ABOVE PHOTO: Former professional football player Marcus Dupree of Philadelphia, left, and Lorenzo Bell, a cousin of blues legend Howlin’ Wolf, pose in front of the newest inductees to the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Expereince Hall of Fame in Meridian, Miss., Thursday, May 31, 2018. (Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star via AP)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MERIDIAN, Miss. — Three singers, an author and a photographer will be the newest additions to the hall of fame at the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
The interactive museum opened in late April in Meridian. The new honorees were announced Thursday and will be inducted Aug. 25, the Meridian Star reported. They are blues legend Howlin’ Wolf, country singer Charley Pride, folk rock singer Jimmy Buffett, writer Willie Morris and photographer William Eggleston.
Howlin’ Wolf, born Chester A. Burnett, was from White Station, Mississippi, and became famous on the Chicago blues scene. A guitarist, harmonica player and blues singer, Burnett was known for his signature howl and booming voice. Some of his greatest hits include “I Ain’t Superstitious,” “Spoonful” and “Smokestack Lightning.” He died in 1976.
Pride, 84, was born into a family of sharecroppers in Sledge. His chart-topping hits include “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” and “(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone,” winning him three Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.
Buffett, 71, is a Pascagoula native. He is known for his hit “Margaritaville” and has fans who called themselves Parrotheads. He has owned a chain of nightclubs, a line of beach clothing and several resorts and casinos. He has also had his own Margaritaville record label.
Morris grew up in Yazoo City, which served as an inspiration for much of his writing. He was editor-in-chief of Harper’s magazine and wrote memoirs called “North Toward Home” and “My Dog Skip.” He died in 1999.
Eggleston, 78, was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in the Mississippi Delta near Sumner. His color-saturated photographs, often depicting everyday life, have been displayed in prominent galleries.
The five new honorees will join the previous hall of fame inductees: painter Walter Inglis Anderson, author William Faulkner, actor Morgan Freeman, author John Grisham, Muppets creator Jim Henson, blues artist Robert Johnson, actor James Earl Jones, blues artist B.B. King, sculptor George Ohr, rock singer Elvis Presley, opera singer Leontyne Price, country music singer Jimmie Rodgers, actress Sela Ward, blues artist Muddy Waters, author Tennessee Williams, actress and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, author Eudora Welty and author Richard Wright.
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