Natchez MS Blues Trail – Mississippi Blues Trail

by Mauka · Published March 6, 2024 · Updated April 23, 2024

NATCHEZ, MS
BLUES TRAIL
Natchez MS Blues Trail has descriptive info available on Blues Markers.
Moreover, you’ll find many of the markers are placed
on historical sites which adds to the intrigue.
Furthermore, most of the towns are small so it’s easy to find the markers.

Natchez MS Blues Trail: CLARENCE “BUD” SCOTT

Bud Scott (1876-1938) was a lifelong Natchez resident who additionally was known for his singing; he also played instruments, including the mandolin, and he was a composer.
Moreover, he became one of the most famous African American musicians in Mississippi and was best known for leading a very popular dance band in Mississippi and Louisiana.
His band, consisting of 10+ musicians, was promoted as “the best orchestra in the South—bar none” in newspaper ads. Furthermore, not only did their music versatility include ragtime and jazz, but they also changed with the times, evolving into a swing orchestra with a horn section.
Moreover, blues rendered in their vocals and instruments were part of their repertoire.
In 1919, he performed a jazzy rendition of “Eliza Jane” (“L’il Liza Jane”), where dancers let loose, dancing the shimmy, hesitation, and tickle toe.

Once a reporter commented,
“In Mississippi, a Bud Scott dance was to die for.”
The 1938 Federal Writers’ Project called Scott
“Mississippi’s own pioneer in jazz” ranking him among
the six most nationally prominent Mississippi-born musicians.

Natchez MS Blues Trail map for Clarence "Bud" Scott

Natchez MS Blues Trail: EALEY BROTHERS

The family lived on a farm in Sibley, fifteen miles south of Natchez.
Four Ealey Brothers all became musicians and furthermore, three of the brothers, Theodis, YZ, and Melwyn Ealey formed the band “YZ Ealey and the Merry Makers” who performed music together locally in the 1960’s.
Not only did Theodis play bass at the age of 13, YZ played guitar, and Melwin performed vocals and played drums, but their older brother, David (“Bubba”) Ealey, had become a recording artist.
Consequently, YZ Ealey and the Merry Makers also became recording artists.

THEODIS:

Earlier, Theodis had joined the military while stationed in Hawaii, and he formed a band.
Finally, after leaving Mississippi and performing for many years as a musician, Theodis Ealey’s song “Stand Up In It” became a radio hit and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart.
He achieved national recognition with his blend of blues, funk, and soul music and in 1981, Theodis formed the music label IFGAM, recording singles by both himself and Melwin.
In the 1990’s, after relocating to Atlanta, Theodis recorded several albums for the Ichiban label and began touring abroad.
Later, he reactivated the IFGAM label, recording several more albums and CDs.

YZ:

David (“Bubba”) Ealey mentored his younger brother YZ, who began playing guitar in his teens with Melwin at local juke joints.
As a result, YZ moved to New Orleans and continued to play informally at house parties.
Eventually settling in Oakland, MS, he performed with L. C. “Good Rockin’” Robinson, Big Mama Thornton, and others.

MELWIN:

Melwin performed as a vocalist locally in Oakland, MS for many years singing rhythm and blues, country, and ballads.

Several years later, the brothers reunited in Natchez and
formed the group “Merry Makers”.
Subsequently, they began playing at Haney’s Big House,
a well-known club in the region.

Natchez MS Blues Trail map for Ealey Brothers

Natchez MS Blues Trail: NATCHEZ BURNING

On April 23, 1940, one of the deadliest fires in American history occurred.
At the Rhythm Club, Bandleader Walter Barnes and 9 members of his orchestra perished, along with 200+ others.
Consequently, this tragedy was deeply felt by the African American community.
As a result, several memorial songs by blues and gospel singers were performed, in addition to prose and poetry, all in remembrance of those that perished.

“Natchez Burning” was recorded in 1956 by
Howlin’ Wolf and “The Mighty Fire”.

The Rhythm Club was a corrugated metal building located on Catherine St.
Additionally, it’s believed that a discarded match or cigarette ignited Spanish moss that was hanging from the ceiling.
However, for some reason, the windows had been nailed shut so the crowd of hundreds tried to escape through the only door, creating a mass of bodies that blocked the exit.

Bandleader Walter Barnes tried to calm the crowd
by continuing to play the song “Marie”.

Barnes, a native of Vicksburg, performed and recorded in Chicago; moreover, he had a successful career playing his dance music in the small towns where larger, well-known performers didn’t play. Furthermore, Barnes was a columnist for the Chicago Daily Defender, an African American newspaper.
Moreover, the paper covered the Natchez Burning story and reported that 15,000+ people attended Walter Barnes funeral.
In addition, guest bandleader Clarence “Bud” Scott, Jr., also perished in the fire.
Then, on September 15, 1940, the first monument dedicated to the victims was placed on the Natchez Bluff.
Finally, a state historical marker now exists on the former site of the Rhythm Club.

Natchez MS Blues Trail map for Natchez Burning

Natchez MS Blues Trail: PAPA LIGHTFOOT

Despite his later career as an ice cream vendor, Alexander “Papa George” Lightfoot (1924-1971) was one of the most talented blues harmonica players to grace the blues music scene post-World War II.
After appearing on national radio broadcasts and recording for well-known record labels, Papa Lightfoot became the best-known Natchez blues artist of the era.
Despite his mastery of the harmonica, Papa Lightfoot is primarily remembered as an ice cream vendor in Natchez due to his inability to sustain a musical career.
However, his skill on the harmonica is still revered.

Natchez MS Blues Trail map for Papa Lightfoot