Marty Stuart Marker To Be Unveiled July 25, 2010

The second marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail will be unveiled here in July in honor of country music star Marty Stuart on the block where he bought his first guitar.

The marker, which will resemble the Otis Rush Blues Trail marker at the depot, will be placed at the corner of Byrd Avenue and Main Street near the Jordan and White law office on July 25, 2010.

Tourism Director Kay Rowell told the Mayor and Board of Aldermen last week that Stuart requested that the marker be unveiled during the Neshoba County Fair and placed at that location.

Stuart bought his first guitar at Turner Hardware on Main Street and his mom worked at the Bank of Philadelphia, which was located on that corner at the time. He also got his hair cut at a nearby barbershop, she said.

Aldermen voted unanimously to allow the placement of the marker.

Stuart was born in Philadelphia on September 30, 1958, the son of John and Hilda Stuart.

With four gold albums and countless hit singles, his career continues to go strong as he bridges the strong traditional/bluegrass/gospel past of country music with the new rockabilly, Southern Rock, contemporary sound.

A second Country Music Trail marker will be placed in Neshoba County at a later date to honor the late Bob Ferguson, a Choctaw historian and American songwriter who wrote the bestselling song "On the Wings of a Dove," among numerous others.

Ferguson, a Missouri native, moved his family to Philadelphia after his retirement to work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians where he helped establish the Museum of the Southern Indian in 1981.

He died in 2001.

At least 30 Country Music markers will be placed along the Mississippi Country Music Trail.

The markers will be positioned across the state and will feature an assortment of other country music artists, including Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Jerry Clower, Faith Hill and Paul Overstreet, among others.

The music trail was lobbied for by Stuart in 2009.

By Steven Thomas