The 'Sip | Winter 2018

BEST OF Mississippi

Music & Ar�

Experience a ‘Sip of the South

HIP HOP in Mississippi A 'major player' in world's top-selling music genre

WINTER 2018 $4.95 thesipmag.com

Also: The Supremes' Mary Wilson • Malaco at 50 • Joe Overstreet

g n i l l i r Th When the lights go down, the music heats up in the Birthplace of America’s Music.

Whether you’re looking for blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll or something a little different, the thrill is far from gone. The beat goes on where it all began—in Mississippi.

VA S T I J AC K S O N BICENTENNIAL NORTH CELEBR ATION - OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI

www.visitmississippi.org

CONTENTS PHOTO BY RON BLAYLOCK

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BEST OF Mississippi

Music & Ar�

Experience a ‘Sip of the South

HIP HOP in Mississippi A 'major player' in world's top-selling music genre

features Page 8

Steve Azar Delta native and Nashville star takes on role as state music ambassador.

ABOVE: Malaco Records studio

WINTER 2018 $4.95 thesipmag.com

Also: The Supremes' Mary Wilson • Malaco at 50 • Joe Overstreet

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Mary Wilson Page 54

Hip Hop

Founding member of The Supremes keeps Mississippi close to her heart.

Mississippi-bred hip-hop artists are among hit-makers of the world's biggest-selling music genre.

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Cover Shot CD demos of Mississippi hip-hop artists cover the soundboard at Soulkitchen Studio in Jackson.

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Photo by Ron Blaylock

Malaco Records Malaco celebrates 50 years as leading soul, blues and gospel label.

V.A. Patterson Avid community arts leader embraces art and culture.

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CONTENTS

departments IN EVERY ISSUE 4 >> Editor’s Note 5 >> Thesipmag.com 7 >> Spotlight: Contributors 20 >> ‘Sip Trip: Ultimate Mississippi Playlist 52 >> ‘Sip of Nature: Common Persimmon 63 >> Small-Town ‘Sip

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64 >> The Last ‘Sip

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MUSIC 14 | GRAMMY Museum© Mississippi State-of-the-art museum creating music mecca in Mississippi Contents page photo by Rory Doyle

LIFESTYLE 26 | Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Giving a voice to diversity through artwork, programs

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FOOD 30 | Miss Mississippi A journey from Mississippi to Atlantic City Contents page photo by Susan McCarty

PERFORMANCE 42 | David Keary Keeping Mississippi on its toes with Ballet Mississippi Contents page photo by Melanie Thortis

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ART 48 | Joe Overstreet Artist's work stands as national icon to civil rights movement Contents page photo courtesy of Joe Overstreet

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Winter 2018

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EDITOR’S NOTE

from the Front Porch

"A bit of madness is key to give us new colors to see. Who knows where it will lead us? And, that's why they need us. So bring on the rebels, the ripples from pebbles, the painters and poets and plays. And, here's to the fools who dream — crazy as they may seem. Here's to the hearts

PHOTO BY MELANIE THORTIS

that break. Here's to the mess we make." — "Audition," La La Land

My love of music was cultivated long before I can even remember. Perhaps it was from my dad's banjo playing or my sisters' eclectic cassette tape collections I would binge on as a child. But, it wasn't until I learned that Elvis and B.B. were born in Mississippi that music really began to make sense to me.

Knowing that Mississippi musicians made a lasting impression on America's music opened up my world. Anything seemed possible. Mississippi's contribution to music and art is quite impressive, if you think about it. I mean, come on. What other state can claim the likes of Elvis, B.B. King, Bobbie Gentry and Jimmy Buffett as well as visual artists, such as Walter Anderson and Joe Overstreet? It's pretty sweet to know this land birthed some of America's greatest artists and songs of all time.

I recently worked with Mississippi Today to help compile The Ultimate Mississippi Playlist, a collection of 25 songs about Mississippi or by Mississippians. I was tasked with researching and posting songs selected by a panel of expert judges, all wise in the way of Mississippi music. Readers decided every couple of weeks which song was worthy of moving to the playlist. I would delve deep into each nominated song, often learning new music and realizing compelling facts about our state's rich musical heritage.

Even though the year-long project, created to celebrate the state's bicentennial, resulted in a powerful playlist of Mississippicentric sounds, the list truly goes on and on. It's impossible to cap it at 25. Plus, our state continues to produce top-notch talent.

This issue, featuring the complete playlist, is a nod to the musical and artistic talent on which Mississippi prides itself. Mary Wilson of The Supremes. Malaco Records. GRAMMY Museum© Mississippi. Hip hop. These diverse contributions will make a Mississippi music lover out of just about anyone. We have also included visual and performance artists to round out this special celebration of music and art.

I've always believed life requires a soundtrack, and, I must admit, mine is now wrought with songs by Mississippi artists. It's the way it should be, I guess. This is my place and, as crazy as it may seem, Mississippi music represents and empowers us all.

Cheers, y'all,

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Winter 2018

SPOTLIGHT

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Publisher/Editor Lauchlin Fields Consulting Editor Karen Gamble Outside Editor Nathan Beane Copy Editor Olivia Foshee Writers Elizabeth Grey Mary Margaret Halford Sherry Lucas Susan Marquez Photographers Ron Blaylock Rory Doyle Melanie Thortis Design Director Erin Norwood Designer Lauchlin Fields Illustrator Jamie Runnells Proofreaders Sarah Hearn Mary Kent-Walshire Marketing/Sales Director Cortney Maury cortney@thesipmag.com

The ‘Sip is a registered trademark of Front Porch Fodder Publishing, LLC. The ‘Sip magazine is published four times a year. Some pieces in this issue were produced in partnership with GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi and the Mississippi Arts Commission.

Owner: Lauchlin Fields 1216 National St. Vicksburg, MS 39180 601.573.9975 www.thesipmag.com editor@thesipmag.com Copyright 2018 The ‘Sip

by Front Porch Fodder Publishing, LLC Reproduction of any part of this publication is strictly prohibited.

a big thanks to this issue’s talented contributors LANA FERGUSON WRITER Lana hails from Mechanicsville, Va., and is a senior journalism major at the University of Mississippi. There, she serves as editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian. In addition to working at The DM, Lana has had internships at the Calhoun County Journal in Bruce and RVA Magazine in Richmond, Va. She’s reported for newspapers across the state and abroad in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. After graduation, Lana hopes to continue pursuing her seventh-grade dream of being a journalist.

ANNA GRACE USERY WRITER Anna Grace is a second year graduate student at the University of Mississippi, where she is studying magazine media. She’s originally from North Alabama but is partial to Mississippi after living here for two years. Anna Grace is an avid antiquer and craft beer connoisseur with a hankering for Southern antics. She plans to become a magazine editor one day and travel with her cat, Miss Amelia.

TALBOT EASTON SELBY PHOTOGRAPHER Easton, born and raised in Clinton, received his bachelor’s of fine art from Delta State University and his master’s of fine art from Clemson University. He has exhibited his work in group and solo shows throughout the United States. His work has been published in Delta Magazine, Metropolis Magazine and Canadian Art Magazine. He is the 2008 recipient of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters award for photography. He lives in Conway, S.C., where he chairs the Department of Visual Arts and is associate professor of photography at Coastal Carolina University.

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Country music star and Greenville native Steve Azar intercepted the blues and soul bug through osmosis, not genetics. Though his Lebanese genes didn’t factor into his deep-seated love for the Mississippi Delta, his childhood spent behind a liquor store did.

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Delta Folklore Steve Azar's album, Down at the Liquor Store, is inspired by his grandfather's business, where he first was introduced to Mississippi blues.

It was his grandfather’s business, Jigger and Jug. As the first legal liquor store in the state, it attracted many interesting folks with whom young Azar became friends. One he remembers distinctly is Eugene Powell, aka “Sonny Boy Nelson.” The future music protégé learned from the best, Azar said, sitting in front of the various bluesmen with bits and pieces of songs running through his head. By hearing, seeing and feeling the blues during his formative years in Mississippi, it was here he became a Delta Soul aficionado.

“I say Sonny Boy was a mentor, but really he just let me hang out, and I was cool with that,” Azar said.

“The postmen would come to the back of the liquor store after a day’s work and listen to Sonny Boy play.

At 11 years old I wasn’t thinking about why I was emotionally connected to the music. I just was.”

the hearts of producers. His biggest fans in the Delta cheered as he recorded “I Don’t Have To Be Me til’ Monday,” one of the top five most played songs of the last decade on country radio, and “Waitin’ on Joe,” among others, that reflected his true Delta upbringing.

From there he hopped on the Nashville bandwagon, touring with Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.

“I’ve always written songs brought on by pain that had silver linings,” Azar said. “I learned that from the old guys I grew up listening to.”

Azar said he hears the Delta and feels its unique, pastoral soul running through his lyrics every time he gets on stage.

Even though his agents told him he was “too Mississippi,” he felt he owed everything to the Delta because the region created him. His roots pulled him back to Greenville 20 years later. Upon his

I say Sonny Boy was a mentor, but really he just let me hang out, and I was cool with that.

STEVE AZAR

Azar wasted no time in putting his hands on a guitar and learning to play. He began writing songs regularly at 12, but even that accomplishment didn’t dismiss him from the trouble-making temptations of being a small-town kid.

“I was grounded a lot,” Azar said. “My mom knew I would write myself out of the room, so I think that’s why she did it.”

His excuse for getting grounded was pure Delta folklore. He says he’d sneak out of the house, strap a guitar to his back and pound the pavement for the nearest juke joint, humming along the way. What he found in those back alley blues joints became his saving grace. He discovered the stage.

Coined “The Delta Man” by friends and colleagues, Azar didn’t achieve musical fame the traditional Nashville way. The match eventually lit and Mercury Nashville signed him in 2002. His persistent personality combined with an inkling of luck won

return, Azar said he saw a need for children and the arts in the Delta community. He devised a plan to help improve that through the Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation. He and his wife, Gwen, raise money for sick, disadvantaged and abused children — mostly in the Delta. It also aids in growing the art and music movement for children. The organization has distributed more than $700,000 since its inception in 2006. To raise money each fall and summer, Azar also hosts the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival and Delta Soul Celebrity Golf and Charity Event in Greenville.

Greenville resident Wesley Smith nominated his friend for the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award not only because of his musical accomplishments but mostly for his philanthropic endeavors in the Mississippi Delta. As executive director of the Greenville-Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Greenville, Smith sees every day the impact Azar has on the community. Z

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Governor's Choice Steve Azar, cofounder of the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, performs throughout the state, celebrating Mississippi's musical legacy. His devotion to his state's musical legacy has earned him a 2018 Governor's Arts Award.

“Steve sees opportunities that correlate with what he absolutely loves to do,” Smith said. “He stayed true to his roots in his songwriting. He’s always kept the Delta region in his heart. I thought that spoke to what the award was.”

