird label in 1936 and also participated in other sessions during the 1930s, but, like most of the family, depended on farming to make a living. He later moved from his farm to the town Hollandale and took a job at a warehouse. After blues enthusiasts began to seek him out in the 1960s, he began traveling to play concerts and festivals around the country, most often in the San Diego area. He recorded several albums including Hollandale Blues and The Mississippi Sheik. In the 1970s he sported a long white beard, as his fiddle-playing father had done, and endeared himself to new audiences who were roundly entertained by the songs he performed.

The Chatmon�s house at 818 Sherman Street in Hollandale has been purchased by the city in order to move it to �Blue Front,� the area of Simmons Street once famed for its row of blues cafes. The Mississippi Blues Trail marker at the corner of Simmons and Washington streets honors both Chatmon and Blue Front, celebrating the rich history of blues performers who have been based in the Hollandale area, including Eddie �Guitar Slim� Jones, Eugene Powell, Robert Nighthawk, Houston Stackhouse, and J.D. Short. Mississippi Blues Commission member Dr. Edgar E. Smith, who grew up in Hollandale, will speak at the ceremony.

For more information, visit the Mississippi Blues Trail on the internet at www.msbluestrail.org and more information on other top Mississippi events visit the Mississippi page at Top Events USA at www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-mississippi.html