Center and Arts Commission Partner on Documentary Project

The Center and the Mississippi Arts Commission are working together this fall to gather information about music traditions in an often-overlooked part of the state. The Northeast Mississippi Music Documentary Project will focus on collecting information on the traditional musicians and related musical events found in the northeastern corner of the state, with emphasis on the area east of Lafayette County and north of the Golden Triangle (Starkville- Columbus-West Point) region.

This area has served as an incubator for many musicians who have gone on to greatly influence American music, including Elvis, Tammy Wynette, and Howlin’ Wolf. Traditional music still plays a vital role in many of the communities, with a number of small festivals, local “Opry”-type shows, and gospel sings taking place on a regular basis throughout the region. However, the area has been frequently overlooked by scholas and others investigating music traditions in Mississippi.

As part of the project, the Center will work to host a series of performances by musicians documented by the project. The information gathered will be shared with local arts and development groups interested in artists for programming and information for regional cultural tourism plans currently being developed. The Arts Commission’s Heritage Program will also make use of the information in recruiting more artists from the region for their grants and other services.

The Commission and the Center have chosen Wiley Prewitt, a native of Montgomery County, Mississippi, and Ole Miss alumnus, to conduct the project. Prewitt has extensive experience documenting traditional culture throughout the state, including work on projects for the Center (First Monday Trade Days), the Pine Hills Culture Program at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

This project is being supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Initiative program. For more information about the project, contact the Center at 662- 915-5993 or the Arts Commission at 601-359-6030.

Larry Morrisey

Wiley Prewitt (Photo by David Wharton)