JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi BBQ Trail named their 2015 blues artist of the year during the grand opening of the Pig and Pint restaurant in Jackson, Tuesday. If you showed up, there was free beer, free food, and free music by the winner, The Blues Man, McKinney Williams of Lexington.
Williams, who was happy to receive the honor, says he’s been performing gospel for the past 35 years, but wasn’t able to get into the blues until after his kids grew up and went to college. He says the past eight years of playing the blues have been a dream for him.
The Mississippi BBQ Trail is privately owned and was launched last summer by owner Jim Hatten. It’s a website that creates an online presence for the nearly 300 BBQ joints across the state. Hatten says their Blues Artist of the Year Award is a way to give back, promoting Mississippi culture, the blues artist, and his career.
