Blues in Mississippi-- Part 2

Continued from September 18th.

One side of the cast iron marker has raised gold leaf lettering. The other side is vinyl with images, photos and details. They are 45 square inches.

They are located as far north as Tunica and, 340 miles away at Gulfport is #24 commemorating WJZD, the first blak-owned radio station on the Gulf.

The Civil War Trails program in Virginia and North Carolina was the inspiration. Even Elvis gets one in Tupelo. There is no trail map yet, but one is planned in the future. There is a rough one at www.msbluestrail.org.

Marker #36 at Natchez commemorates the 1940 fire at the Rhythm Club which killed more than 200.

Heritage Trail Director Alex Thomas is not worried about gas prices hurting blues tourism because of the international blues fans. "The whole experience of driving down Highway 49 or 9, especially at night,--you think about what life was like during those early years. These artists went above and beyond to create this culture. You see the old plantations, the cotton fields and some catfish farms. You can't go to any other place and say it looks and feels like the Mississippi Delta."

Blues You Can Use. --RoadDog