Black Prairie Blues - Mississippi Blues Trail Marker

Due to the area's history of slavery, blues and gospel music (both of which evolved from spirituals and work songs sung on plantations) have been incredibly popular in the Macon/Noxubee County area. This tradition carried over into the 20th century, as bands featuring various instruments began to form. These included The Duck Brothers, The Salt and Pepper Shakers, and the Nickersons.

Fiddle player and Macon native Houston H. Harrison utilized a disc-cutting machine to record music in the area, before relocating to Chicago where he produced records for artists such as Clearwater, another Macon native. Clearwater would go on to entertain internationally, known for his wild rock and roll act. Other notable Macon natives include Carey Bell (a harmonica player who would go on to play with Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon) and Willie King (whose work in the civil rights movement led to his revival of the local blues tradition).

Black Prairie Blues, Mississippi Blues Trail. Accessed April 15th 2021. http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/Black-prairie-blues.

Carey Bell, Alligator Records. Accessed April 15th 2021. https://www.alligator.com/artists/Carey-Bell/.

Mississippi Blues Musician Willie King, Mississippi Writers and Musicians. Accessed April 15th 2021. https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/mississippi-musicians/willie-king.