Per usual, Mississippi was well-represented at the annual Grammy Awards.
Leading the way for the Magnolia State – which has the most Grammys per capita than any other state – was longtime bluesman Bobby Rush. Rush, who has spent the bulk of his adult life in Mississippi, won his third award for Best Traditional Blues Album for All My Love For You.
When the 90-year-old took the stage after ousting fellow Mississippian Mr. Sipp for the award, he paid homage to the greats who helped mold him as a musician from an early age.
“I’ll treasure this in honor of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor, all the guys that came before me that I looked up to,” Rush said.
The ode to other blues legends poetically aligned with Rush’s album, which consists of references to King, Waters, and company throughout. In “I’m The One,” Rush sings: “I went to Chicago, y’all, in 1952. B.B. King and Muddy Waters showed me how the play the blues. I’m the one.”
Helping Rush behind the scenes on the now-adorned album was Crystal Springs native Dexter Allen. Allen, who has played guitar alongside Rush on and off for decades, also served as engineer on the album.
In the category of Best Contemporary Blues Album, Mississippian Christone “Kingfish” Ingram barely missed out on his second Grammy in the category. The guitarist and singer out of Clarksdale fell to Nashville-based band Larkin Poe.
Non-Mississippi headlines from the 66th annual Grammy Awards included Taylor Swift breaking the record for most wins in the Album of the Year category, Miley Cyrus winning record of the year for “Flowers,” and rapper Killer Mike being arrested after winning three awards.
The full list of 2024 Grammy winners can be found here.
