(Brinda Fuller Willis/Jackson Free Press) – When the 59th annual Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 12, Mississippians will have more reason to watch than just the performances and celebrities at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

This year, three prominent bluesmen from our state, Bobby Rush, Vasti Jackson and Luther Dickinson, are nominated for the Best Traditional Blues Album.

Rush, 83, is a Jackson-based blues icon celebrating his fourth Grammy nod, this time for his latest offering, Porcupine Meat, released in September 2016. Jackson, 57, is a McComb-native blues guitarist and vocalist, receiving his first individual Grammy nomination for his sixth album, The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers, released in May 2016; he also played guitar and served as the musical director on Porcupine Meat. Dickinson, 44, is a Tennessee-born blues guitarist who grew up in north Mississippi, also known for his work with the North Mississippi Allstars and The Black Crowes. He is nominated for his solo double-album, Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger’s Songbook, Vol. I & II, released in February 2016.

Tune into the 59th annual Grammy Awards at 7 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12, on CBS.

Excerpt from By Brinda Fuller Willis/Jackson Free Press… read entire article with interview here.

Photo courtesy Michele Lundeen