Bo Diddley Bus Tour and Blues Marker Unveiling, McComb, MS, Nov. 2, 2007

On Friday, November 2, 2007, the legendary Bo Diddley visited his hometown of McComb, MS, to be honored in a Mississippi Blues Trail marker unveiling.  This was the 22^nd of a planned 100 or more markers and historical sites to be established honoring famous Mississippi musicians.  Diddley is one of the few artists who is still alive at the time of their being honored.  For more on the Mississippi Blues Commission's Mississippi Blues Trail, please see http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues_trail/.

Bo Diddley at the blues marker, assisted by Melvin Williams.

The marker unveiling was a primary event in the first annual Camellia City Festival, held Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3, 2007, featuring children's events and scores of blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues musicians providing entertainment well into the evening.  The festival, under the direction of Tasha Dillon, McComb's Director of Community Relations and Tourism, began Friday with a guided bus tour having the focus "Come See How McComb is Growing."  Britt Herrin, Executive Director of Pike County's Economic Development District, spoke of several financial initiatives currently available in McComb and Pike County (especially the Go Zone-see http://www.gozoneonline.com/Mississippi.html).  There are nearly 80,000 households representing about 200,000 people within a thirty-forty minute radius of McComb.  Pike County added about 5,000 apparently permanent residents to its population after Hurricane Katrina.  We are without question a community on the move!

The tour, hosted by Takeysha Green, showcased newly opened, renovated, and soon to open facilities.  Included on the tour were the State Theatre, the McComb School District's Tiger Activities Complex, the Hampton Inn, Bo Diddley's Home Grounds, and the McComb Sports Park. 

Bo's brother Kenneth Haynes with Haynes' wife Bobbie.  Bo's childhood home is pictured in the rear of the photo.

At the unveiling ceremony held at the downtown depot pavilion, Bo Diddley was honored by state luminaries with governmental proclamations of his fine achievements as an integral founder of rock and roll.  Representing their various offices were McComb mayor Zachary Patterson, Pike County Chamber of Commerce president Joni Wilkinson, Pike County Supervisor Lexie Elmore, State Representative Angela Cockerham, Senator Kelvin Butler, the governor's representative Senator Hillman Frazier, and Alex Thomas of the Mississippi Development Authority.  November 2 was proclaimed to forevermore be "Bo Diddley Day."  In addition, several friends and family members paid their tributes to this musical legend.  Among these were Diddley's grandson Gary Mitchell, his cousin Rev. Wallace Landrew, his brother Rev. Kenneth Haynes, his daughter Evelyn "Tan" Kelly, who sang out the blues as the spirit led her, and his granddaughter Jatonne Mitchell, who took to the drum set to perform with her grandfather.

As the Jesse Robinson Band played "Hey, Bo Diddley!" to Mr. Diddley himself, the famous bluesman took the mic and joined in with an adlib rap song; this was his first public performance since his stroke and heart attack earlier in the year.

Bo rapping, with Jesse Robinson on guitar.

Bo Diddley was born on December 30, 1928, in Baertown, a section of McComb, Mississippi.  For more information on his incredibly influential life and work, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley .

To see many more pictures of this and other area events, please visit www.photoworks.com/members/tmorgan100.  Note: You can view the photos as a slide show, but you may not be able to read the descriptions under some of the photos in that mode.  You may need to scroll down to read the descriptions.  Click on "View all" to see albums not pictured on the first page.  Thank you for visiting!