SCHC to host blues promotion

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 26, 2015

BLUES HERITAGE: Roscoe and Nancy Stribling of Brandon cut a rug together to the music of the Delta Mountain Boys at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center in 2011. The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation will host a free event at 6 p.m. Monday in the Southern Cultural Heritage Center Convent Chapel.

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation will host a free event 6 p.m. Monday in the Southern Cultural Heritage Center Convent Chapel.

“Dr. Edgar Smith will discuss the Mississippi Blues Commission and how we can help promote and support the blues,” executive director for the SCHF, Stacey Massey said.

Smith, who was appointed by the governor to serve on the Mississippi Blues Commission, is one of 18 commissioners representing major organizations and geographic/political regions supporting Blues initiatives throughout the state.

Smith graduated from Bowman High School in Vicksburg. He received a B.S. from Tougaloo College and M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue University.

“Dr. Smith has had a very impressive career in biochemistry. His research was in the areas of cancer biochemistry and sickle cell anemia, and his results have been published in several professional journals,” Massey said.

Smith is also a former member of the board of directors of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.

In addition to discussing the importance of supporting the blues in Mississippi, Smith will also share information about the Blues Musicians Benevolent Fund, which was established in 2010.

This fund was designed to financially aid the musicians who contributed to the history of blues. Many of the most important historical sites associated with the blues are located in Mississippi, and the state’s Blues Trail, established in 2005, has to date erected nearly 200 markers documenting this cultural significance, Smith said.

“If you actually experience going around to some of these communities you see that there are a number of these musicians who are really in bad shape financially, and we decided that we needed to do something in Mississippi somewhat similar to what’s done in Memphis with the Blues Foundation,” he said.

“We felt that Mississippi, being the ‘home of the blues’ should have something of that nature to support its musicians,” Smith said.

The Blues Musicians Benevolent Fund is supported primarily by the sale of Mississippi Blues Trail license plates, a $10,000 yearly gift from the Mississippi Blues Marathon, and private donations, he said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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