John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson was perhaps the most influential harmonica player in the 1940s. His untimely and violent death in the late 1940s cut his career short, however, and he missed out on the 1950s blues scene in Chicago. In 2012, journalist Dan Morris wrote this article about his memorial in Tennessee…
In October 2023, MZMF field agent Joe Austin attended the Mississippi John Hurt Memorial Walk to witness the dedication of the historical marker at St. James MB Church Cemetery. In this blog post, he explains how hostility and hatred have inhibited efforts to preserve African American history in Carroll County, MS.
Since the pandemic derailed our original campaign, the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund has renewed its campaign to mark the grave of Roosevelt Graves in Gulfport, MS
This blog post not only explains the historical significance of Jim Jackson in the history of the blues, but it also introduces stakeholders to our efforts to mark his grave in the racially segregated Hernando Memorial Park Cemetery in Hernando, MS.
The exciting conclusion to Emily Hilliard’s blog series about her efforts to memorialize blues artist Nathan Beauregard at Shiloh MB Church Cemetery in Ashland, MS.
Emily Hilliard is spearheading the effort to mark the grave of Nathan Beauregard, and this is the first in a series of blog posts detailing her work with the congregation at Shiloh MB Church in Ashland, Mississippi.