From a tourism perspective, Azar’s charity events and festivals are pushing the pulse of the Delta to an even higher rate. His events expose one of the most distinct parts of the Mississippi region to people who previously might have looked the other way. More than 20 states and 20 countries were represented at the festival this past September, and Azar said he and others are targeting “up and coming” acts for the 2018 festival. He describes the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival as “the most hospitable festival in the world.”

“Statistics show that once people come to the Delta they want to come again and again and again,” Smith said. “A lot of that is thanks to Steve.”

Coming home to Greenville 20 years after the roller coaster ride in Nashville was a blessing for his kids, too, Azar said. They were 15, 13 and 10 at the time, and now they aspire to pursue visual arts, medicine and culinary arts, respectively.

“All of the kids ended up finding themselves here in the Delta,” he said. “Whatever time they had here, something seemed to seep in and mold them into who they are today. I don’t think that would’ve happened in Nashville.”

While Azar is beloved around the world, he couldn’t be more appreciated than in his home state of Mississippi. Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove deemed March 13 Steve Azar Day in appreciation of his contributions to the state. More recently Gov. Phil Bryant named Azar the Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi to be the face of tourism. He is also the 2018 Governor’s Choice recipient of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Governor’s Arts Awards.

“The governor gets it,” Azar said. “He believes Mississippi is the birthplace of American music, and he’s right. I’m honored to be the ambassador.”

STORY Anna Grace Usery PHOTOGRAPHY Rory Doyle

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GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi State-of-the art museum celebrates state’s musical legacy

This city of 12,000 people, located smackdab in what is (arguably) the birthplace of the blues — has become a sort of unexpected epicenter of American music.

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GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi 800 W. Sunflower Road Cleveland, MS 38732 (662) 441-0100

HOURS: Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Sunday Noon - 5:30 p.m.

grammymuseumms.org

Not far from Delta cotton fields and adjacent from Delta State University on Sunflower Road is a state-of-the-art, 28,000-square-foot museum that celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the entire creative and technological processes of recording and the history of the GRAMMY Awards with a focus on the continuing achievements of Mississippians.

GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi, open since March 2016, showcases musical instruments and on-stage costumes of GRAMMY winners, along with the acoustic guitar used by Elvis Presley in his recording sessions at Sun Records in the 1950s and Michael Jackson’s leather jackets. The brightly colored feather Mardi Gras Indian costume worn by CeeLo Green at the 2011 GRAMMY ceremony competes for outrageousness with the cape and headdress worn by Dr. John during his performance during the 2013 GRAMMY telecast. Also on display are gowns worn by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, as well as a black brocade suit worn by Mississippi’s own, Marty Stuart.

The design of the building gives a nod to the Delta itself, with its corrugated metal building inspired by the silos, barns and cotton gins that dot the Delta landscape.

The wide, welcoming front porch, reminiscent of Delta country homes, invites visitors to “sit a spell.” Yet, the modern elements of the building, including wide expanses of windows along the front street exposure and a large, yellow-rimmed billboard-sized sign with the faces of music legends looking down on the side of the building, create a sense of excitement of what’s to be revealed inside.

“The GRAMMY Award is synonymous with musical excellence.” So reads the explanation on the wall inside the Cleveland museum. “Winners are not determined by sales, chart success or popularity. Rather, it is the result of a rigorous voting process carried out by music industry peers. GRAMMYs are awarded annually to musicians, producers, songwriters, recording engineers and other music professionals. To receive one is to be accorded the highest honor in the recording arts.”

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Musically Inclined TOP LEFT: The museum lobby and entrance to the Sound Stage TOP RIGHT: Guests view instruments used by GRAMMYwinning musicians.

BOTTOM LEFT: The Museum often hosts events and indoor and outdoor performances.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The interactive musical timeline allows guests to learn about artists' musical influences.

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“We are changing kids’ lives with music, arts and creativity. We are filling a critical gap in public schools that have declining arts programs.” ~ EMILY HAVENS

Almost 10 years ago, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences partnered with AEG, an international presenter of sports and entertainment, to create The GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music. The opening of the 30,000-square-foot museum in L.A. coincided with the 50th anniversary of the GRAMMY Awards, the premier recognition of music accomplishments.

The roots of the American music celebrated annually at the GRAMMY Awards are planted deep in the fertile soil of Mississippi. It only seemed right that a spotlight be pointed on Mississippi’s musical legacy. Visionaries, including Allen Hammons of Greenwood, who helped establish the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, and Tricia Walker, a songwriter/musician and director of the Delta Music Institute at Delta State University, joined forces to form the Cleveland Music Foundation in 2011. Their first step towards a dream of having a GRAMMY Museum in Mississippi was to get permission from The Recording

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Academy to use the official GRAMMY brand. In less than five years, more than $12 million toward the $19.4 million project was raised by the state, the City of Cleveland and Bolivar County. The rest of the donations were given by private donors.

One of the board members of the Foundation was Emily Havens, an 18-year veteran of the Memphis-based Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America, where she served as field director. Pegged as the museum’s executive director, Emily transferred her passion for scouting to supervising the development of and coordinating the launch of the museum. Not only did Havens have the credentials for such a job, especially when it came to the all-important task of fundraising, she was also a Cleveland native. She already knew — and loved — the area.

“Did you know that eight percent of all GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winners are natives of Mississippi?” she asked enthusiastically. “More GRAMMY winners (per capita) are from Mississippi than the next five states combined!”

Havens came on board as the executive director of

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MUSIC LEFT: A museum visitor experiences the Mississippi Music Bar, which celebrates Mississippi's numerous contributions to America's musical legacy.

RIGHT: The lobby of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi welcomes guests to explore the history and significance of The Grammys throughout the museum's state-of-the-art facility.

the Museum in January 2015 and the museum opened in March 2016. She had to hit the ground running.

The museum’s designer was Washington, D.C.-based Gallagher and Associates, the same folks who designed the World War II Museum in New Orleans. The building’s architects were Jackson-based Dale Partners Architects in conjunction with Eley/Barkley of Cleveland.

A large, grand hall allows visitors to gather themselves before entering the museum. Along one wall are photos of the current GRAMMY winners that lead to the exhibit hall. Many of the exhibits are interactive, inviting visitors to learn to dance with a life-sized video screen, featuring artist Ne-Yo dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” on a lighted dance floor. Around the corner, there are three separate enclosed spaces that take visitors through steps of writing, producing and recording a song with artist Keb’ Mo’. Special exhibits rotate through the museum every five to six months. Currently, the museum features a special exhibit of John Lee Hooker that includes singing along with his immortal song “Boom” that became a favorite of fans of NCIS New Orleans as the song was used for the opening credits of the show.

The Mississippi Music Bar and Timeline Trail explores the state’s musical history and culture. In the center of the room is a wide, blue interactive table designed by Michael Buday to simulate the Mississippi River. Imagine a raised pool with a current going down the middle. Artists and their GRAMMY-award winning songs are featured, along with a timeline that visitors can touch to see who influenced a particular artist and what GRAMMY artists they, in turn, inspired. For example, step up to B.B. King and slip on the headphones by his picture. You’ll hear a few bars from “The Thrill is Gone,” and you will learn that King was influenced by Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. You will also learn that King had a huge musical impact on Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer.

In the Mono to Surround exhibit, visitors have an opportunity to hear how The Dave Matthews Band or Beyoncé’ would have sounded on a wax cylinder, the earliest recording device, as well as on a gramophone, vinyl record, cassette tape and today’s 5.1 surround sound, as well as on headphones. It is a very graphic depiction of how far the recording industry has come since its humble beginnings in the mid-1800s.

In addition to being a world-class museum, “the most technologically advanced museum in the South,” according to Havens, the GRAMMY Museum® serves as an important educational tool for children in Mississippi and nearby states.

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She estimates that 75 to 80 percent of what happens at the museum is educational. Since its opening, more than 8,500 students have come through the museum, most on school trips during the week.

“I realized early on with my work on the board that this wasn’t just about tourism. We are changing kids’ lives with music, arts and creativity,” Havens said. “We are filling a critical gap in public schools that have declining arts programs.

“We have so many great workshops for kids, so schools tend to plan their trips to the Museum around our workshops.”

The proximity to the Delta Music Institute has provided opportunities for students there to get hands-on experience through internships and volunteer efforts.

“The partnership between the DMI Entertainment Industry program at Delta State and GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi is such a beneficial one for our students,” said DMI director Tricia Walker. “The museum calls on our students for support in various areas, including audio tech support, social media and event management. Our students also support the museum’s educational programs by providing student instructors for songwriting and music production workshops. These kinds of real-world learning opportunities are invaluable to our students and offer a way to help build their professional resumes.”

The Museum also provides internship opportunities for students from DMI, Delta State and other institutions of higher learning around the country, offering select students an extended professional training in the fields related to the music industry.

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“We have actually hired two of our interns after they graduated,” said Havens, who expects that trend to continue. There are three enrollment periods for students to apply for internships each year.

“Having a global brand like GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi related to Delta State and the DMI program is very attractive to student prospects,” Walker said. “It’s all about educating future generations about the great legacy of Mississippi music and musicians and training the next generation of entertainment industry professionals in one of the most unique and authentic places in the United States.”

The Museum has been well-received and supported by citizens in Cleveland and around the state. There are many ways to support the Museum and its educational programs. Joining the Museum as a member is just one way to become engaged with the Museum and all it has to offer to the citizens of Mississippi.

“Cleveland is such a special place, and we are definitely providing a service for education, community events and in economic development. We feel we are helping Cleveland continue on an already successful path,” she said. “We have had 65,000 visitors since we opened in March 2016.

They’ve come from 29 countries and all 50 states. I am always delighted to see visitors’ responses and excitement of how Mississippi has had such an impact on American music today.”

STORY Susan Marquez PHOTOGRAPHY Rory Doyle

GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi highlights all the best from award-winning artists through the history of recorded music.

Here you’ll find fun, interactive displays for the entire family: record your own songs; learn dance moves; see clothing worn on the Red Carpet; view iconic instruments; and hear the songs that bring joy to your world. Legends of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes will open on March 2, so make plans to see items from the group that brought us favorites like “Stop! In the Name of Love.”

800 West Sunflower Road | Cleveland, Mississippi | 662.441.0100 | www.grammymuseumms.org

Spice up your kitchen - Bulldog style!

Bring Mississippi flavor into your kitchen with the special Mississippi State University limited edition of A Mississippi Palate – the coffee-table cookbook with 105 Mississippi heritage recipes by acclaimed chef Robert St. John and 66 beautiful watercolors by Wyatt Waters, with his home state as the subject.

This special edition features exclusive back cover art of one of the Bully statues in The Junction, with Davis Wade Stadium in the background. Each book is autographed by both chef and artist and accompanied by a signed and numbered print of the Bully statue.

MSU is an AA/EEO university.

Collectively, the chef and artist are commentators and chroniclers of Mississippi culture – one using a cast iron skillet, the other using a #42 da Vinci brush – both armed with a deep love for the beautiful state of Mississippi.

