Listen to The Morning Show with Bill Smith and Dumpster Dog and featuring Dave Owen, JIMMIE RODGERS HONORED WITH FIRST MARKER ON THE MISS COUNTRY MUSIC TRAIL
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Mississippi will honor “Father of Country Music,” Jimmie Rodgers, with the first marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail. The ceremony will take place Tuesday, June 1, at Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Meridian at 11:00 a.m.
“Because of his influence on the musical genre, Jimmie Rodgers is clearly recognized as the ‘Father of Country Music,’” said Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division. “Prior to the recording of Rodgers’ first songs for the Victor Talking Machine Company, there was no such musical genre as country music. His style was a national phenomenon that paved the way for generations of country music, blues and rock and roll artists to come.”
Much like the Mississippi Blues Trail, which now garners over 100 markers, the Mississippi Country Music Trail celebrates Mississippi’s rich heritage of country music legends and chart toppers. The trail will feature a variety of country music artists, including Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Jerry Clower, Faith Hill, Paul Overstreet and others to comprise the first 30 markers across the state.
For more information about the Mississippi Country Music Trail, explore the official Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Web site, http://www.visitmississippi.org/.
