17th annual MS Songwriters Festival to host 4 days of events across Jackson County
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WXXV) — The 17th annual Mississippi Songwriters Festival will soon kick off four days of special events across Jackson County, featuring world-class songwriters, Mississippi music legends, and emerging artists.
Fourteen venues across Ocean Springs and Gautier will host performances, educational events, songwriting competitions, and, of course, this year’s Mississippi Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, honoring a few very special local musicians.
“Thursday night is the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We will have Son House blues artist, Three Doors Down. It’ll be our first time to induct a band into the Hall of Fame. We’ll have Chris Henderson representing them. And at the end we’re gonna have a nice genre kickback celebrating all the country artists in the Hall of Fame with a full band playing, so lots of entertainment,” said George Cumbest, President of the Mississippi Songwriters Alliance.
Mississippi is known as the “Birthplace of America’s Music,” and in Jackson County, this yearly festival helps to keep that musical legacy alive and growing.
“We’ve had Hardy – came through early on. Carly Pearce came through early on. Those folks, they came through, sometimes they’ll play a song – you’ll hear it here, and three years later it’s on the radio. Like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty neat.’ And there’s been a lot of songs written here that wind up, down the road, ends up on somebody’s album. You kinda get to see the process, and if you don’t know, everything, kind of, in the industry begins with a song. The song is first – then you have the bands, and the artists, and the tours. So, it’s kind of the beginning of the whole process,” said Cumbest.
Organizers are hard at work ahead of the festival, which they say has grown well beyond the Gulf Coast and expanded its reach across the state. They say that growth has even caught the attention of state leaders, highlighting the festival’s impact on Mississippi’s rich musical heritage.
“We get dignitaries from Jackson down here. It’s becoming a bigger thing every year. Of course, we’ve got a lot of local elected officials, and we’re proud to have them too. We try to recognize all of them. But, I think it gives credence to our efforts and what we’re doing – that it’s not just a local thing in a small venue, it’s become an event. It’s become something that people across the state and elected leaders recognize as being very important,” said Darwin Nelson, Vice President of the Mississippi Songwriters Alliance.
All events over the four day festival are free to attend. Click here for a complete schedule of events.