Order yours today at msufoundation.com/cookbook or call 662-325-7000.

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ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE RUNNELLS

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Mississippi is the Birthplace of America’s Music. (Must be true: It says so on our license plates.) Legendary artists created their own sounds and performed their first songs here.

To salute the significance of Mississippi music during our state’s bicentennial celebration, Mississippi Today readers compiled The Ultimate Mississippi Playlist.

All of the contenders – songs written and recorded by Mississippi artists, and songs by other performers that reflect the state in their lyrics – were selected by Mississippi music authorities, Mississippi Today and The ‘Sip magazine.

Our guest DJs include: • William Ferris is one of the country’s preeminent scholars on the American South and founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.

• Tricia Walker is an award-winning singer and writer whose songs have been recorded by Faith Hill, Patty Loveless and Alison Krauss. She

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has worked as a backing musician for Grand Ole Opry star Connie Smith, Paul Overstreet, Russ Taff and Shania Twain.

• Brad Franklin, a Jackson State University graduate, pioneered Southern hip-hop as part of Crooked Lettaz with David Banner. He also is founder and director of Jackson Independent Music Week.

• Scott Barretta, a writer/researcher for the Mississippi Blues Trail, hosts the Highway 61 music program on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. He is co-author of a curriculum for elementary school students based on the Mississippi Blues Trail and a producer for the documentary film Shake ‘em on Down about Mississippi Fred McDowell.

Listen to the complete playlist at thesipmag. com and mississippitoday.org. You may also visit Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Next Stop Mississippi podcast from the radio show dedicated to The Ultimate Mississippi Playlist at mpbonline.org/blogs/next-stop-mississippi.

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THIS PAGE: Mary Wilson, original member of The Supremes (Photo

by Alan Mercer).

OPPOSITE PAGE: The original Supremes, from left, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard (Photo courtesy of Motown)

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Mary Wilson hit the pinnacle of her life— besides giving birth to her children, she says—before she was 20 years old. But, as a founding member of the Supremes and a best-selling author and philanthropist by nature, she has not let society and pop culture define her glory days.

MARY WILSON

In fact, now at 73, she’s finally in her stride, making choices to do the things she enjoys doing because she wants to, not because she has to anymore.

Wilson and her two younger siblings were born in Greenville, and while her family moved to Detroit when Wilson was preschool-aged, Mississippi remained close to her heart.

“I was always back in Mississippi during the summer months,” she said. “We had loads of relatives — my grandparents and all — still down there, so we were always back to visit.”

In Detroit, the Wilson family lived in the Brewster-Douglass Project houses, where the life Mary could truly only dream about ironically began.

“Years later, I kept hearing, ‘You came from the ghetto; you were poor; you were this; you were that.’

People assume you were miserable, but we weren’t. We were happy,” Wilson said. “There were titles put on me because I’m black, because my parents were not professionals. My mother was a domestic worker. My father was a butcher. What these people don’t realize is that, just because you’re poor, that doesn’t mean you’re not happy. Just like just because you’re rich, it doesn’t mean you are happy. My family background and my upbringing was very strong. It was good.”

Inside the same project houses lived a young lady named Florence Ballard, a classmate Wilson had known since elementary school when the two performed in a school talent show.

When Ballard joined a newly formed female singing group called The Primettes, the sister group of Detroit’s male group The Primes, she knew she wanted Wilson to come on board with her. Wilson, in turn, helped recruited a neighbor, another young, unassuming teenager living in the project houses named Diana Ross.

The three, along with co-founder Betty McGlown, the first songstress asked to join The Primettes, started performing locally and gained a following. After much persistence, the group convinced Barry Gordy Jr., president of Motown Records, to sign them with the prerequisite that the group’s name must be changed.

On Jan. 15, 1961, a full year before Wilson would graduate high school, The Supremes were born. From 1964 to 1969, The Supremes recorded 12 No.1 hits and became international superstars.

“I was telling my son the other day about having passions and being able to live your life truly following your passion. He said, ‘But mama, you got yours so early.’ And I realize that. I feel very fortunate to have Z

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Soul Sisters LEFT: From left, are the founding members of The Supremes, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross.

RIGHT: From left, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard

had that experience. Being a Supreme was definitely the very best as far as career goals go,” Wilson said.

If it seems like the plot to a movie, that’s because it is. The 1980s Broadway hit “Dreamgirls” and the 2006 movie of the same name are loosely based on the achievements made by The Supremes. But, to Wilson, that was just the life that she was fortunate enough to live. And the blessings certainly didn’t end there.

“I believe in miracles, and my whole life has to do with that. I’ve had ups, and I’ve had some downs, but having my children — that’s when I really recognized what life is all about. That was the high point of my life. But, obviously, having been in The Supremes was one of those things where dreams really do come true,” she said.

Wilson has performed for U.S. presidents, royal families, politicians and worldwide dignitaries. She has written best-selling autobiographies about her life and has accepted numerous awards on behalf of The Supremes, including the Lifetime Achievement Award when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

It has been a glorious whirlwind for her and one in which she is now basking in the beauty of its afterglow.

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Wilson has spent much of her post-Supreme days traveling the world performing at charity functions.

“I just got back from the Ukraine. I was there for a charity ball for a rehabilitation center for disabled children. They flew a lot of dignitaries in from around the world. It was really like an 18th century ball that you read about, very exquisite. They all took part in a waltz with the symphony — some in wheelchairs. It was amazing,” she said.

“There’s another charity in New York I work with called Figure Skating in Harlem. These girls are taught about the power of education and leadership through ice skating by Olympic skaters. Usually I go once a year and head up their fundraiser,” Wilson said. “Aside from doing concerts, that’s sort of the benefit I get for being who I am now. You’re happy to give back. And now I get to choose the events and gigs that I want to do, not that I have to do. It’s part of your gift from God.” Through all her adventures, Wilson, who now resides in Las Vegas, hasn’t forgotten where home is.

She’s looking forward to traveling back to Mississippi when the Legends of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes exhibit opens at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland. The exhibit, on display March 3 through Sept. 3, begins at the start of The Supremes' career,

LEFT: Mary Wilson (Photo by Randee St. Nicholas) RIGHT: From left, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson.

when they were still known as the Primettes, to their signing with Motown. It takes visitors on a timeline tour of the height of their success — from setting a record for the most consecutive No. 1 hits by an American group in June 1965 to creating a legacy that still exists today through their music and “Supreme” style.

“I am coming to Cleveland, and I’m very happy about that on many levels. The gowns that will be there were Supreme gowns, and I have this exhibit that tours the world. It brings back memories for me,” she said.

“We were on the Ed Sullivan show and wore these absolutely gorgeous gowns. I think there will be an evening of celebration for the exhibit and the sharing of a lot of fond memories.”

But Wilson also has another reason for coming to Cleveland besides the exhibit. She’s hoping to make it a reunion of sorts with her long lost half-sister.

“Her name is Carrie Ann. We lost contact with her.

We’re told she lives there in Cleveland, and we don’t know if she goes by Johnson (mother’s name) or Wilson (our father’s name) or if she got married,” she said.

“My sister and I were thinking how wonderful it would be to see Carrie Ann while we were home in Mississippi. I just thought if we put the word out that

somebody would know somebody — you know how it is in the South! It would be absolutely beautiful if we could make it a true reunion and family affair. It’s sad that in this day and age with all this technology we haven’t been able to find her. I think the last contact we had with her was a letter my sister received back in the 1980s,” Wilson said.

That’s the thing about Mississippi. No matter how far you go, you’re never too far away from your roots.

“So many artists have come from Mississippi. The new thing in this generation is museums and really looking at how much different people have contributed to society and the arts. It’s not surprising for this museum to be in Mississippi,” Wilson said. “I’m very happy that people are giving accolades to the place that contributed to their success. I’m very pleased, but not so much surprised. I’m very proud that Mississippi has asked me to bring these gowns here. It’s my home state — it’s a full circle.”

STORY Elizabeth Grey PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Motown

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OXF O R D

Yoknapatawpha Arts Council YAC puts arts in the community

A YAC volunteer hangs work by artist Bradley Gordon inside the Powerhouse.

Paintbrushes meticulously place droplets of watercolor on paper, elementary school-aged kids twist and turn fingers to learn to knit, a musician belts out a note that’s been practiced all week and a writer scribbles notes in a journal.

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The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, headquartered at Powerhouse in Oxford, doesn’t discriminate.

Every artist is welcome, and all art forms are encouraged.

Behind the scenes, in a humble office shared with all of the full-time and part-time (five) YAC staffers, is Wayne Andrews’ cubicle.

Andrews began his role as YAC executive director about nine years ago. He and his wife weren’t in Oxford but knew the town well. Andrews is from the Northeast, but his wife is a native Mississippian and a University of Mississippi graduate, and both of their children were attending Ole Miss at the time. When a job opened in Oxford, they jumped on it.

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“We called some people we knew and applied,” Andrews said. “I don’t know if they thought I was the greatest fit, but I think it’s worked out well and I’m happy here. I think the board and the community are very happy with the efforts we’ve put in to make the arts council an exciting and vibrant community resource.”

YAC has grown to 670 members since it was established in 1975.

Andrews chuckles when anyone asks him, “What’s your favorite thing YAC does?”

It’s hard to choose, he says, because last year alone, YAC hosted 320 days of programs.

The full calendar includes such annual events as the

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Oxford Fiber Arts Festival, Miss-I-Sippin’ and Art-er Limits Fringe Festival. It also partners with other art groups to lead a monthly art crawl to museums and pit stops throughout the city.

YAC-organized programs seem unlimited. To name a few, there’s Small Hall Concert Series, Creative Art Classes, Art Vending Machine, Oxford Maker’s Market, creative art classes of all types and the OxFilm Society.

Over the last year, the City of Oxford has given YAC the chance to manage the Old Armory Pavilion, which will allow for an expansion to outdoor activities.

Andrews said art is one of the greatest ways to show the state’s progress because it breaks down stereotypes, gives voice to diversity and builds connections through stories.

“When you’re experiencing someone’s story — whether it’s through a song or a play or reading a book, it’s not a threatening experience,” Andrews said. “It builds understanding and helps you empathize. All of a sudden you start realizing, ‘Wow, this is fascinating,’ whether it’s an experience or a thought or a concept. It is a great way to make our state stand out.”

YAC is in a hotspot for culture in Northern Mississippi.

Oxford and Lafayette County make a creative place for all artistic outlets, Andrews said, because it’s home to a flagship university, renowned bookstore and a smorgasbord of restaurants.

“Oxford’s a very fortunate town that built a reputation out of giving a voice and opportunity to those creative things, and YAC is a nice strong, cohesive organization that focuses on promoting that,” he said.

“We didn’t discover these musicians. They’re talented and they’re already here,” Andrews said. “We didn’t discover these writers or painters. We’re just giving resources and organizing these things to help people come together and celebrate those skills.”

