Mississippi Blues Commission Blues Trail

FAIN: BR-50005-06

Mississippi Blues Commission (Indianola, MS 38751-3150)
Bill McPherson (Project Director: February 2006 to July 2010)

Implementation of a heritage trail, a website, and a CD-ROM interpreting the history of the blues in the Delta region of Mississippi.

The Mississippi Blues Commission seeks funding for a portion of its Mississippi Blues Trail project. This portion of the Trail will commemorate and interpret 50 significant places in blues music history. The sites in this project will all be located in the Delta region of Mississippi, where a distinct form of the blues was born out of the post Civil War and Reconstruction oppression of African-Americans. The project also includes an associated website and CD-ROM containing a historical context and supplementary materials, such as recorded interviews and music, to enhance visitors’ understanding of humanities themes. The blues is one of America's unique musical forms, and the original Mississippi blues offers insights into black culture, interracial relations, the evolution of historic African musical forms and personal history. The Mississippi Blues Trail will address humanities issues that span the cultural geography and music history of a large area.