5 join the Max Hall of Fame

Dec. 16—Five individuals with deep ties to Mississippi's rich cultural heritage are the latest inductees into the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience Hall of Fame.

Musicians Sam Cooke and W.C. Handy of Clarksdale and Marty Stuart of Philadelphia, and writers Alice Walker of Jackson and Ida B. Wells of Holly Springs are the 2022 inductees.

The MAX saluted them Thursday night at a ceremony at the MSU Riley Center.

The five new members join such stars as Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey, B.B. King, Sela Ward and Jim Henson, as well as less publicized but no less accomplished geniuses such as Margaret Walker Alexander, William Eggleston, Richard Wright and George Ohr.

"We host this event every other year to call attention to the many creative legends that Mississippi has generated," Mark Tullos, President/CEO of The MAX said in a news release. "Recognizing their incredible talent and contribution to American arts and culture is not only a source of pride for all Mississippians but also a source of inspiration to future artists."

"I'm honored to join the hall," Stuart said in a interview prior to the ceremony. "To be thought of in the same thought as Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin' Wolf or William Faulkner — that's pretty heady stuff."

"It's very inspiring, and gratifying for the Handy family," said Carlos Handy, the grandson of W.C. Handy. "We are obviously very proud."

Dan Duster, the great-grandson of Ida B. Wells, described the civil rights leader's induction as "an incredible honor."

"She would appreciate the honor, for sure," he said. "But she would say we've still got work to do."

Noted actress and educator Tonea Stewart, who served as master of ceremonies, said the Magnolia State produces great art for many reasons.

"Mississippi is place where truth prevails," she said. "If there's hatred, you know it's real, If there's love you know its real, and if there's hunger, we feed each other. When we come to hard times, we help each other."

"Mississippi is not a phony place — it's a place of truth," she emphasized. "Mississippi frees people to express their God-given talents, and when it's expressed, the rest of the world receives it, because it's so real."

The honorees

Sam Cooke helped shape the burgeoning soul and pop scene in the late 1950s and early '60s and worked behind the scenes to further the civil rights movement. He died in 1964.

W.C. Handy was a composer and musician who popularized blues music in the early 20th century. He died in 1958. His legacy lives on through the annual W.C. Handy Music Festival in Florence, Alabama.

Marty Stuart is a Grammy Award-winning country music artist. He performed as a mandolin and guitar virtuoso with Johnny Cash before launching his successful solo career. He has played a major role in preserving and enhancing country music's heritage.

Alice Walker is a novelist, essayist, poet, and social activist. She was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, awarded for her novel The Color Purple. She continues to write and to speak out.

Ida B. Wells was a journalist, feminist and early leader in the civil rights movement. She crusaded for women's suffrage and against lynching, and was one of the founders of the NAACP. She died in 1931.