And the state’s people are taking notice. Cathead Vodka co-founders Richard Patrick and Austin Evans donate $1 of every bottle sold to YAC. They said they chose YAC because of Andrews’

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enthusiasm, how the council provides a marketplace for the local arts community and how the organization challenges their minds to connect with the creative side.

“We consider our distillery to be liquid folk art; therefore, it’s fundamentally important to rally around businesses and foundations that align with our efforts in the arts community,” Patrick said. “YAC supports and cares deeply about engaging in the local arts; therefore, they are vital to the local arts community.”

Square Books co-owner Richard Howorth was the mayor of Oxford when Andrews took over as YAC executive director. He said YAC is more active programmatically under Andrews’ direction.

“He is very open to ideas from other people, which has made the community much more responsive and active in the arts activity,” Howorth said.

“In such an environment, the arts generally become more mainstream, rather than being considered an outsider culture, which is limiting to artists and the community alike,” Howorth said. “Supporting an arts community and being involved in the arts simply makes life more interesting, more enjoyable and more worthwhile.”

YAC will be recognized as the recipient of the Arts in the Community Governor’s Arts Award, which will be presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission. Andrews said winning the award highlights the hard work put into the council, the support it’s received from its founders, artists and community and the consistency it has sustained over its 42 years. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

As the council is nearing its 50th anniversary, the organization is having conversations surrounding its vision for the future.

“I’m very excited to be the person that gets to accept the award, but I don’t think it’s work that I did,” Andrews said.

“It’s work that we’ve built year upon year upon year by having consistency.”

STORY Lana Ferguson PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Yoknapatawpha Arts Council

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Come experience a more vibrant beat!

Peterson’s

M-Sat 10-5 | 1400 Washington St., Vicksburg | 601-636-7210 www.petersonsaa.com

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Destination

Mississippi

what’s your next mississippi getaway?

Map a course to rich history, bright beaches, cool blues, soulful cuisine and warm welcomes. Our highways, byways and back roads invite you to explore all the hospitality state has to offer. And MDOT travel resources makes it easy. From traffic alerts and road conditions, to weather forecasts and more, MDOT gives you the travel information you need for your next adventure. You can access it all from our mobile app, your computer or by calling 511. Find out more at MDOTtraffic.com.

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AT LA N T I C C I T Y

Miss Mississippi

One contestant's journey to Miss America

Some may say it was her destiny.

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Her mother was a Miss Mississippi contestant, her father has been an avid pageant supporter for years, and she has had her own turns in the pageant world before — serving as a princess, winning the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen title in 2013 and being selected as first runner-up in last year’s state pageant.

Miss Mississippi Anne Elizabeth Buys is like everyone’s old friend.

Ever humble, she has a genuine personality that shines as big and as bright as her smile. Even with the pageant passion flowing through her blood, she by no means assumed this would be her year to win the state title.

Buys was competing as Miss Vicksburg in the state pageant in Vicksburg in July, and while incredibly proud to be representing her hometown, the odds were stacked against her. A Miss Vicksburg had not been named Miss Mississippi since Karen Hopson in 1981. Also a Vicksburg native, Hopson, too, had strong family ties to the pageant world.

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LIFESTYLE TOP LEFT: Miss Mississippi Anne Elizabeth Buys competes at Miss America.

BOTTOM LEFT: Anne Elizabeth Buys, Miss Mississippi 2017 TOP RIGHT : Buys rides in the historic shoe parade prior to competing in Miss America. MIDDLE RIGHT: Buys during the interview portion of Miss America. BOTTOM RIGHT: Buys walks across the Miss America stage.

“I tell people this a lot, but as the Top 10 were standing there on stage and the winners were being called, I just took a second to look out in the audience, and all I saw was familiar faces,” said the 21-year-old.

“It was such an amazing moment to see people who I call family. This community has had my back from the start and has been so supportive through every aspect.”

The support continued into the days and months following the pageant, particularly during the short nine weeks until she would represent the state in the Miss America Pageant. During that time, Buys spent her time balancing appearances around the state with daily preparation for Atlantic City and the national pageant.

“In the final weeks before Miss America, every minute is accounted for,” Buys said in late August, just days before leaving for New Jersey.

“I’ve been going to alterations for final fittings every other day, rehearsing my talent to ensure it’s the best it can be, working out every day to keep up my physical fitness. All of that mixed with watching the news, going to interviews, discussing the hot topics, a mixture of all of that throughout the day. Time-management skills have really been put to the test for sure.

“For me, the most challenging part of preparing for the national competition is handling both your appearances and prep work,” she said. “You want to be the best Miss Mississippi you can be and go to appearances, but at the same time you want to be sure you’re doing everything you can and making the most of your time getting ready before Miss America.”

Another challenging part of pageant preparation is the not-so-simple act of packing for three events every day for two weeks.

“It really tests your organization skills,” she said. “Knowing that you will be expected to wear three different outfits each day with your photo taken in each one, wardrobe is a complicated thing. You have to think about how to get all of this out there, and then when you leave the hotel each day, you don’t come back before the competition nights, so you have to know exactly what you need for the entire day.”

That is when support comes in handy, and Buys was fortunate enough to have a team behind her to help her stay organized, stay focused and stay humble.

From the moment she arrived in Atlantic City, the Mississippi delegation of family, friends and fans grew by the day, reaching more than 80 for the final night of competition. Waving signs, wearing T-shirts, buttons and cheering louder than even some of the larger states, the group was a force to be reckoned with and a constant reminder to Buys that Mississippi was behind her.

A servant’s heart has carried Buys through the process as a winner, and not just in the competitive sense. Each day, and especially while in Atlantic City, she made it a point to count her blessings and remember that she represents Mississippi in all aspects.

“The welcome ceremony was the second night we were there on the Atlantic City boardwalk,” she recalled after her return from Atlantic City.

“One by one, each contestant introduces herself and gets to sign on

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our state on a big map of the United States. That was the moment that was so surreal to me in the fact that I was the ambassador for Mississippi. It was incredible.”

From that moment on, Buys tried to savor every moment of the two weeks, knowing they’d pass fleetingly and, regardless of the outcome, this would all soon be a memory.

“Every experience there was so amazing to me. It went by so fast, but I really tried to step back and take in every moment to remember it,” she said. “Right before the first night of competition, I was on the stage, and they were singing the National Anthem. I remember standing there thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m about to be able to achieve what I’ve been working for for so very long. I’m about to compete in Miss America.’ It was so rewarding to be on that stage. It was more incredible than I could have ever dreamed.”

Although Buys did not bring home the Miss America crown, she said she would not have changed a thing about her experience.

“I have no regrets about any aspect or area of competition. I am a Christian, and I fully surrendered to God’s plan and God’s timing. I was at peace. I knew whatever happened was all in God’s plan. Of course, there’s a little disappointment, but it was more rewarding to know that it was God’s will,” she said.

Buys also walked away from the experience with some wonderful new friendships, a kinship shared among many of the competitors.

“Everyone told me before I went to really embrace the opportunity to get to know these girls and form friendships.

You don’t even know what it means to really embrace that until you’re actually there. We were constantly laughing, constantly having a great time; you never would have known we were competing against one another,” she said.

Three of the Top Five — including Miss North Dakota Cara Mund who took the Miss America crown — were in Buys’ competition group.

“I got to know them all so well, and I was so genuinely proud of them as they were announced,” she said. “My best friend there was Jennifer Davis, Miss Missouri, who actually was named first runner-up. We were attached at the hip the whole time for two weeks. We still keep in touch. We had the best time together.”

Buys said the judges absolutely made the right choice in naming Mund Miss America.

“She is an amazing young woman — so intelligent and so extremely accomplished. She will be a wonderful representative for our Miss America class,” she said.

When the live night of competition ended, Buys was ecstatic to be able to see all of her family and friends, whom she had seen only shortly during the week. The reunion was short, however, because the dreaded chore of packing up was still ahead.

“I had packed up most of my room earlier in the day, but going to Atlantic City we had to ship my wardrobe, so of

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course we had to pack it back up to ship it home,” she said.

“We had three trunks and five huge rolling suitcases that we had to get down to the lobby at 2 a.m. It was hectic.”

The next day, Buys was scheduled to fly home at 1 p.m., but Hurricane Maria was battering Florida and altering travel plans up and down the East Coast.

“We slept for about three hours before it was time to catch the bus to the airport in Philadelphia. Once on the plane they announced that we were not able to land in Atlanta due to all the air traffic and weather, so they diverted us to Knoxville, Tennessee,” she said. “When we finally landed in Knoxville, it was two and a half hours before we could get off the plane, and then we had to run through the pouring rain on the tarmac to get inside the airport.”

So eager to finally get home, Buys and her family rented a minivan and drove nearly eight hours back to Vicksburg in the rain.

“It was insane — my parents, my three over-6-foot-tall brothers and me all in a minivan. Honestly, looking back, I am so thankful for that. It was the first time in a long time that I was in a car with my family. It was an enclosed space, and there was nothing I could do but finally relax. We took it easy, and I slept. It was one of those stories we’ll always remember, I think,” she said.

These days, Buys is spending her time traveling across the state, speaking at events and promoting her platform, Water for Life.

“The appearances are nonstop, and I love it. I’ve been in a different town almost every day. I’m constantly on the road, but it’s great knowing I get to serve Mississippi and make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “From schools to Batson’s Children’s Hospital to nursing homes and community groups, it’s so humbling. I feel like my purpose is to bring a brighter day to people. I’m so excited for what the rest of this year holds.”

After her reign is over this summer, Buys will return to Starkville for her final year at Mississippi State University, where she’s studying to be a sports broadcaster.

It’s a career path that the pageant life has prepared her for in many ways — from the poise and professionalism to the public speaking and interview portions of the competition.

“I’ve never been one to be scared to voice my opinion.

I believe in individuality and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That’s the beautiful thing about living in America,” Buys said. “Of course, I hate that some things could offend people, but I try to never deliver things in a way that could be offensive. I really want to show love in all aspects of my life.”

And to those who meet her, that is exactly what she does through that big smile and even bigger heart.

STORY Elizabeth Grey PHOTOGRAPHY Susan McCarty for Miss Mississippi Corp.

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"I have no regrets about any aspect or area of the competition...I knew whatever happened was all God's plan and God's timing. Of course, there's a little disappointment, but it was more rewarding to know that it was God's will."

— Anne Elizabeth Buys, Miss Mississippi 2017

Crowning Moments Miss Mississippi contestants who have taken the crown — or come close...

Miss Americas:

Mary Ann Mobley (1959) Lynda Lee Mead (1960) Cheryl Prewitt (1980) Susan Akin (1986)

1st runners-up:

Katherine Wright (1949) Patricia Puckett (1966) Joan Myers (1968) Hannah Roberts (2016)

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PHOTO BY SUSAN MCCARTY FOR MISS MISSISSIPPI CORP.

