Thu, 8 December 2011
The Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corp. was established in 2006 to assist area Vietnamese-Americans after Hurricane Katrina. Known as the CDC, they were called on once again to assist the Gulf Coast Vietnamese fishing community after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. |
Tue, 6 December 2011
Here is our gift to you, our loyal listeners: 30 minutes of our annual Roots Reunion Show recorded live Saturday, December 3rd at the historic Saenger Theater in downtown Hattiesburg. The show features traditional music from Mississippi and the surrounding area. This month's show included bluegrass byour house band, The Patchwork String Band, the traditional music of Doug and Rhonda Webb, Irish folk singer Jim Flanagan, Jazz by Heather and the Monkey King, and more bluegrass by Delta Reign. You can get a CD of the entire show FREE with your paid membership to the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage by going to http://www.usm.edu/oral-history/become-member . |
Thu, 1 December 2011
Historic Mobile Street in downtown Hattiesburg was for many years the hottest strip for live music outside of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It was on Mobile Street in 1947 a young guitarist named Tommie Pruitt began a career that has lasted 64 years and counting. Pruitt recalls learning to play on a homemade guitar and how his father earned money as a street musician. Taken from an interview provided by the Mississippi Arts Commission's Folklife Archive. |
Wed, 16 November 2011
In the early sixties, NASA decided to construct a rocket engine test facility in Lee Paul of Bay St. Louis was part of a team of engineers sent to test how the noise would affect the surrounding area. He recalls the massive horn they used and the community’s reaction to the tests. Paul also recounts how area wildlife inspired the names of some of the roads. |
Wed, 16 November 2011
As a boy in Nesbit, Kenny Brown had a hard time learning to play the guitar. That changed when blues legend, Mississippi Joe Callicott, moved next door. Years later, Brown befriended another blues legend, R.L. Burnside. Brown recalls playing with Burnside and his first trip to a juke joint. Brown also demonstrates the difference between the Hill Country blues of |
Fri, 28 October 2011
In 1894, a group of African American men from the Bay St Louis area formed the One Hundred Members Benevolent Debating Association. In 1922, the Association constructed a meeting hall as place to conduct fundraising events. Known as the Hundred Men Hall, it became a regular stop for many of the greatest musical acts of the day. |
Fri, 28 October 2011
Walter Biggins and Anna Kline are newly weds from |
Fri, 30 September 2011
As a boy, Hattiesburg resident, Jimmy Swan dreamed of performing on the Grand Ole Opry. He tells the story of how he ran away from home at the age of 13 and a young man he met named Hank Williams. |
Wed, 21 September 2011
Randy Yates of Oxford is co-owner of the Ajax Diner on the Square. He recalls growing up in Jackson and the restaurants that influenced his decision to go into food service. He also details the foods offered at the Ajax Diner and why he feels it's important to have a wide variety. |
Fri, 9 September 2011
Elsie McWilliams of Meridian loved to write plays for her church's you group, but had never tried to write a song. That changed after she received a phone call from her famous brother-in-law, country singer, Jimmie Rodgers |
Fri, 9 September 2011
When Monica Williams flad her home city of New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, she decided to make Jackson her new home. Soon, Williams became the cafeteria chef for Saint Therese Catholic School. She discusses adapting her traditional New Orleans dishes to meet the nutritional needs of the children. |
Fri, 26 August 2011
After not playing guitar for many years, John Arnold was inspired to by the re-release of Jimmie Rodgers' catalog in the mid-sixties. He began performing Rodgers' music across the state for fairs and other events. |
Fri, 26 August 2011
For Greek Americans, traditional foods provide an important link to culture and family. Kris Gianakos recalls a recent family reunion and the role that food played at the gathering. He also details how Greek foods are combined with traditional American foods during the holidays. |
Wed, 17 August 2011
As the son of an army officer, Julian Brunt of |
Thu, 11 August 2011
Retired Lt. General Russell Honoré lead the recovery operation in his home state of |
Fri, 22 July 2011
Born in 1900, LeGrand “Doc” Capers witnessed many changes to his home town of Capers also describes a visit to the Vicksburg Cotton Exchange. |
Fri, 22 July 2011
Sarah Carter of Carter recalls the decision to remain at home during the flood as boats became the only means of transportation. |
Fri, 22 July 2011
Following WWII, advances in modern farming methods meant fewer jobs for rural Mississippians. In response, the Tupelo Community Development Foundation was formed to bring industrial jobs to |
Fri, 22 July 2011
Before the advent of the self-service filling station in the 1970s, there was the full-service gas station. Here, uniformed attendants pumped gas, checked your car’s fluids, and even washed the windshield. James and Ruby Wentworth of Meadville operated such a station during the 1940s. She recalls the demands of being a working wife and mother. |
Fri, 22 July 2011
In 1955, director Elia Kazan came to |
Mon, 27 June 2011
During WWII, Japanese-Americans were forced to live in “relocation” camps by the government. Despite this harsh treatment, many of them served with distinction in the armed forces. Herbert Sasaki recalls coming to |
Mon, 6 June 2011
In December of 1941, with war in the Pacific looming, a series of Naval Construction Battalions were established. Known as Seabees, they were responsible for building the bridges, airstrips, roads and buildings needed by our troops. Dr. Patrick Gill of Macon, Mississippi explains how he became a Seabee. He remembers the hot and difficult conditions of the Philippines. |
Mon, 23 May 2011
Like many blues musicians, Willie Jordan of Rose Hill, was taught how to play by family members. Jordan discusses the impact music has had on his life and the universal truths contained within the blues. |
Tue, 10 May 2011
Blues Musician, Melvin Stacks of Picayune, recalls growing up poor and talks about his early influences. He also discusses his vocal techniques and the importance of warming up. |
Tue, 3 May 2011
Broadcasting pioneer, Jobie Martin, was discouraged from playing sports as a child by his mother. He recounts the remarkable story of how he began playing football for Jackson State University (then Jackson College) at the age of 40--a feat that earned him a place in the JSU Sports Hall of Fame! |
Mon, 25 April 2011
After working in Chicago for twelve years as an assistant pathologist, Jobie Martin came home to Mississippi to help his mother. He details how a job at the Gulfport Airport led to a remarkable career in broadcasting. |
Thu, 14 April 2011
In 1976, Dorothy |
Fri, 8 April 2011
For many people, music is a family tradition. Blues guitarist Vasti Jackson of Hattiesburg recalls how family influenced his decision to play the blues. He also discusses growing up in McComb with neighbors like Wakefield "Big Moody" Coney. |
Fri, 1 April 2011
In this final look at Jerry Clower's 1973 interview with the Center for Oral History, Clower discusses the difference his step father made in his life. He also talks about having fun without a lot of money. |
Thu, 24 March 2011
Before the advent of refrigeration, farmers relied on a variety of innovative methods for preserving meat. Boe McClure of Marshall County describes how they used to smoke hams in their smoke house. McClure also recalls how his mother preserved sausage using fertilizer bags and home canning.
