About us

Our mission

The mission of the Black Prairie Blues Museum is to inspire generations of blues lovers, old and new, through preserving, educating, performing, and celebrating the history and culture of the blues with an emphasis on the rich Black Prairie Region.

History of the Prairie Belt Blues Foundation

The Prairie Belt Blues Foundation and the Black Prairie Blues Museum were founded when the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society of West Point, Mississippi, felt that its mission to promote blues education and the achievements of West Point area blues musicians should be passed to a new foundation. The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society had been founded in 1995 by West Point Mayor Kenny Dill and Dr. Joe Stevens and established the Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival as its principal fundraiser.

In 2014 the Prairie Belt Blues Foundation was founded as a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation to assume the mission and projects of the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society including the annual blues festival. The new foundation was established with Milton Sundbeck President and a board composed of James Hahn, Beverly Norris, Richard Ramsey, Becky Shirley and Rufus Ward. Through, Sundbeck’s leadership, commitment, and generosity the foundation obtained and is restoring the historic Bank of West Point building in downtown West Point, Mississippi, as the Black Prairie Blues Museum. The foundation expanded its focus from principally promoting the legacy of Howlin’ Wolf and area blues musicians to a celebration of the heritage of the many blues musicians of the old Black Prairie region of Mississippi and Alabama. The Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues festival became the Black Prairie Blues Festival and continued until its interruption by the onset of Covid.

In furtherance of its mission to celebrate and promote the heritage of the blues, the foundation has used the museum as a venue for performances of blues music and for blues related educational activities for young people. The museum exhibits are in the formative stage while curator Jeremy Klutts organizes its collections and the board works with Museum Arts of Dallas Texas, on exhibit design and layout. However, the creative leadership of Deborah Mansfield has enabled the interior of the museum to be used for community events promoting blues heritage for young and old alike as design plans progress. Though the exhibits are not yet in place the Black Prairie Blues Museum is a living working museum promoting the legacy of the blues musicians of the old Black Prairie of Mississippi and Alabama.

We are proud of our Advisory Board!

William R. Ferris

William is a professor of history at UNC–Chapel Hill and an adjunct professor in the Curriculum in Folklore. He is associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South, and is widely recognized as a leader in Southern studies, African-American music and folklore. He is the former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Prior to his role at NEH, Ferris served as the founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he was a faculty member for 18 years.

Birney Imes

For more than 30 years, photographer Birney Imes has captured the people, places, and culture of his native Mississippi. Working in both black and white and color, Imes’s photographs take viewers inside juke joints and dilapidated restaurants scattered across the Southern landscape. His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, La Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and many public and private collections in the United States and abroad.

Lucius T. Outlaw

Lucius is a Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University where his teaching and scholarly interests are racial matters in socio-political life, in the United States in particular, and in legacies and practices of European and Euro-American Philosophy; Social and Political Philosophy and Africana Philosophy.

Robert Damm

Robert is Professor of Music and Director of Music Education Partnerships at MSU. An active percussionist, his recitals have showcased many world music instruments. His freelance performing activity includes work with Big Joe Shelton and the Black Prairie Blues Ambassadors, Jesse Robinson and the Hip Waders, Blues Axis, and the Hep Cats Jazz Trio. He studied music and culture in Cuba, Ghana, and Mali. He published articles concerning Mississippi hill country fife and drum, the bamboula rhythm of New Orleans, the fanga rhythm and dance, classic rudimental snare drum repertoire, samba, and the udu of Nigeria. He is a certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher and a Smithsonian Folkways certified teacher of world music.

Scott Barretta

Scott is the host of Highway 61 on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, a writer/researcher for the Mississippi Blues Trail, and was on the team that created the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. He is an instructor of sociology at the University of Mississippi, and was an editor and is a contributor to Living Blues magazine, published by the Center For the Study of Southern Culture in Oxford. In 2016 he received the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for Mississippi Heritage. Scott is literally a walking textbook of the blues. His interest in, support, and promotion of the blues [here in Mississippi] is rivaled by none.

Roger Stolle

After a long marketing career in Corporate America, "Mad Man" Roger Stolle moved to Clarksdale in 2002 with a mission to "organize and promote the blues from within." He owns Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, co-founded multiple blues festivals, writes for Blues Music Magazine and is a contributing editor to Delta Magazine, authored "Hidden History of Mississippi Blues" and "Mississippi Juke Joint Confidential", has contributed to blues radio shows and co-produced award-winning films like Hard Times, M for Mississippi and We Juke Up in Here. He is co-creator of the web series Moonshine & Mojo Hands. He produced three acclaimed albums on Big George Brock and has assisted other blues record labels. He's also toured Mississippi bluesmen to at least 8 foreign countries.

