People
Eudora Welty
When I was in high school, I was required to read a Eudora Welty short story for a class. At the time, I only knew Eudora was a writer from Mississippi and she lived in Jackson, MS at the time. It was my first exposure to her work and I →
MS Congeniality – Jaimee Dorris
People from other states sometimes ask me how Mississippi has ended up with so many authors, athletes, musicians and entertainers. And on first glance, it does seem like there is something in the water or the food or the mud in this State that makes native Mississippians different somehow. But →
Walter Payton
American football player. Born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. Sometimes known by his nickname “Sweetness,” Payton was equally admired for his off-the-field personality as well as for his football skills. He first began to attract attention as a halfback at Jackson State University, making the starting lineup in 1971 — his freshman year. Payton was selected for the All-American team and was named Black College Player of the Year for in 1973 and →
Sela Ward
I first noticed Sela Ward when she played Helen Kimble in the 1993 thriller, The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones; however, she had already been acting professionally since 1983. Her role in The Fugitive was short as Helen is murdered by the one-armed man in the first few minutes of the film, and yet, her presence was powerful and it needed to be. After all, Dr. Richard Kimble’s (Ford) pursuit of the murderer →
Jerry Clower
When I was growing up, there was no one who could make my father laugh like Jerry Clower. The Mouth Of Mississippi hollered his way to the top and was always very proud of being “made in Mississippi”, Yazoo and Liberty, Mississippi to be specific. From Wikipedia: Howard Gerald “Jerry” →
The Mississippi Mass Choir
From The Mississippi Mass Choir Website: Serving God Through Song” is the motto and the mission of The Mississippi Mass Choir. Although striving to succeed in the gospel music industry, the choir’s purpose is to help establish the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Since its formation in 1988, the choir has won numerous honors and awards for its contributions to gospel music. The group has traveled throughout the United States, toured Japan and →
Dorothy Moore
Dorothy Moore (born 13 October 1946, Jackson, Mississippi) is an American pop, R&B, and soul singer best known for her 1976 hit song, “Misty Blue”. Moore’s parents were Mary Moore and Melvin Hendrex Senior. Her father performed under the stage name Melvin Henderson as a member fo the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi. She was raised by her great grandmother and began singing in the church choir at a young age. She was a member →
Yes, we wear shoes.
Mississippi, Believe It!™ is a public service campaign designed to inform and educate the citizens of Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, about the wonderful people, aspects and facts associated with the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign was designed by The Cirlot Agency, a →
Greg Cartmell
Greg Cartmell was not born in Mississippi, but he moved to Meridian, MS 30 years ago. He was actually born in Plymouth, MA and is a register funeral director and embalmer. Greg is an artist known world-wide and he works with electric amps as well as he does with oil paints and gems. Greg has painted portraits of many noteworthy individuals including First Lady Barbara Bush, Honorable G.V. Sonny Montgomery, Ray Charles, Mike Wallace, just →
Peavey Electronics
Driven by an unmatched legacy of innovation and a total dedication to quality and reliability, Peavey Electronics embodies the pursuit of perfection in music and audio. It’s our unifying spirit. It’s proven. And it continues today. For nearly five decades, Peavey has blazed its own path toward musical perfection. Founded →
The Key Brothers
From Meridian Regional Airport Website: Fred and Al Key grew up in Mississippi with a reputation for having “wheels in their heads.” After witnessing three wayward planes from a nearby WWI training base land in their family pasture, Al Key knew he wanted to fly. The brothers earned their →
Y’All May Think We Talk Funny
Mississippi, Believe It!™ is a public service campaign designed to inform and educate the citizens of Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, about the wonderful people, aspects and facts associated with the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign was designed by The Cirlot Agency, a →
B. B. King
From The Official B.B. King Website: His reign as King of the Blues has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. Yet B.B. King continues to wear his crown well. At age 86, he is still light on his feet, singing and playing the blues with relentless passion. Time has no apparent effect on B.B., other than to make him more popular, more cherished, more relevant than ever. Don’t look for him →
William Faulkner
From NobelPrize.org: William Faulkner (1897-1962), who came from an old southern family, grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. He joined the Canadian, and later the British, Royal Air Force during the First World War, studied for a while at the University of Mississippi, and temporarily worked for a New York bookstore →
Yes, We Can Read.
Mississippi, Believe It!™ is a public service campaign designed to inform and educate the citizens of Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, about the wonderful people, aspects and facts associated with the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign was designed by The Cirlot Agency, a →
Robert Johnson
From the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation: One hundred years ago, a boy-child was born in Mississippi – a dirt-poor, African-American who would grow up, learn to sing and play the blues, and eventually achieve worldwide renown. In the decades after his death, he has become known as the King of the Delta Blues Singers, his music expanding in influence to the point that rock stars of the greatest magnitude – the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, →
Elvis Presley
From Wikipedia: Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll”, or simply, “the King”. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, when he →
Jimmie Rodgers
From The Jimmie Rodgers Museum: Jimmie Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897, in Meridian, Mississippi, the youngest of three sons. His mother died when he was very young, and Jimmie spent the next few years with relatives in southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama. He eventually returned home to live with his father, Aaron Rodgers, a maintenance foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, who had settled with a new wife in Meridian. Jimmie’s affinity →