COMMERCIAL DISPATCH
By June C. Straight
Friday, August 31, 2007
BLUES TRAIL MARKER UNVEILED IN WEST POINT
(WEST POINT, Mississippi) – West Point officially became a stop along the Mississippi Blues Trail Thursday when the Chester “Howlin' Wolf” Burnett marker was unveiled.
“I'm old enough to remember Howlin' Wolf,” said Gov. Haley Barbour, who unveiled the marker along with Burnett's daughter, Barbara Marks. “I remember when the British groups recorded his songs, ‘Spoon Full of Your Love,' ‘Little Red Rooster.'”
The marker, placed next to the statue of the bluesman, is one of the 108 Blues Trail markers the Mississippi Blues Commission plans to erect throughout the state. Eighteen markers have already been erected with two more to go up in September: Memphis Minnie in Walls and Catfish Alley in Columbus, which will be unveiled Sept. 28.
“He's been recognized in quite a few places for quite a few things, but somehow my family and myself hold the things that Mississippi does closest to our hearts,” Marks said.
Having a blues marker to honor Wolf, Ramsey said is an even greater honor than claiming the bluesman as a native son.
“When they brought this thing out today and I helped put it up on the pole, I couldn't take my eyes off of it because, yes, this is about putting West Point and Mississippi on the map, but this is about honoring one of the true spirits of music,” he said.
The Wolf marker, like the others throughout the state, not only provides a link to a local historical figure, it also opens up an opportunity for economic development in the state, Barbour said.
“The Mississippi Development Authority, our economic development organization, understands like I understand that the blues is a huge part of Mississippi's history, but it also can be a big part of Mississippi's economy,” he said.
“(The markers will) be scattered around where people can come to our state and they can learn about, see the places and in some cases actually meet the people that were part of the creation of the blues,” he added.
Tourism accounts for a large amount of the state's revenue, Barbour noted, and the Blues Trail will contribute to the already bountiful Mississippi hospitality industry.
“Mississippi is the birthplace of American music - something for us to celebrate and teach our children about, but it also is great job creation and economic development, because all those people that come here need a place to stay, need a place to eat and tourism is an enormous industry,” Barbour said.
For the full story, visit the Commercial Disptach website: http://www.cdispatch.com/articles/2007/08/31/local_news/local01.txt