The first Shannon Street Blues Festival took place in July 1992 at the West Tennessee Farmers Market. It was funded by Jackson Main Street now known as Jackson Downtown Development Corporation. It grew out of research done at the Jackson-Madison County Library into the life of Jacksonian and blues harp pioneer, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. Some of the performers included Tom Price, Phillip Reynolds, Jack Pearson and William Howse and Memphis juke joint legend The Fieldstones.

The festival was a success despite a few bumps in the road. The Farmers Market proved to be a wonderful place to hold the event. Also, being on Shannon Street was historically significant. Shannon Street was a center of African American business and life in Jackson. It was mentioned in John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Bluebird Blues" and the subject of his "Shannon Street Blues".

The purpose of the Shannon Street Blues Festival has been to bring quality entertainment to Jackson and to celebrate the rich musical heritage of the area. West Tennessee has been home to some phenomenal and influential musicians. Sonny Boy's "Good Morning Little School Girl" has become a blues and rock standard recorded by Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, and The Grateful Dead among many others. Brownsville's Yank Rachel's "She Caught the Katy" has been recorded by The Blues Brothers, Albert King and Taj Mahal. Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon, also from Brownsville, were part of the sixties rediscovery of blues and went on to play all over the world. Rossville, Tennessee was the birthplace of Fred McDowell who went on to influence numerous slide guitar players including Bonnie Raitt and his "You Got to Move" was recorded by The Rolling Stones. Jackson's Big Maybelle had a national hit with "Candy" and her version of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" was later covered by Jerry Lee Lewis. She was featured in the documentary "Jazz on a Summers Day" performing at the Newport Jazz Festival.

The Shannon Street Blues Festival has featured both local and national acts. Many of the performers were influenced by the music from this area. One was Billy Boy Arnold, who as a child met his idol Sonny Boy Williamson in Chicago in 1948. The meeting was to influence the rest of his life. He went on to become a major force in the Chicago Blues world and his "I Wish You Would" was later recorded by The Yardbirds. After his performance at the blues festival he thanked me for letting him play in Jackson, Tennessee. He said he had always wanted to play Jackson because he wanted to see, "where the magic came from".

--Michael Baker

The mission of Jackson Downtown Development Corporation (JDDC) is to increase property values, recruit quality business and upscale residential, create new investment and promote the arts and cultural enrichment in downtown Jackson.

Our goal os to improve the quality of life for Jacksonians by strengthening the pulse of downtown through concentrated efforts in organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring with a historic preservation focus.

Check DowntownJackson.com for further JDDC information.