The Blues Trail: Mississippi to Alabama

The Blues Trail: Mississippi to Alabama (HMY6Q)

Location: Tuscumbia, AL 35674 Colbert County
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Country: United States of America
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N 34° 42.903', W 87° 41.714'

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Inscription
Musicians have long crossed the Alabama -Mississippi border to perform and record. Mississippians such as Albert King, Little Milton, and Pops Staples recorded at studios in Muscle Shoals and Sheffield, including those owned by Mississippi natives Rick Hall and Quin Ivy, Alabamians Jerry "Boogie" McCain, Frederick Knight and Roscoe Robinson recorded for labels in Jackson, Mississippi, while Florence native W.C. Handy encountered the blues while working in the Mississippi Delta.

(Back):
Muscle Shoals, although musical traditions are often defined in terms of state boundaries; musicians have traditionally ignored such arbitrary distinctions in their pursuit of their art and careers. This has certainly been the case for the 300-mile border shared by Alabama and Mississippi. W.C. Handy, known as "the father of the blues," and Jimmie Rodgers, "the father of country music," heard the blues while living and working in both states. Blues and soul performers Willie King, Eddy Clearwater, Peggy Scott-Adams, Big Ike Darby, Lucille Bogan, Sir Charles Jones, Bobo Jenkins, and Big Joe Williams also lived in both Alabama and Mississippi, as did one of the earliest-born blues-recording artists, Johnny "Daddy Stovepipe" Watson (b. Mobile, c. 1867), and Ike Zinnerman, mentor of the legendary Robert Johnson. Johnson's Delta blues tradition was later carried on in Alabama by noted guitarist Johnny Shines. King, Williams, Shines, and Alabamians Jerry McCain, Poonanny, and Roscoe Robinson were among those who recorded in both states.

Muscle Shoals became an important showcase for regional talent after Rich Hall opened his Fame studio here in 1959. On his Fame label Hall recorded local musicians as well as Mississippians James Govan, George Soule, and George Jackson. Muscle Shoals studios also became popular destinations for national labels, including Stax and Atlantic. Albums or singles by Mississippi-associated artists Albert King, the Staple Singers, Syl Johnson, Otis Rush, Otis Clay, Fenton Robinson, James Carr, and Big Joe Williams were recorded here, as were parts of B.B. King's King of the Blues: 1989 album, which included a track produced by Alabama's Frederick Knight.

Mississippi strengthened its connection with Muscle Shoals in 1985 when Jackson-based Malaco Records purchased the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, which was founded in 1969 by former Fame session musicians. Malaco co-owner Tommy Couch, a native of Tuscumbia, began his music career booking bands for University of Mississippi fraternities including the Pallbearers and the Del-Rays, which featured future Muscle Shoals session musician Jimmy Johnson and Roger Denis LaSalle, Mosley & Johnson, Artie, "Blue Boy" White, and Dorothy Moore. Malalco also benefited from the relocation from Muscle Shoals to Jackson of songwriter George Jackson and arranger Harrison Calloway of the Muscle Shoals Horns.
Details
HM NumberHMY6Q
Series This marker is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail series
Tags
Year Placed2010
Placed ByNational Endowment for the Arts
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 at 1:20am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 436339 N 3841663
Decimal Degrees34.71505000, -87.69523333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 42.903', W 87° 41.714'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 42' 54.18" N, 87° 41' 42.84" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)256
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1507-1509 S Woodmont Dr, Tuscumbia AL 35674, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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