Edward James "Son" House Jr. was an American delta blues singer and guitarist, noted for his highly emotional style of singing and slide guitar playing.
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with his then-wife Tina Turner as the leader of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude".
Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale.
Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he established a timber mill and business.
Mississippi is best known as the home of the blues which developed among the freed African Americans in the latter half of the 19th century and beginning 20th century. The Delta blues is the style most closely associated with the state, and includes performers like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Ishmon Bracey, Bo Carter, Sam Chatmon, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Son House, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, and B.B. King. The hip hop scene of Mississippi is rare but includes performers such as David Banner, Dear Silas, and more.
The Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone considerable line-up changes over time.
Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Jack N. Johnson, known as Big Jack Johnson was an American electric blues musician, one of the "present-day exponents of an edgier, electrified version of the raw, uncut Delta blues sound." He was one of a small number of blues musicians who played the mandolin. He won a W. C. Handy Award in 2003 for best acoustic blues album.
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 the state of Mississippi. Within the state the trail extends from the Gulf Coast north along several highways to 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.
James "Son" Thomas was an American Delta blues musician, gravedigger and sculptor from Leland, Mississippi.
The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, headquartered in Clinton, Mississippi, honors Mississippi's famous musicians. It is a "Who's Who" of the blues, rock and roll, and jazz from their beginnings to present day. The organization's museum is located in the Jackson–Evers International Airport in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Mississippi Delta Railroad is a shortline railroad company operating from Swan Lake to Jonestown, Mississippi, a distance of 60 miles (97 km); the railroad interchanges with the Canadian National at Swan Lake. Currently the railroad is owned by Coahoma County and was a former subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways shortline group. The current operator is Rock Island Rail.
WROX is an Oldies radio station in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It is a class C station operating at 1000 watts on 1450 kHz. The WROX studio and business office is located at 628 DeSoto Avenue, one block from the famous 'Crossroads' in Clarksdale.
Early Wright was the first black disc jockey in Mississippi. His "Soul Man" broadcast on WROX in Clarksdale spanned over 50 years. Musicians Wright hosted on WROX included Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Milton, Ike & Tina Turner, Pinetop Perkins and Charley Pride.
O.B. Buchana is an American blues singer and musician.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram is an American blues guitarist and singer from Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, who became a well-known performer as a teenager. His debut album, Kingfish, was released in May 2019. In addition to his own albums, musicians he has recorded with include Eric Gales, Buddy Guy and Keb Mo. He has shared the stage with well-known blues artists and younger blues musicians such as the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Samantha Fish, Bob Margolin, Eric Gales, Mr sipp, Rick Derringer, Guitar Shorty and Buddy Guy.
The Clarksdale Walk of Fame honors notable people from Clarksdale, Mississippi who've made their mark on the culture of Clarksdale. It was created in 2008 by the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce as a self-guided walking tour in an effort to increase foot traffic in downtown Clarksdale. The plaques are located near a site of historical significance associated with the honoree. Singer Sam Cooke received the first plaque, dedicated outside the New Roxy theater where he once performed.
The New Alcazar Hotel also known as Alcazar Hotel is a historic building in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Once considered one of the premier hotels in the South, the Alcazar Hotel hosted guest such as playwright Tennessee Williams. Located in the hotel was a restaurant and several other businesses, including WROX radio station which broadcast from the hotel for 40 years.
