As the National Museum of African American Music opens its doors, journalists from the USA TODAY Network explore the stories, places and people who helped make music what it is today in our expansive ...

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes plays his guitar in front of the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Miss. JACKSON, Miss. — Blues is inspired by place — the railroads, fields and slaughterhouses where the musicians once ...

While it's a lesser-known stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail, music fans shouldn't skip this city that's surrounded by ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was a big night at the ...

Ryan Lee Crosby felt struck by lightning three times in his life. At age 13, when he first picked up a harmonica to play the blues. (“It was a struck-by-lightning moment, where I knew, ‘Oh, I’m going ...

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. The birthplace of the Blues — and much of American music — lies in Mississippi’s northwest corner. In ...

A region of warm hospitality and deep spirituality that embodies the essence of the American South, the Mississippi Delta is marked by an extraordinary musical heritage. Born out of adversity, the ...

MARQUETTE, Iowa - It was just before sunset on the Mississippi River, the day's last bits of golden light dancing on the water, when four members of the band Big Blue Sky picked up their instruments ...

As the National Museum of African American Music opens its doors, journalists from the USA TODAY Network explore the stories, places and people who helped make music what it is today in our expansive ...