Any Mississippian discouraged by ridicule from other states need not look far for a sure pick-me-up. Attempts from other areas to besmirch Mississippi’s reputation are efforts clearly motivated by jealousy, but who can blame them? The blues musicians that Mississippi has produced over the last 70 years exhibit incredible talent and have influenced national and international music trends throughout the duration of that period. Such commodities are understandably objects of envy for other states. Although the accomplishments of Mississippi blues musicians are extensive enough already to have made a profound impact on the modern musical landscape, these heartbroken composers continue to lead the genre in new directions.
Since the birth of rural blues in the Mississippi Delta in the late nineteenth century, Mississippi blues musicians have gained authority and become legends, not only in the eyes of blues listeners, but also influential musicians from more mainstream genres.
Pioneers in blues include Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King, but Robert Johnson stands as the most colorful and fabled figure in Mississippi blues lore. After selling his soul at a crossroads in Clarksdale, he gained incredible musical talent and enjoyed a short career as a juke joint performer and indiscriminate lover of women. An untimely, mysterious death only added to the legend of the bluesman.
The influence of Mississippi’s blues musicians and the ideals of the music itself have also extended to those who have come to be known as the greatest musicians of the last 50 years. The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and many others have all been heavily influenced by Delta blues.
Every guitar twang and drum beat of these artists’ music pays tribute to the source of their inspiration-the blues. Mississippi’s blues. I feel a surge of pride every time I hear Led Zeppelin’s “Traveling Riverside Blues” or The Stones’ “You Gotta Move.”
Despite their overwhelming success, the glory days of our homegrown artists are far from over. The North Mississippi Allstars have been busy producing good music and developing a national fan base over the last few years. The critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated band has steered blues in a new direction and pays homage to their roots in their very name.
Hailed as the leaders of a back-to-basics movement in rock, The White Stripes base their music heavily on the sounds of the delta blues. Although The White Stripes hail from Detroit, the Southern roots in their music can be heard loud and clear.
An abundance of reasons to love and be proud of Mississippi abound in its artists. Along with throngs of great writers, painters and musicians from other styles, blues musicians have provided a shining point in Mississippi’s personality that all of its residents can admire.
Many would compare Mississippi’s economic status and historical social turbulence to that of a more mundane state like Connecticut’s, and conclude that Connecticut was a better place. Such a comparison could be likened to eating a steamed clam or a fried catfish. Obviously, there is no comparison.
Josh Foreman is a junior communication major.