Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival to kick off Saturday

May 2—The 70th annual Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival will kick off this weekend, bringing an array of rising stars from all genres of Southern music to Meridian.

A week-long event, this year's festival will be held at several local indoor and outdoor venues and will conclude on May 14.

"Mississippi's contribution to country and all forms of American music is as strong today as it ever was," said Dede Mogollon, executive director of the Visit Meridian tourism agency. "Attending America's oldest music festival provides the opportunity to experience the best of roots music right here, where it all began."

Billed as America's oldest music festival, the event began in 1953 as Jimmie Rodgers Day and centered around a concert featuring country music stars and members of Rodgers' family, according to a festival press release. A native of Meridian, Rodgers is often called the Father of Country Music.

This year's event will feature a mix of acts from multiple musical genres, including country, folk, blues, gospel and Southern rock.

Headlining the shows will be east Texas singer-songwriter Paul "Big Velvet" Cauthen, along with blazing young blues guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Joyful and the Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir.

Kicking off the week-long festivities will be the second annual Bud N' Boilin' Crawfish Cook-off Competition at 1 p.m. Saturday on the city hall lawn. The event is presented by Mitchell Distributing and Community Bank with proceeds benefitting the Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival. Attendees will be able to sample the participating teams' entries and vote for their favorite while enjoying the day's live music that will include Tyler Farr, Daniel Houze, Tyler Tisdale, Gerard Delafose and the Zydeco Gaters. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at mitchelldistributing.com

Then on Sunday, The Sucarnochee Revue, a favorite of locals, will bring its live show to the Temple Theater with a 2 p.m. matinee. The show will feature host and performer Jacky Jack White, country music artist Lisa Stewart, musician and songwriter Shawn Camp, and singer and songwriter Jerry Glenn Wolfe. Revue regulars also slated to perform are Tyler Carroll and Pine Ridge BlueGrass, Mississippi Chris Sharp with Piper Sharp Myers and John Fera, Britt Gully and Bill Pippin. Tickets are $10 at the door and through iTickets or jimmierodgers.com.

On Monday, May 8, the public is invited to attend a free history symposium focusing on the life and legacy of Jimmie Rodgers. The symposium will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX).

On Tuesday, May 9, The MAX will host Jimmie's Jam Session at 5:30 p.m. featuring Nashville drummer Adam Box, a Meridian native who is known for his work with the country duo Brothers Osborne. The jam session is open to all local and regional musicians. To register to participate, visit the msarts.org website or for more information, contact danconfait@dcguitarstudio.com.

On Wednesday, May 10, Digio Strategies and 97OKK presents the 70th Annual Jimmie Rodgers Singer/Songwriter Competition at The MAX beginning at 6 p.m. Meridian native Lach Thornton, last year's winner, will perform after the competition with Crocodile Wine, a high energy, Southern psychedelic blues/rock band out of Nashville, Tennessee, with special guest artist Grace Bowers.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, Paul Thorn, a singer-songwriter raised in Tupelo, will bring his mix of blues, country and rock to the Ellis Theater in downtown Philadelphia, along with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Delnora, who performs a blend of roots, country and folk music.

On Friday, May 12, the Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival will focus on the blues with Ingram, known by fans as Kingfish, set to headline a show at The MAX beginning at 5 p.m. A Clarksdale native, Ingram picked up his first Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album last year. Also performing that night is Jontavious Willis, another young bluesman with a Grammy nomination. The Georgia native grew up singing gospel music at church with his grandfather. American duo Sugarcane Jane is slated to open the May 12 show. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased through jimmierodgers.com.

On Saturday, May 13, Cauthen will head the bill at the festival's primary venue, the courtyard of The MAX, for a full night of performances, beginning at 4 p.m. A native of Tyler, Texas, Cauthen is known for his enormous stage presence and irreverent lyrics that mix funk with country, according to the festival news release.

Also slated to perform on May 13 are The Reeves Brothers, known for their honky-tonk American sound, and Sweet Tea Trio, an all-female harmony group hailing from the Deep South. The evening kicks off with Houze, a Meridian country singer and guitarist followed by Tisdale, a Hattiesburg native who brings his blend of folk, country and soul to the The MAX stage. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased through jimmierodgers.com.

On Sunday, May 14, the festival will conclude with the soulful vocals of Joyful and the Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir, along with a New Orleans-style brunch from 1-3 p.m. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased through jimmierodgers.com.

"Our legacy as Mississippi's oldest live music scene has never been more vibrant," Mogollon said, "and there's nothing quite like enjoying live music in a thriving downtown with the sound of the train in the background. We believe Jimmie Rodgers would be proud."

For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets, visit jimmierodgers.com.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.