Celebrating Black History Month Exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail

I have been a lover of music for my entire life and this year I wanted to dive deep into music history that helped to shape the genres that we listen to today by exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail.

This Black History Month I decided to celebrate blues music and culture by making a few stops on the Mississippi Blues Trail, a series of markers that highlight the history of the blues mainly in Mississippi, but in other destinations as well.

The Blues Trail was created in 2006 and the trail markers are located at significant places that helped shape the genre.

I’m excited to share what I learned during my adventures on the road as I visited several trail markers.

Exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail: Tallahassee, Florida

My first stop was in my hometown of Tallahassee. Before starting this research I had no idea that the place where I was born was home to one of the trail markers. The blues trail marker in Tallahassee is located at the home of The Bradfordville Blues Club, a premier example of Black culture and blues music in the Tallahassee region. The club is located on land that was previously Free Man’s Land, where formerly enslaved people grew crops.

The club is one of only 10 venues outside of Mississippi to be on the trail and one of two in the state of Florida. Musicians who performed in Tallahassee included Lawyer Smith, Ray Charles, and Nat and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, who became celebrated jazz performers.

In 1964, Allen Henry, Jr., his wife Marion and his sister Inez Henry Haynes opened the C. C. Club on land that had been owned since slavery time. The Club would later be renamed as the Bradfordville Blues Club.

When speaking to family representative, Inez Henry, she recalled that the Bradfordville Blues Club not only provided entertainment but also became a pinnacle for fellowship in the African American community.

Henry noted that although the landowners were farmers, the land that the Bradfordville Blues Club sits on served as the center of many community activities and events. Among them were host to Black community baseball games in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the community’s annual 20th of May celebrations commemorating the emancipation of slaves. 

One community function that still takes place at the Bradfordville Blues Club is “The 26th” or the “Shooting Match,” which was started back in the 1940s, the day after Christmas. To know that my hometown was a conduit for blues culture and that even today the Bradfordville Blues Club continues its legacy gave me an unexpected sense of pride.

Pensacola, Florida

Next, I headed west toward Mississippi and made a stop in Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola was an important center of blues, ragtime, vaudeville and jazz activity. The city later developed into a regional cornerstone of the “chitlin’ circuit” in later years.

Touring blues, jazz and rhythm & blues acts and local bands found a welcomed home base in Pensacola for many decades in the Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood, an African-American business and entertainment district. Performers included greats such as B.B. King, Junior Parker and Sam Cooke who all contributed to the vibrant nightlife in the neighborhood’s theaters and clubs. Pensacola was also among the first cities to introduce blues singers on the theatrical stage.

As part of my journey exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail, I spent some time at the Five Sisters Blues Cafe which was formerly Gussie’s Record Shop and WBOP radio. The manager at the cafe, Stephon Adams noted that having one of two trail markers in Florida is something that the popular cafe owner and the entire community are very proud of.

Adams, who is a Pensacola native shared that the site of the restaurant and the Belmont community have long served as a place that celebrates blues music and culture. He explained that in the area there were a number of clubs including Abe’s 506 and The Savoy Ballroom that often welcomed musicians and performers.

Many artists have appeared in Pensacola over the years, including Aretha Franklin, Clarence Carter, Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Parker, Tyrone Davis, Syl Johnson, Bobby Rush, Denise LaSalle, Ike Turner and members of the Ike & Tina Turner revue, and James Carr. Many of the performers came through Pensacola and performed during the Chitlin’ Circuit.

Jackson, Mississippi

After Pensacola, I headed to Jackson, Mississippi. One of the trail marker highlights in Jackson is Ace Records. This music label was founded in 1955 and was the most successful Mississippi-based label of the 50s and 60s.

Ace Records’ catalog included music from the blues, R&B, pop, rock and soul genres. Another blues hallmark in Jackson is the Alamo Theatre, which showed movies, hosted music competitions and presented blues and jazz concerts by artists such as Nat “King” Cole, Elmore James, Louis Jordan, and Cab Calloway during the 1940s and ‘50s. The Alamo was known for its talent shows and some artists got their big break from winning talent show competitions at the Alamo.

