Black Prairie Blues Museum

Black Prairie Blues Museum The Black Prairie Blues Museum is dedicated to preserving and honoring the history of the blues.

The Blues Jam is officially one week away! 🎶 Join us as we celebrate the blues and honor the memory of our cherished fri...
05/31/2026

The Blues Jam is officially one week away! 🎶

Join us as we celebrate the blues and honor the memory of our cherished friend and dedicated museum volunteer, Norma Morrison Cole. Her kindness and support of the museum continue to inspire us, and we look forward to gathering together in her remembrance.

🎉FUN FACT FRIDAY🎉
05/30/2026

🎉FUN FACT FRIDAY🎉

A Cast Of Blues - Mask #5 🎭R.L. Burnside R. L. Burnside lived the hard-scrabble blues life he celebrated in ...
05/28/2026

A Cast Of Blues - Mask #5 🎭

R.L. Burnside

R. L. Burnside lived the hard-scrabble blues life he celebrated in his music. He spent much of his life laboring as a sharecropper and commercial fisherman in his hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi. On weekends, he performed in the juke joints and bars. Like his mentor, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Burnside was “discovered” and enjoyed critical acclaim later in life. He was born in Harmontown, Mississippi, a rural community nestled in the North Mississippi Hill Country. He was inspired to pick up the guitar after hearing John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillen and was also influenced by his cousin-in-law, Muddy Waters. Over the years, Burnside developed a distinctive style of blues featuring gruff vocals, a powerful, drone-like rhythm, and fluid slide guitar work. During World War II, Burnside and his family joined the Great Migration and moved to Chicago where he worked in factories. After the murder of his father, two brothers, and uncle, Burnside returned to Mississippi where he resumed working on farms. In 1967, folklorist George Mitchell recorded Burnside and released these sessions on the Arhoolie Records. In the early 1990s, Burnside appeared in the documentary “Deep Blues” and signed with Fat Possum Records. Burnside continued touring and recording with his family band until he suffered a heart attack in 2001 that left him unable to play.

It’s that time of year again! 🎶Join us as we celebrate the birthday of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf with a community blues ...
05/26/2026

It’s that time of year again! 🎶
Join us as we celebrate the birthday of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf with a community blues jam! Whether you want to sing, play, or just enjoy the music, everyone is welcome to join in and celebrate with us. 🎤🎸💙

It’s that time of year again! 🎶Join us as we celebrate the birthday of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf on June 7th with a comm...
05/26/2026

It’s that time of year again! 🎶
Join us as we celebrate the birthday of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf on June 7th with a community blues jam! Whether you want to sing, play, or just enjoy the music, everyone is welcome to join in and celebrate with us. 🎤🎸💙

A Cast of Blues - Mask #4 🎭Ruth Brown A sassy vocalist and entertainer, Ruth Brown became known as “Miss Rhythm” for he...
05/25/2026

A Cast of Blues - Mask #4 🎭

Ruth Brown

A sassy vocalist and entertainer, Ruth Brown became known as “Miss Rhythm” for her pioneering work in creating and promoting R&B. Brown grew up in Virginia and North Carolina, where she spent summers picking cotton on her grandmother’s farm. More interested in music than laboring in the fields, she began performing pop songs at USO clubs. At the age of 17, Brown ran away from home with a trumpet player. After a short stint with the Lucky Millinder band, she landed a job in Washington D.C. at the Crystal Caverns nightclub. Willis Conover, a disc jockey with the Voice of America radio program, recommended her to Atlantic Records. On her way to audition for Atlantic, Brown was in a near-fatal car wreck that severely injured her legs and required a nine-month stay in the hospital. Brown recorded her first hit So Long while on crutches. A series of top ten hits followed throughout the 1950s, including Teardrops From My Eyes, 5-10-15 Hours, (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean, and This Little Girl’s Gone Rockin. Atlantic Records became known as the “House that Ruth built” after her early hits established the label as ironically, she received no royalties for her recordings for the Atlantic label. Her career rebounded in the mid-1970s with the help of Redd Foxx, who helped her get a role in the TV sitcom “Hello Larry” (1979–1980). This led to roles in the John Waters film Hairspray (1988) and the Broadway production of Black and Blue (1989). In 1989 Brown won a Tony Award for her performance in “Black and Blue” and a Grammy in 1990 for her album Blues on Broadway.

AT THE BARN JUNE 4thThe Barn presents an exciting event with Danni Nicholls and co-headliner Guy Davis on Thursday, June...
05/25/2026

AT THE BARN JUNE 4th

The Barn presents an exciting event with Danni Nicholls and co-headliner Guy Davis on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Individual show tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at barnconcertseries.com.

136 Mac Davis Rd Columbus, MS

🎉FUN FACT FRIDAY 🎉
05/22/2026

🎉FUN FACT FRIDAY 🎉

A Cast of Blues - Mask #3 🎭Big Jones BrockBig George spent his teenage years near Clarksdale, Mississippi, before settl...
05/21/2026

A Cast of Blues - Mask #3 🎭

Big Jones Brock

Big George spent his teenage years near Clarksdale, Mississippi, before settling in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1950s. While living in the Clarkdale area, he did back-breaking fieldwork, boxed on weekends, and played the blues. Today, he still has relatives in the Clarksdale area. During his career, Big George has played shows with blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and many others. In August 2005, he took part in Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Native Sons concert film project. In October, Steven Seagal tapped Brock to blow harp on the actor-musician's all-star blues album, Mojo Priest. In November, the Blues Foundation announced Brock's "Comeback of the Year" Blues Music Award nomination — a designation soon followed by several "year-end" top CD lists and even a Living Blues Award nomination. By January 2006, Brock's own story in words and music had been captured on film by director Damien Blaylock and, on May 8, 2006, was released nationally on the DVD “Hard Times”.

The museum conveys its deepest sympathies to Norma Morrison Cole’s loved ones. As one of our most cherished volunteers, ...
05/20/2026

The museum conveys its deepest sympathies to Norma Morrison Cole’s loved ones. As one of our most cherished volunteers, her warmth, beauty, and generosity will always be remembered.

Address

640 Commerce Street
West Point, MS
39773

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+16622757819

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