It’s known as the birthplace of the blues,

but Mississippi sings other songs as well, from bluegrass and country to

rock and roll.

Listen to the Sounds of Mississippi

I f you love the blues, tap your toes to country or groove to rock and roll, then you’ll find your sound somewhere in the

hill country, on the coast or in between.

It drifts out of juke joints in small towns

and from clubs in cities such as Jackson,

Natchez and Oxford. It picks up the beat at

festivals in Clarksdale, Greenville and Tupelo.

It brings the house down at casinos in Bay

St. Louis, Biloxi, Gulfport, Philadelphia,

Tunica and Vicksburg. And it plays at out-

of-the-way stages in places such as Sparta.

Sparta is so small it doesn’t appear on the

state map, but every Friday night people

find their way to the Sparta Opry, in a metal

building off State Highway 389 north of

Starkville. The music (mostly classic country)

is free, and a preshow buffet catfish dinner

costs less than $10. Favorite performers

include the Davis Brothers, twins Donnie

on piano and Ronnie on drums and guitar,

and Bennie “Frog” Davis pickin’ and singing

while wife Linda joins in on guitar.

You can hear more Mississippi talent at Pickin’

on the Square in Corinth. Bring your lawn

chair on Thursday nights to the Alcorn County

Court House Square and listen to a little

country, a little gospel and a lot of bluegrass.

Archie Harville regularly plays a handcrafted

dulcimer banjo. Lisa Lambert and the Pine

Ridge Boys, and Breaking Grass, last year’s

State Bluegrass Band Champion, have also

appeared. Borroum’s, the oldest operating

drug store and soda fountain in the state, stays

open to serve soft drinks and ice cream. In cold

weather, the event moves into the Coliseum.

Stop by Proud Larry’s, just off the square in

Oxford, to hear groups such as Kudzu Kings,

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