I was especially excited to learn about the Edwards Hotel which combined hospitality and music. Constructed in 1923 and renamed the King Edward Hotel in 1954, the Edwards Hotel was the site of temporary music studios that were created by OKeh Records in 1930 to record blues and gospel artists.

Its role as a recording studio stemmed from the fact that before World War II all major recording companies were located in the North, and Southern-based artists often had to travel hundreds of miles to record. The Edwards Hotel allowed talented artists in the South to have a space to create without having to travel long distances.

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Just west of Jackson is a stop that may arguably be one of the most important cities on the Blues Trail. Vicksburg is a must-visit destination for those who enjoy the soulful sounds of the blues. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Vicksburg contained the state’s largest community of African Americans. This led to the community of Marcus Bottom becoming a key area for the development of blues, jazz and gospel music. 

Vicksburg was also home to some of the top blues clubs including The Blue Room, one of the hottest blues clubs in the South during the 1940s and 1950s. The club opened in 1937 and attracted top stars growing from a one-room bar into a multipurpose complex that included a ballroom, restaurant, casino and guest rooms. The Blues Room welcomed artists that included B.B. King, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong and Dinah Washington.

In addition to the Blue Room, Vicksburg has five other trail markers: Marcus Bottom, Highway 61, The Red Tops, Willie Dixon and Bill Ferris which you can visit while exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail.

When I spoke with Ashley Gatian from Visit Vicksburg she explained that the markers represent everything from historic venues, African American communities and influential songwriters with ties to Vicksburg. The city honors and explores the roots of the iconic blues genre through its trail markers.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Did you know that Rock ‘n’ Roll is rooted in the blues of Mississippi? The Mississippi Jook Band earned a niche in the annals of rock after they recorded in Hattiesburg in 1936, nearly two decades before rock and roll exploded in the 1950s. 

During my visit to Hattiesburg, I learned that the city was the site of a historic series of recording sessions by Mississippi blues, gospel and country performers in July of 1936. Temporary studios were created in Hotel Hattiesburg. Unfortunately, most of the recordings were never released, and the metal master discs were either scrapped or donated to the recycling effort in World War II. 

Hattiesburg was known as a hotspot for piano players. Little Brother Montgomery, Gus Perryman, and many others pounded the keys in this city.

Paige Robertson with Visit Hattiesburg shared that Hattiesburg is a must-visit destination for anyone exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail due to its rich and authentic contributions to American music history. The city’s two Blues Trail markers celebrate key locations and individuals who shaped early blues and influenced the evolution of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Robertson added that Hattiesburg was home to pivotal musical performances and recordings, and the markers highlight its vibrant African American cultural heritage and the venues where this musical legacy thrived. Travelers can experience not only history but the ongoing influence of blues music through live performances, community events and curated exhibits.

The trail stops in Hattiesburg are deeply significant to African American culture because they showcase the resilience and creativity of the African American community during a time when systemic racism limited opportunities.

My time in Hattiesburg confirmed that their trail stops offer more than just historical significance; they represent a living legacy of music, culture and community that continues to inspire and resonate today. Visitors to the area will find themselves immersed in the stories and sounds of a city that helped shape America’s musical landscape.

While there are a total of 216 trail markers, I enjoyed my exploration of five different destinations. The stories I heard along the way were more than entertainment for me. Each trail marker gave me a first-hand perspective of the ways that the blues have influenced African American communities over the years. I had no idea that I would learn as much as I did throughout my trail marker adventures, but I’m so glad that I made the decision to explore the Mississippi Blues Trail and I encourage you to do the same.

There are trail markers outside of Mississippi and even outside of the United States. In addition to the destinations that I visited in Mississippi and Florida, you can also find trail markers in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, California, Louisiana, Maine, Wisconsin, Norway and France. This Black History Month, I encourage you to explore the Mississippi Blues Trail and celebrate the blues.

This article was originally published in TravelPulse.

Contact My Journey Begins Travel to plan your customized road trip itinerary for the Mississippi Blues Trail, or any other points of interest.