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Fri, 18 March 2011
Rev. John M. Perkins became involved in the civil rights movement after returning to Mississippi in 1960. He recalls being arrested in Mendenhall in 1969. After the arrest of Perkins and his young parishioners, people from around the county converged on the jail. Perkins marks this incident as the beginning of the civil rights movement in Simpson County. |
Mon, 14 March 2011
The Civil Rights movement forced many Mississippians to rethink some long held attitudes. Humorist Jerry Clower speaks candidly about how his experiences and faith altered his views on race. |
Sat, 12 March 2011
You can now enjoy Mississippi Moments on the go with our new Android App. It is available for download through Google's Android App Store for the low one-time price of $1.99. With over 260 episodes and counting, you can enjoy hours of entertaining and educational audio clips from The Center for Oral History's enormous collection. We will be including additional content exclusively for the MS Moments App, so don't miss out. Download it today!
Category:general
-- posted at: 11:06am CDT
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Wed, 9 March 2011
For many years, farmers and share croppers relied on credit supplied by furnish merchants. Humorist Jerry Clower of Liberty, Mississippi explains how this early lending system functioned and the history of the expression "making groceries." |
Wed, 9 March 2011
In the early 20th Century, Mississippi’s fledgling cattle industry was plagued with tick fever. By 1929, it was obvious that something must be done to fight the state’s tick infestation. McComb newspaper publisher John O. Emmerich recalls how this new program was met with violent opposition. |
Wed, 9 March 2011
Long time newspaper publisher G.O. Parker of Magee reflects on his early career and on the colorful history of politics in Simpson County. |
Wed, 9 March 2011
For many years after the repeal of Prohibition, Mississippi remained a ‘dry’ state. Rev. John Perkins of New Hebron recalls how his family made ends meet by selling moonshine whiskey. He explains the difference between ‘homebrew’ and ‘moonshine.’ |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Hundreds of volunteers travelled to Mississippi in 1964 to teach basic literacy to African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. One of those volunteers, Sandra Adickes, shares her initial impressions of Hattiesburg.
Adickes also recalls a trip to the Hattiesburg Public library with six African American students in the first attempt to integrate the city’s library. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Dorothy Nunnery of Brandon worked as a nurse at the VA Hospital in Jackson for 32 years. She recalls her time at the Jackson Infirmary Nursing School during WWII. She also recounts her first encounter with bed bugs. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Built in 1918 between Mendenhall and Magee, the Mississippi State Tuberculosis Sanatorium provided care and isolation for those afflicted with this terrible disease. Dorothy Nunnery of Brandon recalls living on the grounds of the Sanatorium during the 1930s. Nunnery also explains the purpose of the Preventorium and remembers a family who came to stay.
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Tue, 18 January 2011
Former Mississippi Supreme Court, Armis E. Hawkins, served as a district attorney in Chickasaw County in the early 1950s. He looks back on his early career. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, Armis E. Hawkins, joined the service in June 1942 with ambitions of becoming an officer. The Marine Corps had other plans. Hawkins recalls his service during WWII. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
The first African American Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, Reuben Anderson, remembers the racial climate of 1960s Mississippi. At Tougaloo College, he was inspired by the activism around him. He looks back on his career and his beginnings as a civil rights lawyer. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Senator Thad Cochran nominated Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Michael Mills for a Federal Judgeship in 2001. Mills recounts a getting phone call from the Oval Office. Justice Mills’ confirmation hearing before the Senate was just two days after 9/11. Mills remembers the patriotism and resolve of Americans to overcome the tragedy in the immediate aftermath. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
One of Justice Michael P. Mills’ fondest memories from his tenure on the Mississippi Supreme Court was his friend and colleague Justice Michael Sullivan. He shares some of his favorite memories of his friend. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Retired Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Robert Sugg has fond memories of his days on the bench. He remembers of some of his fellow judges. Sugg also recounts a fishing trip with fellow justice Francis Bowling. |
Tue, 18 January 2011
Retired Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Robert P. Sugg wanted to be a pilot during WWII. He recalls how a perforated ear drum prevented him from serving. He discusses his early career. |