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Covering the Queens: A Stint on the Boardwalk S T O R Y BY E L I Z A B E T H GR E Y

Winners wear white. I don’t know if there is any scientific proof of this, but it’s an old pageant adage with which I’m sure many Southern girls are familiar, right on up there with “bless her heart” and the Julia Sugarbaker monologue from “Designing Women” about the night the lights went out in Georgia.

Every summer during my childhood, I would pile up on the couch with my granny in our nightgowns when the Miss Mississippi or Miss America pageant was on television and watch with adoration as these beautiful young women owned the stage. It was mesmerizing. I loved the glitz and glamour of it. Don’t get me wrong.

I never wanted to actually compete in these pageants, but I loved watching it — every detail from the hair and makeup to the gorgeous gowns and show-stopping talent (with, of course, those rogue few performances that were show-stopping for the wrong reasons.)

And let me tell you, my granny could always pick the winner. Not only would she pick the winner, but she’d name the

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whole Top Five without much doubt. You could have bet money on her picks. I, sadly, did not seem to inherit this gift, but it hasn’t slowed down my love of pageant commentary just yet.

During my newspaper days, I was fortunate enough to reach the feature writing goldmine for a few years when I was asked to cover all things Miss Mississippi — this was a big deal in the pageant-hosting town of Vicksburg, trust me. I was in my element.

A few months ago, the opportunity arose for me to actually go to Atlantic City to cover the Miss America Pageant for this very magazine. Hello! Did I pack my white? You bet I did because this, friends, is known in my world as winning.

It was a quick trip, flying out of Jackson early on Saturday morning, connecting in Charlotte, then arriving in Philadelphia by early afternoon. I should say that this was in the midst of Hurricane Maria battering Florida, so air travel was a bit touch and go. Once in Philly, I hopped on a train that took me

into Atlantic City. Or at least that was the plan.

Once in Centre City, N.J., where I was to change trains for the final leg of the trip, the Amtrak ticket agent informed me that bridge construction had canceled the train route, so I would have to board the city bus for the last 45 minutes. This was not a huge problem until I walked outside to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling away.

I wasn’t the only one now in a quandary for an hour until the next bus arrived. Standing next to me was a fashionably dressed woman and her teenage daughter, looking concerned and talking to one another in undoubtedly Southern accents. My people.

We made small talk and I learned they were from Mississippi and we were all headed for the same place. So what do good Southern women do when stranded at a bus stop? They call Uber, of course.

We decided we would share a ride to Atlantic City.

We made fast friends during the ride,

through and talk with us.

I was soon face to face with Chris Harrison, Maria Menounos, Molly Sims, Jordin Sparks, not to mention beautiful previous reigning titleholders, including the reigning Miss America Savvy Shields, who was absolutely as sweet and charming in person as you would think.

I also was standing next to reporters and photographers from People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight. It was surreal.

Little old me from Mississippi was one of them.

After an hour on the red carpet, we were escorted back to the pressroom to take a break and prepare for the show.

We were given our cheat sheets with pageant facts and specifics along with

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GREY

and I learned that the mother actually went to the same high school I attended, and the daughter was one of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen local titleholders. It was a lovely 45 minutes, and then we caught the shuttle to the casino area, where we said goodbye and went our separate ways. We all had a parade to catch!

After a long day of traveling by plane, train, and automobile, I was finally in Atlantic City. I checked in quickly to my hotel and went to grab a spot on the Boardwalk to watch the Miss America Show Us Your Shoes Parade.

I settled in on a bar stool at the outside Bally’s Hotel bar in a prime location for the parade festivities. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect with blue skies and a nice, fall breeze. While waiting for the parade, wouldn’t you know I made friends again — this time with a couple from New Jersey whose daughter’s dance troupe was performing in the parade.

This couple had been coming to the parade for years (when it hadn’t been rained out, which is apparently the norm), and the husband picked his favorite based on her parade shoe of choice. This year’s picks based on shoes alone were Miss Texas, Miss Louisiana and our girl, Miss Mississippi. This man may just have a thing for the Southern ladies. Or shoes.

Or both, who knows? Regardless, it was a fun way to spend a few hours in the New Jersey sunshine.

On Sunday, Atlantic City was abuzz with the excitement of the live telecast that evening. I spent the day exploring the shops along the Boardwalk and getting settled in the pressroom inside Boardwalk Hall. I received all my credentials and tried to play it cool and professional while totally nerding out on the inside at the idea that I WAS AT THE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT. The afternoon passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was almost showtime.

All gussied up in my fancy yet functional pageant wear, I took a pedicab from my hotel to Boardwalk Hall. It was an easy walk, but I decided to rest my feet while I could, which was a good thing because I arrived just in time for the red carpet event.

This was, by far, one of the coolest experiences I have had in the journalism world. We all had our reserved spots on the red carpet and waited patiently for former Miss Americas, notable pageant officials and celebrity judges to walk

contestant bios to study while we waited.

The pressroom walls were covered with flat screen televisions for us to watch the live coverage with about a 10-second delay from the cheers and commotion you could hear right outside in the auditorium.

When the show started, after contestant and judge introductions, the first thing they do is announce the Top 10. This is crucial. It was silent in the pressroom as everyone was poised on their laptops and phones ready to get to work.

I held my breath, and when the last finalist was not Miss Mississippi, my heart sank. I knew everyone back home thought the world of Anne Elizabeth Buys, and I had just talked with her days before she left for Atlantic City. I knew how much this meant to her, and I was sad for a moment at the idea that the Miss America dream had not become a reality for her.

That sadness, however, did not linger.

I then thought about what a once-in-

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a-lifetime moment she was having up on that stage, proudly representing the state she loves so much. Even though the results were not ideal for her, she is one of the very few to join the Miss Mississippi sisterhood with her name and picture etched in history to be admired by future generations of young women dreaming the same.

And, selfishly, I then thought about the once-in-a-lifetime moment I was having there in that pressroom, proudly trying to capture all the details in my memory so that I could remember them and share them with you.

I stayed for a while, taking in the ambience and bustle of the Getty photographers and network reporters, all rushing to make deadline. I decided I would make my way back to the hotel to watch the crowning from the comfort of my hotel bed, but not before stopping for a chili cheeseburger and greasy fries from Johnny Rocket’s on the way.

It seemed like the perfect way to end my night in my fancy but functional pageant wear and heels that were by that point killing me. Surprisingly, I wasn’t alone. Quite a few others had stopped at Johnny Rocket’s in formal wear. I can only guess they were doing the same when the judges’ scores didn’t go their way, now drowning their sorrows in milkshakes.

Monday morning’s trip home came early, and after an Uber ride to the train station, a train to Philadelphia, a flight to Charlotte, then to Dallas, then back to Jackson — the flight out West thanks to Hurricane Maria — I made it home around 7 that night.

So maybe winners wear white, or maybe they wear black or red or gold or green. All I know is that I admired all the courage and dedication of every one of those young ladies on that stage, and they all looked poised and perfect. Any one of them would have made a great Miss America.

And I know it had to make my granny proud to know that I was able to finally experience the pageant hullabaloo up close and personal. She passed away almost two years ago, but don’t think I didn’t feel her presence right beside me in Atlantic City.

I probably would have had to tell her to hush a few times because her comments and critiques likely would not have been appreciated outside the comfort of her living room. Just thinking of that makes me smile.

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Malaco embraced and held on

A 24-by-22-foot image of Mississippi Fred McDowell looms large from the wall in the vaulted ceiling at the center of Malaco’s offices — a tribute to the blues singer whose music set a path that holds true today.

Known as “the Last Soul Company” (a title taken from music critic Peter Guralnick’s writing), Malaco has survived a tumultuous, fickle field by sticking to business rather than chasing hits and trends, and continuing to fuel a passionate niche.

A Mississippi Blues Trail marker greets at the gate of the studio founded on Northside Drive in Jackson in 1967, sharing the story of one of the foremost labels in Southern soul, blues and gospel music.

With the 1968 creation of Malaco Inc., as a touchstone, Malaco will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Details aren’t set, but goals include special vinyl releases, a coffee table photo book, a big gospel celebration concert and events throughout the year.

“While we’re celebrating the last 50, we’re still moving forward,” says Malaco president Tommy Couch Jr. Z

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Last Soul Company ABOVE: From left, Wolf Stephenson, Stewart Madison, Tommy Couch Sr., and Tommy Couch Jr., of Malaco Records.

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The legacy is intact.

“They took up the mantle for what we call deep soul at a time when a lot of the larger companies had abandoned it” in the mid-’70s, said blues music historian Scott Barretta. Sounds long identified with Stax and Hi ebbed, displaced on the charts by newer waves, including disco. But, “Not everyone stopped liking that kind of music” and Malaco kept the desire fed.

Scores of Grammy nominations line the walls, and movie posters signal soundtrack use of their songs.

The studio bears a reminder of the movie, “Get On Up,” filming a scene there.

Malaco’s struggles, successes and stories are part of its lore. The seeds for Malaco were set in college at Ole Miss, where fraternity brothers Tommy Couch Sr., and Wolf Stephenson booked bands for dances. Later in Jackson, Couch Sr., and brother-in-law Mitchell Malouf started Malaco Attractions. Stephenson joined them in concert promotion, and the recording studio followed

Music was the focus “and that’s about as pointed, I guess, as it was,” founder Couch Sr. said, but they recorded just about anything at the outset, including country music and lectures by University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Dr. Arthur Guyton. “‘Anesthesia Rounds,” said Stephenson, who became Malaco vice president, recalling an early title.

At some point, a favorite thread became a direction.

“The rhythm and blues, soul music — whatever the name du jour was at the time — was what we liked better and what we were probably more successful at,” said Couch Sr.

Prompted by another’s success with Delta blues, Stephenson suggested recording Fred McDowell. The McDowell sessions were released to Capitol Records, and his album was nominated for a Grammy, scoring Malaco a bit of national attention.

Jingles, concert promotions, band booking and studio rental were the studio’s mainstay, but in 1970, New Orleans producer-arranger Wardell Quezergue, who had artists and songs, needed a studio, musicians and funds to record, “and he would share the spoils with us,” Stephenson said. A week of recording music tracks and a marathon weekend of artists, who traveled up from New Orleans in a borrowed school bus, paid off.

Eventually Stax and Atlantic turned down their top picks on first listening, leaving the Malaco crew

dejected. Determined, they decided to put one out on a 45. See what happens.

“We picked King Floyd. … To show you how really sharp we were, the one we picked out for the A side was not the hit,” Couch Sr., recalled with a laugh.

Floyd took the record to his buddy, a top New Orleans soul disc jockey, who took it home. There, the B side stayed in constant rotation at his teen daughter’s slumber party. Monday morning, he called to predict, “Man, have you got a hit. This ‘Groove Me’ song is unbelievable!’”

