Mississippi Celebrates Its Grammy®
Legacy
May 28th With Star-Studded Gala in Tunica Hosted
by Governor Barbour
Pinetop Perkins to Perform
Jackson, MS (Billboard Publicity
Wire/PRWEB ) May 8, 2009 -- The State
of Mississippi's continuing "Birthplace of
America's Music" campaign gets a big boost this
month with the third annual "Mississippi -- The
Birthplace of America's Music -- Celebrates Its
Grammy® Legacy" gala. This year the event moves
from Jackson, the state capital, to Tunica,
situated in the storied Mississippi Delta and
just 30 miles south of Memphis. The evening,
starring a host of music greats, underscores the
fact that Mississippi has been one of the most
fertile breeding grounds for music of all kinds
with a rich history of producing numerous Grammy
winners and nominees. The program will take
place on Thursday, May 28th at Bluesville, part
of Harrah's Horseshoe Casino and Hotel complex.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit the
Mississippi Blues Commission's Blues Trail
project that places interpretive markers at
notable historical sites related to the history
and growth of the blues throughout the state.
Hosted by Governor Haley Barbour and First Lady
Marsha Barbour and sponsored by Mississippi's
own musical innovators Peavey Electronics
Corporation, the gala will feature performances
by a staggering array of talent reflecting the
diversity of the state's unparalleled
contribution to numerous genres of music.
Headliners include country superstar Marty
Stuart, the legendary Charley Pride, R&B icon
Dorothy Moore and mythic blues man
Pinetop Perkins. Joining them will be
soul-gospel greats The Williams Brothers,
contemporary blues showman Eddie Cotton, Nanette
Workman, one of French Canada's most celebrated
vocalists, blues and jazz pianist Eden Brent and
Brandon Bennett paying tribute to Tupelo's Elvis
Presley. James Burton, the former Elvis Presley
sideman who has become a star attraction in his
own right will also perform. Sharing emcee
duties are noted film actress Joey Lauren Adams
and award winning singer/songwriter Paul
Overstreet who will also be one of the evening's
musical performers.
In announcing the event, Governor Barbour noted,
"Our two previous Grammy celebrations were
wonderful events that gave us the opportunity to
reflect on just how significant the contribution
of Mississippi artists has been over the years.
We're excited to be moving the festivities up to
Tunica with a slate of performers whose talent
and career successes prove what we've been
saying all along: 'If it's music, it's
Mississippi.'"
Jon Hornyak, Senior Executive Director of The
Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter commented,
"The Recording Academy is extremely honored and
supportive of Mississippi's annual celebration
of Grammy winners and nominees. The state has
been the source of almost fifty Grammy Award
winners and today continues to nurture amazing
musical souls. The state's influence is simply
undeniable."
Pinetop Perkins arrives at the 51st Annual
Grammy Awards in Los Angeles February 8, 2009.
Click here to see more pictures.
Pinetop
Perkins celebrates his 95th birthday with his
friends and Telarc Recordings with a new release
Pinetop Perkins and Friends, slated for June
3rd. There are very few direct ties left to the
golden age of post-World War II American blues –
that seminal period in the 1940s and ’50s when
the acoustic sounds of the Mississippi delta
migrated northward and gave way to the more
electric groove of northern locales like Chicago
and St. Louis. With the passing of John Lee
Hooker and Robert Lockwood Jr. in recent years,
almost no one can claim any first-hand
connection to seminal figures like Muddy Waters
or harpist Sonny Boy Williamson.
Pinetop Perkins is among the few. Perkins, now
in his 90s, has been playing blues and boogie
piano for more than six decades. In that time,
he’s had numerous encounters and collaborations
with the aforementioned legends, as well as
titans like Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker, B.B.
King, Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf.
Pinetop is joined by a dozen high-caliber
musicians, many of them legendary in their own
right, all of whom hold him in the highest
regard. Included on the star-studded guest list
are Eric Clapton, Willie Kent, B.B. King, Jimmie
Vaughan and many more.
Blues Legends
Perform For Morgan Freeman
At Kennedy Center Honors Gala
The annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala held
December 7, 2008 included
an allstar musical tribute to honoree Morgan
Freeman. Taking the stage were Koko
Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, David "Honeyboy"
Edwards, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bob Stroger,
Shun Kikuta and Kenny Smith.
This month Pinetop Perkins and Willie Big Eyes
Smith travelled to Iceland to perform at the
Annual Reykjavik Blues Festival. This
weekend long event kicked off with a cavalcade
of classic American cars parading through the
narrow streets of town accompanied by street
performers playing blues music.
In the evening Pinetop and Willie tore it up at
the Hilton Nordica along with their host Halldor
Bragason, Deitra Farr and a host of local
talent.