My poor state, which shall remain nameless, is better known for the big stars who DIED here than those who started out here.

Sigh...

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

Currently living in AZ but I'm from Mississippi

The only band of any national notoriety that I can think of from Mississippi is the North Mississippi Alstars.

But there are a lot of famous musicians:

Elvis
BB King
Albert King
Robert Johnson
Jimmy Rodgers
John Lee Hooker
Tammy Wynette
Charley Pride
Skip James
Howlin Wolf
Hound Dog Taylor - with six fingers
Son House
Faith Hill - From my home town - Played little league with her older brother.
Marty Stuart - worked in my Grandmother's store for $3 a day when he was in Jr. High School.
Sam Cooke
Moe Bandy
Bobbie Gentry
Bo Diddley
Mickey Gilley
LeAnn Rimes
Otis Rush
Bukka White

Maybe more.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.

I wasn't born in Minnesota, but have spent a combined total of approx. 1/3 of my life here and will likely be here til the end of days...

Of course we have Bob Dylan...

And, Eddie Cochrane... Prince... Leo Kotke... Johnny Lang...

But I believe we also have one of the most influencial early Rock & Rollers... pre-Elvis, even pre-Bill Haley...

A guy known for his Rock & Roll, Telecaster and Bermuda Shorts... a Mexican-American by the name of Augie Garcia...



He opened for Elvis in his 1st concert here in St. Paul in 1956. There was a 2nd concert the same afternoon across the river in Minneapolis. But Augie so captured the crowd in St. Paul that Col. Parker (Elvis' manager) struck Augie from the bill at the 2nd show -

Augie Garcia, from St. Paul's West Side, was known as the "godfather of Minnesota rock 'n' roll." In 1956, he opened for Elvis Presley in the St. Paul Auditorium, but his high-energy show in his trademark Bermuda shorts was too much for Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker. The crowd became frenzied, Garcia later recalled, and Parker pulled him from the stage, citing a clause in Garcia's contract that barred competition with the headliner. The shorts were a Garcia trademark. He recalled that he had 38 pair of them that he wore in both summer and winter.

Of course, being of Mexican decent, Augie never got the recognition and big recording contract he deserved... no Radio Station would have played him...

I had the honor to meet Augie and share some beers just a couple years before his death...

Google him and see if he's not a R&R treasure !!

cheers!

_________________


'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

From Connecticut, The Wildweeds and NRBQ, (both featuring 'Big' Al Anderson, and Steam.

I'm from R.I. and all we have is John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown band along with Tavares who were on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack I think.