“When he put it on the radio, it just exploded,” Stephenson said. Atlantic called and made a deal for distribution. They scrambled to finish an album to follow. Stax, recalling their initial pass, circled back to release Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff,” which also blasted off. Both were big hits, probably selling 2 million copies apiece, Couch Sr., said

“We thought it was going to be easy after that,” Stephenson said. “It was, for a minute.”

The Pointer Sisters from Atlantic, Rufus Thomas and others from Stax and, in 1973, Paul Simon (for “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon”) all recorded there for the Malaco touch.

The fire was lit, but it started dwindling about 1974 and lean times returned. Malouf left the company.

“Then we recorded Dorothy Moore’s ‘Misty Blue’ and sort of the same thing happened,” Couch Sr., said.

“We couldn’t get anybody interested in it.”

It was on the shelf for a year, with early disco the prevailing wind. The song was still their best shot. They got it mastered and pressed, but with “enough money to send it out with first-class postage and that was about it,” Stephenson said, little promotion. But they got it on the radio in Jackson and a bunch of small stations and it took off. TK Productions of Miami handled distribution.

“Misty Blue” was an R&B and pop hit, selling 2 million or more singles and earning a Grammy nomination. Moore earned another for “I Believe You.” Fern Kinney’s mid-tempo “Together We Are Beautiful” hit big in England, then other countries in Europe. A disco remake of “Groove Me” hit big, too.

Writer/producer Frederick Knight brought Anita Ward to Malaco in 1979 to record. “There was one song Z

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"Like everything, we kind of took a step back and realized where we were at the time, and embraced it." ~TOMMY COUCH JR.

on there, we thought was a cute song. Everybody else eventually thought that was a have-to-have song, and that was ‘Ring My Bell,’” a huge hit, Stephenson said.

Stewart Madison joined the company in 1979 as director of business affairs, while Couch and Stephenson focused on the creative end.

Pioneering African-American promoter Dave Clark, well-respected in black radio circles, was hired in 1980, and was instrumental in getting Z.Z. Hill and more to Malaco. “He just fit what we were doing at the time,” Couch Sr., said of their blues/soul stamp.

Records and radio were crucial for artists to boost appearances and fees that were their livelihood, and as the mainstream moved in other directions, Malaco continued to feed fans’ appetites for artists who were already established when they arrived.

Z.Z. Hill’s “Down Home Blues” broke the mold on blues’ “brown-paper-bag/under-the-seat” reputation at the time, Couch Sr., said.

It signaled recognition of a market for old-style blues and soul music, which had become a subgenre of R&B with Malaco the leader in the field, Barretta said.

Artists Hill (until his 1984 death), Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Little Milton Campbell, Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Blue Bland, Shirley Brown and Tyrone Davis, key songwriters and the house band’s soulful grooves cemented Malaco’s niche and dominance in Southern R&B, blues and soul.

“We had our hands full, producing all these soul and R&B artists, up through the ’90s,” Couch Sr., said.

“At the same time, since 1975, we were up to ears in gospel music,” Stephenson added. “Just like Dave Clark had done with the blues artists and soul artists, (Jackson Southernaires’ and Malaco gospel director) Frank Williams had the same effect on the black gospel artists. Almost all of them came because of him.”

Williams also founded the Mississippi Mass Choir.

That’s the other piece of the “Last Soul Company” title, said Couch Jr., who joined the company in 1992.

“Malaco wasn’t trying to be anything else. It was just concentrating on what it did really well.”

Couch Sr., has an explanation: “We were one of the last companies that made black music for black people.

And, if it spilled over or crossed over, it kind of did it on its own.”

Malaco’s challenges since mirror those across the music industry. “People really don’t buy records anymore,” Couch Jr. said. Counterfeiters and bootleggers were the problem in the 1990s, then illegal digital downloading as technology changed.

“Like everything, we kind of took a step back and realized where we were at the time, and embraced it,” Couch Jr., said. Now, they’re direct with digital outlets across the country and in other parts of the world.

Acquisitions were good moves, too, for Malaco, including part of Select-O-Hits, Savoy Records (placing Malaco with the world’s biggest gospel catalog, Couch Jr., said), Atlanta International and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and publishing.

When an April 2011 tornado destroyed most of Malaco’s offices and studio, “44 years worth of experiences were gone in 44 seconds,” Stephenson said.

About 20 people on the property escaped injury.

Thanks to a tape vault built, “in our infinite wisdom,” to withstand a tornado, so did the masters.

It brought an opportunity to lay things out and get ready for the coming decades. Best thing? Great insurance. They rebuilt.

“As a lot of people say, especially in the last five years, content is king,” Couch Sr., said. “We luckily have a whole lot of content here, both publishing and masters.”

And, as licensing for commercials and TV or movie use, that’s, as Stephenson said, “forever valuable.”

Couch Jr., glanced across the table at Couch Sr. and Stephenson. “Just the fact that these guys were talented enough to make great records and smart enough to understand the business and to keep the important things important, is really why we’re still here, and actually thriving.

“We’ve become pretty good at embracing changes, and been pretty blessed along the way, too.”

STORY Sherry Lucas PHOTOGRAPHY Ron Blaylock

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David Keary

Performing arts leader keeps state on its toes

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Dance of the Mirlitons from “The Nutcracker” frosts the ballet studio with a confectionery Christmas feel.

A half-dozen plucky 12- to 14-year-olds, up en pointe, fluidly sliding to and fro, move with a light, lithe grace that’ll only get more precise, more seemingly effortless with time and polish.

David Keary, Ballet Mississippi artistic director, barely takes his eyes off their steps as he edges to the side.

“These dancers are percolating on a certain level that’s really rewarding,” he says, all smiles and admiration. “They’re like little birds.”

In this arts nest in downtown Jackson, Ballet Mississippi’s young dancers learn the hard work and beauty of ballet. Keary, who at 59 has spent more than 50 years in dance as student, performer, teacher and leader, continues to look for ways to tweak instruction, highlight creativity and give his hometown audience the best dance possible.

Keary, to be honored for Leadership in Performing Arts, is among the five recipients of Mississippi Arts Commission’s 2018 Governor’s Arts Awards, recognizing significant artistic contributions and excellence in Mississippi and by Mississippians.

Keary’s own dance start came at age 7 with tap, ballet and jazz lessons with the late Jean Shamburger. He was 12 when Jackson Ballet brought in celebrated danseur Edward Villella and ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, then 15, for a show.

“We were just blown away because he was phenomenal, and here was this 15-year-old (Kirkland) out there, just killing it...I looked at my dad and said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

In late 1960s/early 1970s Mississippi, “You just didn’t study ballet if you were a guy...and if you did, you’d better be able to learn how to fight or take the heat,” Keary says. But he had his dad’s support and a well-rounded childhood with hunting, fishing, football games and sports, too. When he

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joined Jackson Ballet in 8th grade as its first male dancer, it made local headlines and word was out. The hard time from friends “wasn’t bad.”

He studied with Albia Kavan Cooper at Jackson Ballet.

Her history with George Balanchine’s first company and with choreographer Jerome Robbins became part of the ballet lore the young teen was learning.

A summer scholarship offer to the School of American Ballet got his parents’ OK “after a lot of convincing,” and he recalls his New York City arrival “like right out of those Gene Kelly movies.” That set a summer pattern throughout high school.

Back at Jackson Ballet, a different approach by Thalia Mara, “so much a classicist,” complemented his training — “absolutely part of the big package of what you have to train dancers to do.”

Keary returned to New York in 1978 to stay, and by 1979 was an apprentice with the New York City Ballet for a year, and a company member for the next five years.

“I loved it...just an exhilarating experience.”

On leave from NYCB in 1985, he danced as a principal with Forth Worth Ballet, forging through about a dozen works in a couple of years — ballets he’d never have gotten to do at NYCB. At 29, reluctant to return to New York’s grind with his dancing years closing in, Keary detoured home to Mississippi to finish his education.

Keary finished at Millsaps College and then Mississippi College School of Law and taught ballet wherever he could.

He clerked for Mississippi State Supreme Court Justice James W. Smith.

Ballet Mississippi (formerly Jackson Ballet), meanwhile, had been struggling financially for years. Voted onto its board of directors in 1994, Keary soon became its president and keenly felt the frustration when even a Save the Ballet campaign couldn’t rescue it.

“The money was just not there to continue,” he said, and

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LEFT: David Keary, artistic director of Ballet Mississippi, poses at the ballet studio in Jackson, Miss.

RIGHT: Keary teaches Ballet Mississippi students.

the company folded. Only the school remained. “We had no money and a bunch of creditors and about a $150,000 deficit.”

Loan conditions with the Ballet Mississippi Foundation put Keary at the school’s helm with a businesslike approach and a new board of directors. Support from Foundation leaders Warren Ludlam and Bill Barron was critical in the transition and the school’s redevelopment, Keary said.

He started the year back with 25 kids, which then grew to 40 and a few more in the summer. Somebody suggested a “Nutcracker.” Keary didn’t think he had the numbers. Fall of 1995, registration leaped to 85, “and it wasn’t all creative movement pre-ballet. These were, like, full-bodied kids.

“We started the ‘Nutcracker’ that year, and that’s what got us rejuvenated.”

It’s still an annual Christmas treat and tradition, more than 20 years later. The Ballet Mississippi school has about 250 students now, and a season that includes, too, a Spring Gala and a fall First Moves event. He hopes to develop a fall season.

Keary has served on the faculty of International Dance School of the USA International Ballet Competition since 1998. His other artistic outlet: playing guitar in the gypsy jazz combo Swing de Paris.

Keary recreated Ballet Mississippi’s curriculum this year, with more demanding classes for younger students, based on training from the successful Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

The focus is less on performance than training dancers on a higher level, so they can compete and hold their own, he said.

As for the Governor’s Arts Award, he’s “beyond grateful and still stunned.” As a pioneer male dancer in Jackson, and among the city’s first dancing pros, with Kathy Thibodeaux (who went on to found Ballet Magnificat!), “there’s just no greater honor,” he said.

Back in the studio, he gives the girls homework, direction, reassurance. “Listen to the music. It’s not as fast as you think it is.” Then he lauds their go-for-it gusto.

The dancers, catching their breath after class, praise his professionalism. Kimberly Blount, 14, of Ridgeland admits she was a bit intimidated at first. “He was very serious. In the end, he helped us a lot. He helped us grow.”

As Eden Wilson, 13, of Ridgeland said, “All the hard stuff — he makes it fun.”

STORY Sherry Lucas PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis

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artistic EMBRACE Longtime arts advocate is crucial component to Mississippi's creative circle

This page: V.A. Patterson at her home in Jackson, Miss.

Opposite page, top and bottom : Original works by Jackson artists and authors fill Patterson's home.

Opposite page middle: A photograph of Patterson marching at the Mal's St. Paddy's Day parade in Jackson.

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The arts encircle V.A. Patterson’s neck, fill her shelves, adorn her walls and crowd her calendar.

It’s a warm, all-encompassing embrace, from her necklace of pine needles, raffia and beadwork by Andrea Thompson to the exuberant little Roz Roy painting propped on her end table. It’s an embrace Patterson loves to share.