Marc O'Ferrall

Vice President, Marketing & Communications at National Black Mcdonalds Operators Association. He is the owner of O'Ferrall Management Group, a Mcdonalds franchise.

Jeffrey Rupp

Jeffrey is the director of outreach for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach at Mississippi State University. He brings light into the E-Center and and the Idea Shop, connecting the university and community with relationships in the field of entrepreneurship. Rupp is the Alderman for the City of Starkville, Ward 3. From 2001 to 2006 he served as Mayor for the City of Columbus, MS . He also worked for many years at WCBI-TV. He loves playing rock and roll and can be seen often playing for public events in the Golden Triangle.

Curtis Davis-Strong

Curtis was born in West Point, MS/Clay County between Whites Station and Stronghill. He remembers as young adult driving his father and uncles to the Juke Joints in White Station, Mayhew Junction and other Juke Joints in the Prairie area to see Howlin Wolf, Bukka White, Albert King and others perform. He is related to Howling Wolf through his great grandmother and Albert King is his first cousin. He now lives in Las Vegas, NV since retiring from US Army.

Keith and Chrissie Heard

Keith is the President of Key Impact Strategies with offices in Washington, DC and Jackson, Mississippi and a Senior Policy Advisor for the National Rural Water Association. He formerly served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, Chairman of Senate Appropriations. Keith previously served in executive roles with the National Cotton Council and the National Corn Growers Association. In 2016 he was named to "Mississippi's Top 50," a list of the most influential Mississippians for shaping business, politics and public policy.

Meet the Team

Deborah Mansfield

PROJECT MANAGER

Deborah Mansfield was born in 1959, grew up in central Ohio and studied Landscape Architecture at, The Ohio State University. Deborah married James Mansfield also a Landscape Architect in 1982. She and Jim have lived in Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston they now reside in West Point, Mississippi.
Gary Turner

PRESIDENT
Born in Sulligent, AL, he played football at Ole Miss as one of its first Black athletes, earning honors including All-SEC and National Lineman of the Week. He graduated in Criminal Justice and served in law enforcement, retiring as Assistant Chief in West Point, MS. He has held leadership roles in civic, alumni, and advisory boards, co-founded local organizations, and invested in real estate. He was named West Point Citizen of the Year and is married to Gail Nolls Turner.
Riley Pierce

TREASURER

Riley graduated from Mississippi State University with a M.S. in Professional Accountancy in May of 2020 and just recently sat for his final CPA exam. He is currently employed with the West Point office of Watkins, Ward, & Stafford, LLC. Riley and his wife, Meg (his high school sweetheart), were both born and raised in West Point and have chosen to settle and live here. They have a deep affinity for West Point and wish to offer to this community all of their energy, enthusiasm, and resources.
Ed Rice

Ed Rice is a West Point native and graduate of West Point High School. He served in the United States Navy from 1971 to 1975, completing three Western Pacific deployments before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Belhaven College and both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon. While at Oregon, Ed served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and later taught printmaking for a faculty member on sabbatical. In 1986, he founded Graphic Arts Productions, a screen-printing business he operated until his retirement in 2018.
The arts have always been an important part of Ed’s life, and blues music has been a lifelong passion. In the late 1970s, he saw Mississippi blues legends Son Thomas and Sam Chatmon perform several times and became a close friend of Emmett “Piano Red” Hudson, whose music and storytelling left a lasting impression on him.
Josh Gills

Josh Gills is the founder of Catfish Alley Studio in Columbus, Mississippi, where he works to inspire the next generation of musicians through music education, performance opportunities, and emerging technology. With a passion for blues history, community storytelling, and preserving local musical culture.
Armand Edwards

Armand Edwards was born and raised in West Point, MS. He attended West Point High School and graduate of the Class of 2006. He has a bachelors of fine arts degree in graphic design from MUW. Armand currently works in the insurance industry. He has always had love for art, music, and movies. Armand believes that blues music and the pioneers of the genre are a huge part of the history of Mississippi. He is grateful that the museum is here in West Point to showcase the contributions to that history to a new audience.
Bob Brzuszek

