Logo

Mac McAnally, Mississippi singer/songwriter and bandmate with Jimmy Buffett, sports a DSU Fighting Okra t-shirt in this informal guitar pull in Atlanta...thanks, Mac!

What happens when you go down to The Crossroads with five great musicians and a world-famous photographer? This happens.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/music/miss#ixzz0ixN3zGw2

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid70868681001?bclid=72326601001&bctid=72514201001

Cole Furlow, Delta State graduate of the Delta Music Institute, is releasing his first full length release, "End of Days, Why Not You?" from his project DEAD GAZE. Copies will be available to purchase from Mirroruniversetapes.blogspot.com on March 16. Congratulations, Cole!

From left, Tricia Walker, singer and songwriter and director of the Delta Music Institute (DMI), accompanies award winning singer-songwriter Patti Ryan, as Duff Durrough, bandleader for Thacker Mountain Radio’s house band, The Yalobushwhackers, provides musical backing. Ryan was performing one of the most successful country hits of all time, “Looking for Love,” which she co-wrote with Wanda Mallette and musician Bob Morrison. Ryan has two American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, (ASCAP) Pop Awards, 15 ASCAP Country Awards, a Tony nomination, and two Grammy nominations.

Ryan, along with singer-songwriters George Jackson and Troy Jones, and the Yalobushwackers were featured in the live broadcast of Thacker Mountain Radio as a part of the DMI Anniversary Celebration held March 6.

Also included in the DMI Anniversary Celebration was the Mississippi Writers Roundtable for literary artists with a keynote address by Mississippi native, mystery writer and 2010 Harper Lee Award winner Carolyn Haines. The Writers Roundtable was sponsored by The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), Mississippi Humanities Council, SonEdna Foundation, Inc., Delta Music Institute, and Delta State University, in celebration of the “Year of the Arts.”

The Thacker Mountain Radio show was taped in Studio A of the DMI, housed in historic Whitfield Building on the Delta State campus.

The Grammy U chapter of Delta State and the Delta Music Institute will host a student songwriter's night on Thursday, March 4 at 7:00 pm at Hey, Joe's in downtown Cleveland, MS. Writers performing on the showcase include Content Despair, Phillip Carter, Jordan Smith, Kristen Brassel, Stephen Chew, Aaron Taylor, Jeremiah Matthews, Joanna Sabine, Eric Tamboli, and Joobs. There is no charge for the show, but donations are welcomed. Proceeds benefit the DMI Grammy U chapter.

Award winning singer-songwriters George Jackson, Troy Jones and Patti Ryan will be the featured songwriters during the live broadcast of Thacker Mountain Radio as part of the Delta Music Institute (DMI) Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, March 6 at 3 p.m. in Studio A of the DMI in the historic Whitfield Building on the Delta State University campus.

In addition to the radio show, Jones and Ryan will perform a Songwriter’s Show the evening of March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Studio A. Jones and Ryan will be joined by DMI Director Tricia Walker, who spent over 25 years in Nashville as a performer and songwriter before returning to Delta State University in 2006 to lead the DMI program.

Born in Port St. Joe, Florida, Jones worked in the cotton mills of Alabama for over 20 years before trying his hand as a songwriter in Nashville. He commutes weekly to Music City to write as a staff songwriter for Carnival Music Publishing, while maintaining his home in Alabama with his wife, three children, and a dog named Buster. Jones’ songs have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Joe Nichols, Billy Currington, and many more.

Jones’ most recent hits include “Shiftwork” by Kenny Chesney and the smash hit, “People Are Crazy,” by Billy Currington, which was #1 on the Billboard charts for two weeks. He also performs in the comedy stage play, “Toe Roasters,” with fellow songwriters Bryan Kennedy and Wynn Varble.

Mississippi native Patti Ryan grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, graduated from the Mississippi University for Women, then began a career in teaching while performing on the weekends in a musical group with her brothers. Ryan’s, colleague Wanda Mallette, and musician Bob Morrison co-wrote one of the most successful country hits of all time, “Lookin’ For Love,” which held the #1 chart position for three weeks and launched country singer Johnny Lee’s career in the movie Urban Cowboy. “Lookin’ For Love” was also featured in the Broadway show “Menopause, The Musical.” In addition to that standard, she wrote additional hits “Americana” for Moe Bandy, “Just Another Woman In Love” for Anne Murray, and “Out Of Your Shoes” for Lorrie Morgan. Ryan has two ASCAP Pop Awards, 15 ASCAP Country Awards, a Tony nomination, and two Grammy nominations. She moved to Nashville in 1984, where she continues to work as a songwriter. She is looking forward to the release of her upcoming book,” An Intimate Look At Songwriting.”

Born in Greenville, George Jackson started recording for Ike Turner’s record label in 1963. He journeyed to Muscle Shoals, Ala., to work at Fame Recording Studio, where he became a staff songwriter and wrote such hits as "One Bad Apple," which was #1 for five weeks on the pop charts for the Osmond Brothers in early 1971. During the mid-'80s, Jackson joined Malaco Records as a staff songwriter where he penned the classic blues song, “Down Home Blues” for Z.Z. Hill. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000. Jackson’s most recognizable hit is “Old Time Rock And Roll,” which has been recorded countless times, most notably by rocker Bob Seger.

The Songwriter’s Show is free and open to the public.

For more information on the DMI Anniversary Celebration, please call (662) 846-4579 or visit dmi.deltastate.edu.

DMI Director Tricia Walker, along with several friends of DMI, performed last month at the 20th Annual Evening in December concert, benefitting Daystar Ministries of Nashville, TN. Women in the Round singer/songwriters Tricia Walker, Ashley Cleveland, Karen Staley, and Pam Tillis originated the event in 1989. Master of ceremonies for the event was writer/artist Buddy Greene, with special guest performances throughout the evening by Jeff Taylor, Grand Ole Opry stars Connie Smith and Marty Stuart, Women in the Round, and Grammy award winning writer/artist Amy Grant. (All photos © David Durham)

Six student songwriters from the Delta Music Institute will be performing original songs this Thursday, November 5, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Bean Counter in Cleveland, MS. The event is sponsored by the DSU chapter of Grammy U, an organization of students involved in music and entertainment industry studies. There is no cover charge for this event, but donations will be accepted to support the activities of the DSU Grammy U chapter.

Come out and support these songwriters in a continuing effort to develop a live local music culture in the Delta!