Virginia Alice Bookhart Patterson is the daughter of longtime women’s editor of The Clarion-Ledger, Mary Alice Bookhart, and she was raised on the sort of arts events that would later claim her devotion.

V.A. — her name was shortened at college — is the first to tell you: “I’m not an artist.”

Instead, she is that quintessential component that completes the creative circle: The viewer. The listener. The cheerleader.

The promoter. The facilitator. And the leader.

“I love all the arts,” she said of a passion that’s channeled professional and volunteer pursuits. “I just enjoy going to as many and as much as I can.”

Patterson will be recognized as a Community Arts Leader at the 30th annual Mississippi Arts Commission’s Governor’s Arts Awards, 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Old Capitol Museum.

Patterson chuckled when she recalled her earliest arts memory, with proof in a snapshot of her in costume, tap dancing. “I was probably 5 years old,” she said, fondly recalling kindergarten art projects, too.

In piano lessons as a child, “I really did not do too well with practicing.” The appreciation end, though? She soaked it up.

Her mother covered many of the performing artists who came to Jackson, and she’d go along to the concerts and sometimes, rehearsals. Like her mother, she leaned more toward reporting in high school, but appeared in a play at Central High her junior year, “The Curious Savage.”

After graduation from Millsaps College, she worked in special collections at Tulane University, researched 19th century cabinetmakers at the University of Texas Library, then worked at two historic house museums in New Orleans.

At the behest of then-Old Capitol Museum director Patti Carr Black, in 1980 she became the first curator at the Manship House, the restored home of Civil War mayor of Jackson and artisan Charles Henry Manship.

“I’m forever grateful to Patti Carr Black for hiring me, because it brought me back home,” she said of setting up the house as an accredited museum. “You just know when a job is the right thing.”

She told of the time travel writers came through on tour, and she mentioned plans to create a seasonal display for the house — mosquito netting and slipcovers. A writer from House Beautiful followed up, wanting to cover that story, but had yet to happen.

So the magazine made it happen, paying to have slipcovers made, lace curtains for windows and more. Z

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Left: V.A. Patterson at her home in Jackson, Miss.

Right : A young Patterson in a dance costume

“It was awesome … because it would have been a really long time before we could have done that,” Patterson said.

Fond memories also wrap in her work with students for Christmas by Candlelight tours, and with mezzo-soprano Lester Senter Wilson on a series of Sunday arts programs at the Manship House.

Patterson’s community arts focus went on to include roles at the Historic Natchez Foundation and USA International Ballet Competition, and executive director positions at the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi and at VSA Mississippi, the state organization on arts and disability.

At the Craftsmen’s Guild, members and their crafts wove their way into her life, and the annual Chimneyville Crafts Festival remains dear.

“There’s all this hard work that goes into it … and you know when people walk in that door they are going to be so wowed by what they see,” she said, “and it’s such good work to be wowed by — that just is a big, big, big thrill.”

VSA Mississippi, her first opportunity to work with people with disabilities, opened a whole new world. Seeing people find new or renewed social outlets, confidence, focus and avenues of expression touched her deeply. There, she expanded a program of in-school artist residencies in inclusive classrooms around the state.

With previous director Leslie Roark Scott, Patterson started the Community Art Group program of art classes for adults with disabilities. Participants explored their creative potential in a supportive setting and were encouraged to share their art with peers, family and community. It spurred some to artistic careers.

Meeting Patterson was “divine order,” said Jackson artist Roz Roy.

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"You just know when a job is the right thing."

V.A. Patterso�

Patterson urged Roy, then focusing on digital print design, to start painting, saying, “I guarantee you’ll start selling.”

When Roy joined VSA Mississippi workshops, “I was ever so blessed. They really pushed me hard,” connecting her with opportunities and more.

“She was more than an executive director,” Roy said. “She was like a mother, like a friend. She loves the art. She saw my gift, saw my talent and wanted to make sure if I ever left the program, I’d go on. … She would go the extra mile.”

Now 79 and retired, Patterson’s volunteer activities include: The Oaks House Museum board of directors; Scott Ford Houses board of directors and research committee chair; Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi archivist; the Mississippi Book Festival; and Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services Celebration of the Arts consultant.

A cardboard cutout of Elvis Presley in gold lamé anchors a corner of her foyer, sporting a Mississippi Book Festival lanyard and Mardi Gras beads — a cultural nod akin to Patterson’s own approach, equally at home with the literary set and Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade.

Her longtime association with the parade’s marching Krewe of Kazoo finds her in downtown Jackson each March, in a jaunty costume with cohorts raising hot pink umbrellas in yet another spirited creativity/community combo.

“It is probably the only time I can make a fool of myself on Capitol Street, and my daughter isn’t embarrassed about it, and my mother would probably have thought it was OK, too!”

STORY Sherry Lucas PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis

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Joe Overstreet

Artist’s work puts civil rights front and center

“Mississippi is a beautiful place — the trees, the moss, the red clay; there are lovely butterflies, snakes. The landscape gave me a lot to look at, to paint. My work became more and more about nature, and less about figuration,” ~ JOE OVERSTREET, from The Hearing Eye: Jazz & Blues Influences in African American Visual Art ~

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Situated between Jackson and Meridian is a little town of about 1,000 residents called Conehatta.

In 1933, it became the home of Joseph Overstreet, whose artwork would one day tell a powerful story that made its way around the world.

“When we moved to Meridian, I went to a Catholic school where a teacher would discipline me by using a small ruler to beat my hands,” Overstreet said. “I started drawing all the time as a way to defend against this, so drawing became a habit.”

As time went on, Overstreet cultivated that natural talent that developed from such humble beginnings. In February, the Mississippi Arts Commission will recognize Overstreet with the Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Art after a lifetime of designing pieces that offer a creative glimpse into his AfricanAmerican and Native-American heritage.

Growing up, Overstreet and his family moved five times by the time he was a teenager, finally landing in Berkeley, Calif.

After working for a time as an animator for Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles, Overstreet began his professional studies at the California School of Fine Arts, where he met several black artists who would prove to be great influences to his artwork throughout his life.

In the late 1950s, Overstreet gave in to his attraction to New York painting, so he made his way to the city and set up a studio, while designing storefront window displays. It was there that Overstreet began making a real statement with his artwork, and during the next decade, he went on to create The New Jemima — a canvas box displaying the famed black female face of pancake mix, but with a twist. In this portrayal, the traditionally submissive Aunt Jemima is wielding a machine gun as opposed to a kitchen spoon.

“In my painting, I think it is also easy for people to understand the rage, political consciousness, even the irony of the subject. ‘Mammy’ was one of the favorite stereotypes created by whites to control African Americans. Black folks were disgusted with these old, tired and exasperating ideas.

In the new world of intergalactic space travel, New Jemima

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decided to take a stand,” Overstreet said in an interview with London’s Tate Modern. “So my painting reveals the New Jemima who chose a machine gun as her stove, or her kitchen equipment. She is shooting rapid fire pancakes.”

“My New Jemima painting still sparks conversation today because the painting continues to travel exhibitions in new places,” Overstreet said.

A portion of Overstreet’s nomination for the Governor’s Award reads: “The significance of this piece as a national icon of the Civil Rights Movement cannot be underestimated — and it was created by an artist from Mississippi.”

Other famed Overstreet social pieces include Strange Fruit, an oil canvas painting he created in response to horrendous lynchings, as well as Billie Holiday’s song about the topic.

“I felt the most ridiculous anger I’ve ever felt, seeing this innocent kid they had maimed and disfigured and the neck was stretched. That photograph and the Billie Holiday song was probably what brought the painting together for me,” Overstreet said in an interview with Kenkeleba House of New York.

In 1963, Overstreet painted Birmingham Bombing after four young girls were killed in Birmingham, Ala., by Ku Klux Klan members who bombed 16th Street Baptist Church.

“Joe Overstreet probably could not have done the kind of work he was doing during the Civil Rights era had he stayed in Mississippi,” said Jochen Wierich, curator at the Mississippi Museum of Art, who nominated Overstreet for the Governor’s Award. “In other words, he is a Mississippian who had to leave the state to really find his calling. But, by doing so, he has been a messenger for Mississippi in the world. His work is now exhibited not only in the United States but across the world.”

Wierich was introduced to Overstreet’s work while doing research for the Mississippi Museum of Art’s bicentennial exhibition Picturing Mississippi, 1817-2017: Land of Plenty, Pain, and Promise.

“I was amazed when I learned that this artist, who was born in Mississippi, played such an important part in making

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“Even today in New York City, my screen paintings are absolutely based upon the porch around my grandmother’s house in Conehatta.” ~ JOE OVERSTREET ~

civil rights a subject in art,” Wierich said. “I think that there are very few artists from Mississippi who have such a long and distinguished career and who are still virtually unknown in this state. Black people simply did not see a future for themselves here. He carved out a fabulous career for himself.”

Though Overstreet has lived in cities that laud themselves cultural epicenters of the world, he still credits the land of his birth for the heavy impression it left on his works.

“Even today in New York City, my screen paintings are absolutely based upon the porch around my grandmother’s house in Conehatta,” Overstreet said. “I think living there in the wilderness helped me to develop a clear sense of color and from my upbringing and early experiences, I have an appreciation of the land and the natural world.”

Today, Overstreet lives in New York City with his wife, Corrine, operating a gallery designed to exhibit young, up-and-coming artists.

“Mississippi is a beautiful place — the trees, the moss, the red clay; there are lovely butterflies, snakes.

The landscape gave me a lot to look at, to paint. My work became more and more about nature, and less about figuration,” Overstreet said of his home state in The Hearing Eye: Jazz & Blues Influences in African American Visual Art.

STORY Mary Margaret Halford ARTWORK Joe Overstreet

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N persimmon TREE: (Diospyros virginia)

The Mississippi persimmon grows wild and produces a bitter and astringent fruit that becomes sweet once it matures.

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persimmon trees around a home. Male and female trees are needed to ensure successful pollination.

Before it ripens, the fruit is bitter — imagine taking a bite of Orajel toothache cream! But, when persimmons are ripe — typically after the first frost — there’s not a sweeter fruit to be found. I grew up eating persimmons while hunting and exploring the woods in the fall. I’ve used them to make jams, persimmon porter beer and a tasty fermented melomel using fresh honey.

g by nathan beane

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMIE RUNNELLS

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The persimmon is a tree common to the Southeast, and especially Mississippi.

Unlike most other species of producing trees, the persimmon must have a male and a female to make the tasty fruit, and the female doesn’t produce until it’s 5 to 8 years old.

Folklore suggests persimmon fruits — once they’re soft to the touch and the seed is sliced long-ways — can help predict the coming winter. A spoon- or snow shovel-shaped embryo means a lot of snow is on the way; one shaped like a fork (good eating) indicates a mild winter; and a knife-shaped embryo tells us to look for a cold and icy winter, the knife representing chilling, cutting winds.

