Clay HaleWhat does it mean to be rooted in music history?
Mississippi probably knows better than most, as it has held quite the helping hand in creating most of the genres we know today. Country music, jazz, classic rock and the blues are all slices of the American music pie that would not be around if it was not for the Magnolia State.
The 11th Annual Oxford Blues Festival — which officially kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 6, and concludes on Saturday, Oct. 8 — aims to spread a new musical awareness, while honoring the history of the genres and artists that came before.
The roots of blues and country in Mississippi history are practically intertwined.
Country singer Charley Pride, for instance, was born in Sledge, Miss. The small town is currently home to less than 400 residents — and it was even fewer when Pride was born there in 1934.
It is because of Pride that current African American country music risers such as Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton are able to break through the country music bubble of familiarity and make history in the genre.
Pride is one of only three African American individuals to be a member of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. He scored a remarkable 52 Top 10 songs on country radio during his lifetime. His success is especially remarkable because it was more difficult for African American country artists to break through in the 1960s.
With Pride, and eventually Darius Rucker, paving the way, Brown would go on to have the sixth most streamed country song in history in “What Ifs” with Lauren Alaina.
Allen would receive multiple No.1 songs on country radio, and Guyton would score numerous Grammy nominations for projects surrounding her 2021 album, “Remember Her Name.”
Adjacent to country music is the also honest and venerable genre known as the blues. “The King of the Blues,” B.B. King, was born just outside of the three-mile long Berclair, Miss., in 1925 — just nine years before his genre cousin, Charley Pride.
King’s legacy has indisputably left a mark on not just the long-run Mississippi history book but also the textbook of musical influence.
Just short of a century from King’s birth is the 11th Annual Oxford Blues Festival. Headliners will include Grammy-nominated artists: guitarist John Primer and bluesman R.L. Boyce and the legendary Bill “Howlin Madd” Perry.
The roster does not stop there, as many Ole Miss professors will also be taking the stage to share some truth. Adam Gussow, Ricky Burkhead, Wendy Garrison, Steve Brewer and Alan Gross will all be trading the classroom for the spotlight over the weekend.
The festival main stage is at Harrisons, 1810 Harrison Ave., in Oxford. Other events will be held at Moe’s BBQ, 311 S. Lamar Blvd., in Oxford.
To view the full roster of performers and see some of Mississippi’s musical history unfold in person, check out the Oxford Blues Festival website.
