Elmore James
Newport MB Church in Ebenezer, MS
![Elmore james gravesite near Ebenezer, Ms. The headstone of Elmore James [Photo © 2000s Euphus Ruth]](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MZ6_rear_1997__002_72copy.jpg?resize=600%2C890&ssl=1)
After unveiling an obelisk honoring the late Robert Johnson in Morgan City and dedicating a headstone for Charley Patton in Holly Ridge, the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund installed a headstone on the grave of early blues artist Elmore James at Newport M.B. Church Cemetery in Holmes County.
![Elmore_James_-_George_Adins_Photo Elmore James in the 1950s](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elmore_James_-_George_Adins_Photo-759x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C809&ssl=1)
![14dca-elmorejameswgal Elmore James with an admirer circa 1950s](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/14dca-elmorejameswgal-642x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C957&ssl=1)
In early September 1991, after reading a Billboard Magazine article about the dedication ceremony for the cenotaph of Robert Johnson in Morgan City, Phil Walden of Capricorn Records contacted Skip Henderson and commissioned a bronze sculpture mounted on a granite headstone through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund in honor of Elmore James. Dr. Sam Barnes, an orthopedic surgeon and sculptor of Cookeville, Tennessee, conceived of the headstone design and fashioned the bronze likeness of the musician that adorns the specially designed headstone.
![Elmore Grave2133 Elmore James' one-time producer Bobby Robinson [Photo © 1995 Skip Henderson]](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elmore-Grave2133-1-701x1024.jpeg?resize=600%2C877&ssl=1)
![ELMORE JAMES The headstone of Elmore James [Photo © 2001 T. DeWayne Moore]](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ELMORE-JAMES-2.jpg?resize=1165%2C771&ssl=1)
![Elmore_MtZion_Billboard_Feb 13 1993 Elmore_MtZion_Billboard_Feb 13 1993](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elmore_MtZion_Billboard_Feb-13-1993.jpg?resize=500%2C498&ssl=1)
Capricorn Records’ President Phil Walden humorously admitted that his dentist, Dr. Barnes, had suggested the headstone design after administering anesthesia during a dental procedure. “The monument represents not only our sincere respect and love for this man and his music,” Walden declared, “but also the appreciation we feel for the African American culture of the Mississippi Delta [and] I hope by establishing this memorial we will bring national attention to the talents that have come from the state of Mississippi.”
![Holmes County Herald 12 10 1992 Page 2 Holmes County Herald, December 10, 1992.](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Holmes-County-Herald-12-10-1992-Page-2.jpg?resize=400%2C570&ssl=1)
![Elmore_MtZion_Feb 13 1993 Elmore_MtZion_Feb 13 1993](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elmore_MtZion_Feb-13-1993-1024x830.jpg?resize=700%2C567&ssl=1)
![The_Clarksdale_Press_Register_Tue__Dec_8__1992_ Skip Henderson—who passionate dedication to elevating the gravesites of Mississippi blues musicians, many of which were often found unmarked and neglected in country cemeteries, to the status and dignity of cultural treasures—was the first recipient of the prestigious Early Wright Award earlier in 1992. The award was founded to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the world of blues music. The Clarksdale (MS) Press Register, Dec 8, 1992.](https://i0.wp.com/mtzionmemorialfund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/The_Clarksdale_Press_Register_Tue__Dec_8__1992_.jpg?resize=1165%2C638&ssl=1)