During the Civil War, the Confederacy is noted to have used the large seeds of the common persimmon as replacement buttons.

Soldiers also roasted the seeds and ground them for use as a coffee substitute. The dense wood is hard and shock-resistant, which led people to use it for driver golf clubs and gunstocks, mallets and the like.

Persimmons grow wild and are easy to identify with their dark, blocky bark on mature trees and fuzzy young twigs and buds.

A unique characteristic of this species is that it has male and female flowers on separate trees. That means a male tree will never produce fruit, while a female tree will produce fruits when it reaches maturity. This variation in individual trees is termed ‘dioecious’ and is worth consideration if one wishes to plant

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMIE RUNNELLS

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HOMEGROWN

w HIP HOP TAKES ROOT IN MISSISSIPPI

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From the southernmost point of the Mississippi Gulf Coast all the way north to Memphis, nearly 200 dark blue markers commemorate the Mississippi Blues Trail and a history that has led to the Magnolia State being called “the birthplace of America’s music.”

The influence of the blues, however, isn’t limited to the B.B. Kings and John Lee Hookers. Its impact has echoed throughout other genres — including hip-hop.

“People who were pioneers of their field, those people were born and bred right here in Mississippi,” said Brad “Kamikaze” Franklin, a lifelong Jackson resident who, along with David Banner, was a member of the state’s first famed hip-hop duo, Crooked Lettaz. “Hip-hop is born from the blues. It’s the biggest selling form of music in the world now. It’s the voice of the younger generation, revolutionary generation.

You have to invite us to the table when you’re talking about music — about history.”

When Franklin was a kid, before hip-hop made its way to Mississippi, one of his good friends spent a summer up North. He came back with a souvenir for Franklin — a mix tape from a New York City rap radio station.

“It just blew my mind; I wore that tape out,” Franklin said. “I hadn't been exposed to the other hip-hop music — what wasn’t getting played yet on the radio down here.”

Franklin, like most in Jackson, had just gotten access to cable TV shows that played music videos. He caught the bug.

“When I got into it, there weren’t a lot of people around Jackson doing it,” Franklin said. “It was still a fad at the time, not really popular. I was really one of the first generations of guys to seriously pursue hip-hop.”

Fast forward to December 1995. Franklin had connected with David Banner, and, realizing they meshed well and challenged each other lyrically, the two decided to record a few songs.

“There wasn’t a representation in the world for Mississippi hip-hop. We needed to tell our story,” Franklin said, “(Banner) said, ‘Let's call ourselves Crooked Lettaz, paying homage to Mississippi.’ So we formed a group.”

So, on an icy December day, Franklin and Banner slowly and carefully made their way to a man’s home studio to record their first album. A year later, they signed a major record deal.

“The rest, as they say, is history,” Franklin said. “It was a critically acclaimed album. People are still saying it’s one of the best to come out of the South. We were a guinea pig for a New York label. They didn’t know what to do with Southern artists. We were setting the blueprint.” #

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After a few years together, the two went their separate ways for successful solo careers. Earlier this year, Banner released his new album “The God Box,” his first in seven years, which highlights the experience of being a black man in America.

“It’s more than an album. It’s an art exhibit,” Banner said of his new release.

“It’s sort of like a secret. It’s something that people are going to have to come to their own conclusions on.

Everyone will get something different out of the album, and I’ll let the listener decide what that is.”

“Technically, I'm not the first Mississippi rapper, but I'm grateful to help change the way people feel about our people in general,” Banner said. “Our people are some of the greatest leaders, sports figures and business moguls.”

And, as time has gone on, the list of famous Mississippi-bred hip-hop artists has grown to include such acclaimed rap artists as Afroman, Rick Ross and Nate Dogg.

Just three miles from the house where Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, two brothers named Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee grew up in the Ida Street housing project, a crime-ridden area. As children, the brothers found solace in listening to hip-hop music and later taught themselves to DJ, make beats and even record songs.

Today, the brothers are known all over the country as Rae Sremmurd, a rap duo that’s been featured at the BET Hip Hop Awards and on The Tonight Show, as well as carved themselves spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Top 40 lists more than once.

Another Mississippian taking the hip-hop scene by storm is Meridian’s Big K.R.I.T, named Justin Scott at birth. His most recent album, “4Eva Is a Mighty Long Time,” was released in October and was met with wide critical acclaim.

“Hopefully, it encourages people to want to see where it is I’m from,” Scott told The Commercial Appeal. “Or at least take more notice, and not be caught up in what Hollywood or movies paint the place as. There’s a lot of soul. There’s a lot of beautiful heritage, there’s a lot of good things where I’m from — and not just in Mississippi, but in Alabama and Arkansas, too. It’s me wanting to put that in the music and the lyrics — telling a story about a place that's not a vacation destination for most people.” #

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CULTURE IN THE WORLD " — Brad Franklin —

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"there's a really bright future, A lot of people are making a lot of noise in THE NEW L ANDSCAPE OF HIP-HOP.Ë?

- Brad franklin -

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Left : Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin, a pioneer of Mississippi hip-hop Right : Ron Carbo, producer, engineer and owner of Soulkitchen Studio in Jackson, has been recording albums for Mississippi hip-hop artists for 26 years.

While Big K.R.I.T, Rae Sremmurd and others make a name for Mississippi rap artists outside of state lines, others are doing what they can to promote the industry within the state lines.

“I have complete faith that the scene (in Jackson) is well on its way to becoming a very much streamlined industry with the current uptrend of our local artists and businesses,” said Shanel Jones, CEO of Jackson Hip-Hop Scene and founding partner of the Jackson Hip-Hop Awards. “Yes, it (the scene) is strong, but not strong enough. But that’s changing each day because of people that are making these moves and remaining in the city because they are really making it big here in the city limits.”

With the growth and expanded reach that Mississippi hip-hop has achieved on a national scale since the early days of Crooked Lettaz, however, some still appreciate the roots of the music.

“Our music has twinges of gospel, blues, country,

bluegrass, even some island flavors in it. Mississippi is a melting pot,” Franklin said.

“The Clarion-Ledger called Mississippi ‘little Africa of America’ because Africa is the cradle of civilization.

Mississippi is the cradle of music culture in the world. We are able to draw from so many things that make our music unique. We’re right in the middle of Louisiana, Atlanta and Memphis; we’ve got all that in this area right here.”

Franklin remains optimistic that Mississippi isn’t finished influencing the world of hip-hop.

“There’s a really bright future, a lot of people are making a lot of noise in the new landscape of hip-hop,” Franklin said. “People don’t need to underestimate or sleep on what we’re doing. We’ll be a major player.”

STORY Mary Margaret Halford PHOTOGRAPHY Ron Blaylock

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A collection of essays that explore the current state of the history of art in Mississippi Compiled by Mississippi Museum of Art

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A treasure trove of photographs of musicians in the cradle of the blues Panny Flautt Mayfield

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SMALL TOWN 'SIP

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A Whole Latte Nothing

BY A L E X E V A N B E U R E N

bread, extra mayo, to go.

My favorite was the academic conference attendee who came for breakfast two years ago. I’ll never forget him.

He asked me if we had alternatives to coffee. This is a question I receive all the time, and the answer is — we do. Hot tea, choice of organically sourced loose-leaf Darjeeling, Earl Gray, green tea or the caffeine-free rooibos. He interrupted me half-way through my tea spiel.

“No, I’m not interested in hot tea,” he said. “And I can’t drink coffee. I can only drink lattes. Do you have lattes?”

I kept my best polite shop-keep smile in place, but I’m pretty sure my eyes widened. The definition of a latte is coffee (generally espresso) with hot milk. Coffeemilk. Literally.

What I wanted to say in response to the gentleman in front of me was, “That’s not a thing. You can prefer lattes to coffee, but you can’t say you “can’t drink” coffee and you can have only lattes.

I can accommodate vegans and glutenfree and nut allergies and vegetarians and pescatarians and herbal tea people, but this time I stand my ground. I cannot do no-coffee lattes-only people. Because it’s ridiculous.”

But my poker face held. I said: “Why, no, sir, I’m sorry.”

“Does anywhere in town serve lattes?”

To this, I wished to respond, “Sir, we are in a rural town in Mississippi where the Internet does not reliably work. The answer is a resounding no.”

But I just said cheerfully, “maybe the

Sprint Mart? They have one of those cappuccino machines.”

And I watched him shake his head and turn away, disappointed in my small town, in a place where he can order sourdough toast and the best grits you’ll ever put in your mouth and yes, plain, freshly brewed, French-market coffee in a diner mug.

I see this a lot: people so set on the one thing that they miss the truly astounding right in front of their noses.

Of course, Water Valley is changing fast. Two places now sell latte and lavender-flavored gluten-free doughnuts.

So maybe the no-coffee, latte-only academic should come back. Just, please, don’t bring any friends. Unless they drink coffee as well as lattes. Because that is actually a thing.

Alexe van Beuren grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

She moved to Water Valley, Miss., in 2006 with husband Kagan Coughlin of Vermont. They have two Mississippi-born children, Annaliese and Caspian. In 2010, Alexe opened the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery, which has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, Garden & Gun and, most importantly, Miss Betty's Week. Alexe and her business partner, Dixie Grimes, authored the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from A Southern Revival in 2014. She contributes to The 'Sip regularly as a columnist for Small-Town 'Sip.

PORTRAIT ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIBORNE COOKSEY

One of the great blessings of my life is being a shopkeeper. The opposite could also be argued, but we’re going with the glass half-full approach today.

Despite living in a small town close to little of anything, on any given day the world walks through my doors. I’ve practiced my Spanish and Italian with customers, seen a Rolls-Royce and ancient rusted pick-ups galore parked out front.

I see babies, the elderly, the poor and the privileged, the vegans, the carnivores, the in-love and the on-the-rocks. Working behind a counter has been the best education I’ve ever had.

Mostly, our customers are fantastic.

They bring me loaves of sweet just-baked bread, jars of pickles and jam, live plants and clippings from magazines. They drop off presents for my kids at Christmas and generally spoil me rotten, for no earthly reason I can discern other than the tides of human kindness run strong and swift in Water Valley, Mississippi.

One record day, I received a bottle of homemade cherry-rose wine, just-baked sweet potato bread and two live baby ducks in a brown paper bag. That was my favorite day of all time.

On the other hand, when one deals with the public, things you just don’t really want to face come up. We will skip what people are capable of doing in public restrooms and move straight to the sweetfaced elderly ladies telling me in great detail about what eating fresh figs does to their digestion. Then there’s the family that swears they eat gluten-free and then orders six bologna sandwiches on white

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Delta Wok

Traditional Chinese hot pot in the kitchen of Clarksdale native Betty Jue Dickard

PH OTO BY TA L B OT EASTO N SEL BY | FROM T HE F OR T HC OMING C OOK B OOK "DELT A WOK "

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Winter 2018

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