Mississippi Songwriters Festival hosts Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The Mississippi Songwriters Festival kicked off its weekend of events with its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center in downtown Ocean Springs on Thursday night.

Four inductees were honored at the ceremony: Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Glen Ballard.

Ballard’s niece, Sophie Nord, shared what it was like growing up with her talented uncle.

“We were always so proud of him and so excited when a new album would come out,” Nord said. “Our mom — his sister — would always buy whatever it was, we’d play it in the car, listen to it nonstop, tell all of our friends.”

Performers including Chapel Hart, Don Underwood, Keith Johnson and Jamell Richardson celebrated the four inductees by performing some of their biggest hits.

“You’ll see people in the audience just kind of singing along because these are songs that we know, and so we are so grateful that those artists are from Mississippi and that we’re paying tribute to them,” City of Ocean Springs Director of Community Relations Ravin Nettles said.

Ballard, the only living member of the induction class, closed out the night with a performance of his own in front of his family.

“It’s really special because he’s back home in Mississippi,” Nord said. “He’s won several awards all around the US, but I think it’s extra special for him to be able to come back to his home state and be here with his family where we can celebrate him and cheer him on.”

The Mississippi Songwriters Festival will continue from Friday through Sunday, with dozens of musical acts taking the stage at various locations across Ocean Springs and Gautier.

“We’re very excited to host this festival in Ocean Springs and downtown in our many restaurants and bars,” Nettles said. “People can walk around, hear music and just enjoy the culture that is of this festival.”