47th Annual Delta Blues & Heritage Festival pays homage to Bobby Rush

Greenville, Mississippi: The 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival went above and beyond to pay homage to three-time GRAMMY Award winner Bobby Rush with a series of events leading up to the music festival on September 21, 2024.

According to festival organizer and producer, Chauncy Wright, “The 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival saw a record-breaking crowd of approximately 8,000 plus in attendance. Blues lovers and blues fans continue to support the festival with their participation in all activities surrounding the historic long-running event that brings attendees from far away places to be a part of the oldest continuous blues festival in the state and possibly the country.”

The 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival is orchestrated by the Mississippi Action for Community Education, Inc. (M.A.C.E.) to promote cultural heritage and the blues via a festival that takes place on the 3rd Saturday in September. It has occurred for 47 years.

The well-known festival brings some of the most prolific blues legends and contemporary R&B musicians still relevant in the music industry, popular, and trending with seasoned blues fans and young fans who may not be aware that blues music is the foundation of the music to which they listen today.

The famed bluesman Bobby Rush, who is 90 years old, was back at the Delta Blues and Heritage Festival to continue his 44th year appearance on the main stage.  Rush did not disappoint the large crowd. He sang old and new material with several sing-alongs and repeated standing ovations throughout his performance including his famous dancing girls. 

Festival producer Chauncy Wright interrupted Rush’s show to inform Mr. Rush and the audience that from now on the 7-8:00 p.m. hour of the festival will be known as the Bobby Rush Hour for generations to come. 

The Honorable Errick Simmons, Mayor of Greenville, and Willie Simmons, Commissioner of Transportation for the State of Mississippi (Central District) informed the audience that a street in the City of Greenville had been renamed Bobby Rush Street in a ceremony that was held Friday, September 20, 2024, in downtown Greenville.  

Additionally, Rush was humorously roasted by his friends, family members, and industry insiders on Friday, September 20, 2024, at Harlow’s Casino & Resort & Spa.

The lineup for the 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival was very impressive. It began with main stage headliners Mr. SIPP, Bobby Rush, Kattawar Brothers, Lacee, Eden Brent, R&B Superstar King George, and Bluesman Keith Johnson & The Big Muddy Band.  A special performance was presented by FPJ, a relatively new Southern Soul Sensation from the Montgomery, Alabama, area – it  brought the crowd to its feet with hits like “Po Me Up Some Mo,” “I’m Still With Her,” and “Rodeo” – all showcasing the vocal range of a much older songster.

The Juke Joint Stage lineup included Pat Thomas, “Cadillac” John Nolden, Rising Star Fife & Band, Delta Express Band, Tammy Gibson, Jake & The Pearl Street Jumpers, The Louis Nasty Bluesman Band, and Mike & Jerry Kattawar Brothers.

The sponsors for the 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival were M.A.C.E., Greenville and Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Mississippi, The City of Greenville, EUTAW Construction, Mississippi Arts Commission, Foundation for the Mid South, Mississippi Department of Health, IMS, Michael Baker International, GARVER, HE Hooker Engineering Services, Washington County, SOL Engineering Services, TRINGLE, and United Healthcare Community Plan. 

The Board of Directors for the festival are Senator Robert Jackson (Chair), Barbara Washington (Treasurer), and members Barbara Brooks, Betty Jo Boyd, and Frank Jackson along with numerous festival volunteers.