The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) in Meridian adds another batch of star power to its towering Hall of Fame with five new inductees whose lasting contributions further cement Mississippi’s foundational role in American music.
The Mississippi Mass Choir, a world-renowned force in gospel for decades, and bluesman Bobby Rush, who continues to rack up honors and gigs into his 90s, join seminal blues and folk musician Mississippi John Hurt (1893-1966), “Father of the Delta Blues” Charley Patton (1891-1934) and country music icon Conway Twitty (1933-1993) in the 2026-27 inductee class.
Charley Patton Credit: Courtesy of The MAX“This is what the people wanted,” The MAX President and CEO Penny Kemp said of this inductee class’s all-music lineup.
Candidate recommendations from the public and votes from the public and from arts and entertainment authorities on the prestigious Panel of Electors combine to balance enthusiasm and expertise in Hall of Fame selections. The rigorous process happens every two years.
“Candidates must be recognizable icons in their field who have had a lasting cultural impact on Mississippi and beyond, and they have to have a solid connection to Mississippi,” Kemp said, whether by birthright, moving to the state in their early years or spending a significant portion of their career in Mississippi.
“There are hundreds of people who qualify,” she said, noting Mississippi’s reliably deep bench of creative standouts in literature and visual and performing arts as well as many genres of music. “We produce so many artists and are continuing to do it every day.”
The Mississippi Mass Choir
The Mississippi Mass Choir was formed in 1988 by the late Frank Williams whose vision of uniting some of Mississippi’s finest singers from across the state created a massive gospel powerhouse. Its record-setting debut album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel charts and stayed at the top for 45 consecutive weeks.
The MAX Hall of Fame nod joins a collection of honors that includes multiple Grammy Award nominations and Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Billboard’s Gospel Artist of the Year, Stellar Gospel Hall of Fame and more.
“We are definitely honored,” Mississippi Mass Choir Executive Director Jerry Mannery said, noting the biblical saying that the prophet does not receive honor at home. That this recognition comes from their own people and home state holds special meaning, he added.
“It’s a testament to longevity,” he said. Thirty-eight years after its debut album, the choir’s current release, the 2024 “We Still Believe,” scored two No. 1 songs.
“We’re looking to plant new fields. We’re not looking to rest on our laurels,” he said.
For this last project, the choir brought in 42 new members from all over the state (including several new lead singers), bumping up its usual 150-voice strength to a muscular 214.
“At a time when most folks are kicking back and ready to go into the museum, we’re being inducted into the museum,” Mannery said, chuckling at the distinction. “But we’re not ready to go into the museum.”
Catch the Mississippi Mass Choir live at the 83rd National Folk Festival in Jackson in November.
Bobby Rush Credit: David McClisterBobby Rush
The Hall of Fame honor further broadens the spotlight on Bobby Rush’s seven-decade career in a year that also sees the release of the new documentary, “King of the Chitlin’ Circuit” this month and October’s world premiere of “Slippin’ Through the Cracks: The Bobby Rush Musical” (co-written by Rush and Stephen Lloyd Helper) at New Stage Theatre.
The legendary blues showman was in his 80s when he won his first Grammy Award, and now he has three. Already enshrined in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rush continues to take his self-defined folk-funk blend to global acclaim.
Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt was a key and a beloved figure in the American folk-blues music revival of the 1960s. Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Taj Mahal were among the generation of musicians influenced by his syncopated finger-picking style and storyteller vocals, and he is hailed as a bridge between the folk traditions of the 19th century and 20th century American acoustic music.
Mississippi John Hurt Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs“I am absolutely thrilled,” Mary Frances Hurt, the musician’s granddaughter, said by phone from Chicago. She has operated the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation for the last 30 years, criss-crossing the country to accept awards and honors on his behalf.
“I am ecstatic that he’s being recognized in his own home state,” she said of the man she knew as Daddy John. She, too, recalled the Gospel’s words about a prophet and honor at home. “He loved Mississippi and his home so much.”
That this tribute comes amid such high-profile company in the inductee class, 60 years after her grandfather’s death, “That’s incredible and I’m so grateful for that.”
Charley Patton
Early 20th century Delta blues musician and songwriter Charley Patton’s guitar skills, raw and booming vocals and stage flash proved to be elemental building blocks of blues and early rock ’n’ roll. They exerted a powerful influence on musicians who followed, including such legends as Robert Johnson, Son House and “Pops” Staples. Patton, a Blues Hall of Fame member since 1989, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence” in 2021.
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty Credit: Courtesy of The MAXEnduring hitmaker Conway Twitty, born Harold Lloyd Jenkins in Friars Point, was actually a rockabilly star and teen idol early on, but scored biggest and longest in the country genre. His record of 55 No. 1 singles held until George Strait broke it in 2006. Twitty penned 11 of those chart-toppers himself.
From the No. 1 “Hello Darlin’” to the No. 7 “Goodbye Time,” Twitty stayed a star for five decades, selling over 50 million records and earning a spot, too, in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
An induction ceremony for The MAX Hall of Fame will be held Jan. 28 at the MSU Riley Center just down the street. The ceremony will celebrate inductees with entertaining, educational and often moving tributes in performance, followed by a reception back at The MAX.
New honorees’ bigger-than-life-size portraits will join the soaring, two-story Hall of Fame rotunda that is the centerpiece draw at The MAX, touted as “360 degrees of Mississippi star power.” Interactive kiosks there invite visitors to explore their inspiring stories and achievements.
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