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    Step Back in Time on The Mississippi Blues Trail

    Brenda LewisBy 3 Mins Read3 Views

    Need to get out of the house?  Take a ride with the windows down!  Plan a trip on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

    Blues is an incredibly special genre of music that has many variations, which were influenced by the locality of the singers.  Derived from spiritual, work songs, and field hollers, Blues express feelings of injustice, lost loves, money, agitation, and depression, but always with uplifting emotions. Early blues were referred to as Blue Devils Music.  The first published sheet music of blues was the song “I Got the Blues” by New Orleans Artist Antonio Maggio, in 1908.  As the Blues grew they influenced Rock and Roll, Jazz, and popular music.

    Created in 2006 by the Mississippi Blues Commission, the Mississippi Blues Trail are interpretive markers placed at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and blues influence throughout Mississippi.  Although the 200 markers extend all over the state and beyond, we have a number of markers here right on the coast.

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    Plan a road trip.  Take the time to stop and take pictures with family and friends.  Make it a challenge to collect pictures at each marker.

    List of Blues Trail Markers:

    Bay St. Louis – 100 Men Hall –  303 Union St.

    Biloxi – Biloxi Blues  – corner of Main and Murray Street

    Gulfport – Broadcasting the Blues –  corner of Martin Luther King Dr. and Arkansas Ave.

    Moss Point – Moss Point Blues –  near the corner of Dantzler St. near Riverfront Welcome Center

    Pascagoula – MS Gulf Coast Blues –  2902 Shortcut Rd.

    Ocean Springs – Ocean Springs Blues –  on Hwy 609/ Washington Ave. South of Desoto St.

    Want to expand your trip?  See the full list of Blues Trail Markers at msbluestrail.org/blues_marker_list.

    Along the way please support Coast businesses and artists, by visiting some of the Blues specialty joints and enjoy the live Blues music.

    Blues Bars Joints and Restaurants:

    Bay St. Louis – 100 Men Hall, 303 Union Street

    Ocean Springs – The Shed Barbeque & Blue Joint, 7501 MS-5

    Ocean Springs –  Murky Waters, 1212 Government St. Live blues Sunday

    Gulfport – Murky Waters – 1320 27th Ave – Live blues Wing Night Wednesday

    D’Iberville – Satchmo’s Jazz Café, see website for upcoming performances

    Pascagoula – Jacks by the Tracks, 709 Krebs Ave. Live music every Thursday & Friday night.

     

    Note: When planning your trip, please confirm the current venues at the various restaurants.

    If you just can’t get away take a virtual tour of all the blues markers at mississippimarkers.com

    Now go enjoy some Blues, be safe, and have fun.

     

    Brenda Lewis is a native of Jackson County. She has attended the University of Southern Mississippi on numerous occasions, earning a BS in Architectural Technology, advanced studies in Accounting and now on a mission to finalize her Masters of Business Administration. Brenda is an avid fisherwoman, owns her own boat, baits her own hook, cleans her own fish and cooks them. But sorry guys, she has a loving husband, daughter and 4 grandchildren. When unable to fish her spare time is spent in the greenhouse and garden, supplying fresh edibles for the family and cultivating local species and rarities. In 2007 her team was awarded the 2007 Golden Eagle Challenge from the University of Southern Mississippi. The challenge was to create the best business plan and presentation of a viable technological business. In 2015 she was certified as a TapRoot Cause Analyst, a system used to improve performance, fixing small problems to avoid major incidents. Having worked in a small family business since childhood she was exposed to entrepreneurship. That experience led her to her own business, tax preparation, where she served her loyal clients for 10 years. During that time, she earned the Enrolled Agent certification with the IRS, and insurance and security licenses, offering additional services to her clients. Her employment has been in private business, government, contract and corporate settings. Mostly in management, her tasks included a variety of administrative, safety, Quality control and human resources. “The reason I want to write for OurMsHome is I have experienced the advancements in Jackson County first hand over the past 50 years, and I feel that the county has made enormous progress. We need to ‘toot our horn’ and let the world know about our rich history and abundant natural resources.”

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