The Clarksdale Walk of Fame honors notable people from Clarksdale, Mississippi who've made their mark on the culture of Clarksdale. It was created in 2008 by the Clarksdale/

Coahoma County Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale. The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is loc ...

Chamber of Commerce as a self-guided walking tour in an effort to increase foot traffic in downtown Clarksdale. The plaques are located near a site of historical significance associated with the honoree. Singer

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

received the first plaque, dedicated outside the New Roxy theater where he once performed. Also in Clarksdale is the Blues Alley Walk of Fame which was a precursor to the Clarksdale Walk of Fame. Blues musician

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

and the Texas-based rock band

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

were honored. ZZ Top helped raise $1 million in support of the

Delta Blues Museum The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, is a museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing public access to and awareness of the musical genre known as the blues. Along with holdings of significant blues-rel ...

, they have a plaque at the Carnegie Public Library (former location of the museum).

Inductees

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, New Roxy Theater, 357 Issaquena Avenue , - ,

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, 252 Delta Avenue , - ,

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, Clarksdale Station Train Depot, Blues Alley , - ,

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

, St. George's Episcopal Church Rectory, 108 Sharkey Avenue , - , John Clark , Clark House, 211 Clark Street , - ,

Early Wright Early Wright (February 10, 1915 – December 10, 1999) was the first black disc jockey in Mississippi.Cheseborough, Steve. ''Blues Traveling, The Holy Sites of Delta Blues''. 3rd ed. University Press of Mississippi, 2009. . p. 93. His "Soul Man" ...

, Alcazar Hotel, 127 Third Street , - ,

Charlie Conerly Charles Albert Conerly Jr. (September 19, 1921 – February 13, 1996) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall ...

, Hambone Art Gallery, 111 East 2nd Street , - , Perian Conerly , Hambone Art Gallery, 111 East 2nd Street , - , Dr. Aaron Henry , Martin Luther King Boulevard and Ashton Alley , - ,

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...

, 1 Blues Alley , - ,

Super Chikan Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butt ...

{{Cite web, url=http://msbluestrail.org/announcements/clarksdale-walk-of-fame-dedication-for-super-chikan-11am, title=CLARKSDALE: Walk of Fame dedication for SUPER CHIKAN, 11am, website=Mississippi Blues Trail ,

Ground Zero Blues Club Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall, and Eric Meier. Attorney Bill Luckett was also co-owner until his death in 2021. It got its name from t ...

, 0 Blues Alley , - ,

Big Jack Johnson Jack N. Johnson, known as Big Jack Johnson (July 30, 1939 or 1940 – March 14, 2011) was an American electric blues musician, one of the "present-day exponents of an edgier, electrified version of the raw, uncut Delta blues sound." He was one ...

, Red's Blues Club, 398 Sunflower Ave

References

Mississippi culture Tourist attractions in Coahoma County, Mississippi Music of Mississippi 2008 establishments in Mississippi