2021 Visit Meridian Visitors Guide

36 37 VISITMERIDIAN.COM MUSIC IN ITSSOUL Oldest Live Music Scene. It’s a pleasantly warm Thursday evening at Squealer’s Hickory Smoked Bar-B-Que in north Meridian. There’s no special occasion, no big event in town. And yet people fill every seat at the dozens of tables on the covered porch and the open-air patio. Why the happy, ages-7-to-70s crowd? It’s not just the juicy, tender barbecue (although that’s definitely a major attraction). It’s also the live music that draws throngs to Squealer’s every Thursday. Tonight, a duo is playing rootsy country and folk. Other nights may feature different musical styles from a solo artist or a full band. Always, the musicians are local. And the tables are full. Local boosters say their city has Mississippi’s oldest live-music scene. Historians say they’re probably right. After the Civil War, railroads made Meridian boom; the city was Mississippi’s largest between 1890 and 1930. Those railroads also brought touring musicians to town, many of them on their way to or from the clubs of New Orleans. The Queen City became a regional music hub, a distinction it retains to this day. 2 Grand Theaters Feature Big Touring Shows Two historic downtown venues host national and international touring acts (and, occasionally, local stars). The MSU Riley Center is a painstakingly restored Victorian gem dating back to 1890. It is also home to Meridian Symphony Orchestra performances. The Temple Theatre for the Performing Arts opened in 1928 as a lavish movie palace and Hamasa Shrine Temple, designed in Moorish Revival style by noted New Orleans architect Emile Weil. MERIDIAN HAS Meridian Celebrates with Music Each spring, a music festival celebrates Meridian-born railroad worker, guitarist, and singer Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music. Meridian also remembers his life and legacy with a quaint museum downtown. During his travels, Rodgers heard the popular music of his day as well as rural African American blues and jazz artists. He put all those sounds together and popularized what was then known as hillbilly music. Rodgers recorded for only six years before dying of tuberculosis in 1933 at age 35. But he achieved immense popularity — and not just among country music fans — with such songs as “Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas),” “In the Jailhouse Now,” and “Waiting for a Train.” Other music-oriented annual festivals downtown include Juneteenth in June, a music-focused celebration of the abolition of slavery. Music also accompanies all kinds of smaller events the way fried chicken goes with church picnics. Just about every kind of Meridian get-together, from birthday parties to business networking mixers to farmers markets, inevitably includes a musician, or several. You’ll hear country and blues, soul and jazz, rock and folk. The thriving music scene has spawned national stars, such as the rapper Big K.R.I.T. (known to old friends back home as Justin Scott), lead singer Hayley Williams of the rock band Paramore, and country singers Randy Houser and Todd Tilghman. Strong school music programs produce first-rate bands and choirs. Several Meridian Community College student instrumental and vocal groups perform free concerts every year. MCC also presents an annual Arts & Letters Series that features high-quality MCC-produced concerts, theatrical productions, and other entertainment events, all at bargain prices. The shows take place at MCC’s McCain Theater.