By Staff
REMEMBERING JIMMIE RODGERS Betty Lou Jones, left, president of the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Foundation, stands with Britt Gully and other foundation board members Shine Pogue, Van Mac and Carolyn Smith on Wednesday as they honor the "Father of Country Music" by placing a wreath at his gravesite in Oak Grove Cemetery in Meridian. Photo by Anna Wright/The Meridian Star
By Penny Randall / staff writer
May 27, 2004
Jimmie Rodgers was remembered Wednesday with a wreath laying ceremony at his gravesite in Oak Grove Cemetery in Meridian.
Fans and the public joined together to honor Rodgers, known as the "Father of Country Music," in the most traditional part of the 51st Annual Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival.
The festival continues this weekend with a concert featuring country singers Clay Walker and Jeff Bates. The concert is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center.
The concert is being sponsored by the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival and WOKK radio station.
Among Walker's 11 No. 1 singles are "Live Until I Die," "If I Could Make a Living," "This Woman and this Man," "Then What" and, the most recent, "Chain of Love." He is expected to draw crowds of all ages.
Opening for Walker will be Jeff Bates of Hattiesburg, a newcomer to the country music scene. Bates' "Rainbow Man" debuted at No. 14 on Soundscan's Top Current Country Albums chart.
The winners of the Jimmie Rodgers Talent Contest also will perform.