Why I Love Mississippi....

I'm fortunate enough to travel across the United States through my involvement in the various organizations I'm in. I've been confronted by several people upon finding out I was from Mississippi with various misnomers about Mississippi and what we are like. With all her flaws and faults I still love Mississippi and for one major reason. Pick up your iPod and put it on shuffle or pick up the album closest to you. Chances are unless it's an international artist they are playing a form of music birthed in Mississippi or were influenced by musicians produced by Mississippi. I love when I take road trips, because I know that I always come back to Mississippi and coming back means I pass the Welcome to Mississippi sign. The single best part of that sign? The bottom where it says "Birthplace of America's music". Mississippi hasn't always had the brightest history. We were the epitome of bad race relations for decades upon decades, but the music remained. Thanks to Mississippi the world experienced jazz, rock and roll, and blues. The first official recordings and copyrighting of a song in all 3 forms of music happened in Mississippi. The Negro Spirituals chanted by slaves on the cotton farms of Mississippi gave rise to blues, jazz, and gospel music. At the end of the day if Mississippi has given nothing else to the world we have given the world music. The only thing more diverse than the people here is the music those people have produced. We gave the world Jimmy Buffett, Faith Hill, Bobby Blue Bland, Son House, B.B. King and last but not least Elvis Presley. It is for this reason that through all the tough bumps and bruises I will always love Mississippi.