Bob Brzuszek (Brew-zek) is a Professor of Landscape Architecture at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS. Bob grew up listening to the Motown Sound in Detroit, Michigan but has been a resident of Mississippi for over 30 years. He has special interest in regional sense of place and its expression in art, music, and literature. Bob has worked with many of the state's art and cultural institutions and can often be found at area juke joints or blues festivals.
Carrie Hamilton

Carrie has been a volunteer and board member committed to serving the Black Prairie Blues Foundation since 2013. She is passionate about blues music and dedicated to preserving the legacy of influential artists from the region that were paramount in the evolution of American music. She is a 2006 graduate of Mississippi University for Women, where she obtained a B.A. in Communication & International Relations. She was born & raised in the Golden Triangle and resides in West Point with her spouse and their two children. She co-owns and operates two local restaurants, Anthony's Good Food Market and Magnolia's at The Ritz. "Music has always given me great joy throughout life. I'm committed to giving back by celebrating and promoting our regions rich musical and artistic heritage."
Charles Johnson

Charles F. Johnson Charles, a 1980 West Point High graduate, earned a Public Administration degree from the University of Mississippi in 1985. A U.S. Army veteran and former Field Artillery Officer, he later served 26 years in law enforcement, retiring as a detective supervisor. He also led private and commercial security for 15 years. A member of Mount Hermon MB Church, Charles enjoys reading, music, dance, and travel.
Deborah Johnson

Deborah Johnson Deborah is an accomplished writer of 7 published books, who currently resides in Columbus, MS. Her book, The Air Between Us, received the Mississippi Library Association Award for Fiction. Johnson has been the editor for Genesis Press in Columbus and Executive Director of the Colom Foundation. Before moving to Columbus, she lived in Italy, where she was an announcer for the Vatican Radio in Rome. Deborah loves how every way you enter this state you see the sign: Welcome to Mississippi. Birthplace of America’s Music. It’s a motto to be proud of and she wants to be a part of.
Jeremy Klutts

A West Point native, Jeremy’s roots run deep in the Black Prairie. After volunteering for years for the Black Prairie Blues Festival, he took over the reins as Coordinator in 2015 and is a founding member of the Museum Board. He left West Point once for the US Navy and now works as the city’s Building Official. Jeremy is married to Lisa, the Director of the West Point Clay County Growth Alliance. They serve the community through their jobs and untold hours of volunteer work. Jeremy is fueled by his love of the blues and commitment to its promotion and preservation.
Travis Metcalf

Travis began his college career on a band scholarship at Itawamba Community College after receiving many honors and accolades at Aberdeen High School, including being twice selected for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band. He received a B.A. in Music from Delta State University, having been the recipient of band and choral scholarships. He started his teaching career at Shannon High School,and has been teaching at West Point High School since 2014 where he is now the Head Director of Bands. Travis loves playing the trumpet, if you are lucky, you might hear him at the Museum.
Rufus Ward

A native of Columbus, Mississippi, Ward resides in both Columbus and West Point with his wife, Karen, a retired social worker and adoption specialist with the Mississippi Department of Human Services. They have two children, Sarah Hoffman of Alexandria, Virginia, and Bailey of Gulfport, Mississippi, along with grandchildren Harper and Sykes and their beloved Llewellin English Setter, Lillie. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Ward earned a B.A. in Education in 1972 and a Juris Doctor in 1974, later completing the Education for Ministry program at the University of the South’s School of Theology. After retiring as Clay County Prosecuting Attorney, he devoted much of his time to researching, preserving, and sharing Mississippi history. He is the author or co-author of several books and numerous scholarly articles on regional, Native American, and river history, and has written more than 475 history columns for the Columbus Commercial Dispatch since 2010. A frequent lecturer and speaker on Southern history and culture, Ward has presented for universities, civic organizations, and educational programs throughout Mississippi and Alabama. His contributions to historic preservation and archaeology have earned multiple statewide honors, including the Calvin Brown Award and recognition from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Active in community service, he currently serves in leadership roles with several historical, cultural, charitable, and religious organizations, including the Billups-Garth Foundation and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum, while continuing to promote and preserve the rich heritage of Mississippi and the South.
Tom Miller

Tom Miller, Jr. is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives and a Professor of Finance and inaugural holder of the Jack R. Lee Chair in Financial and Consumer Finance at Mississippi State University. With its focus on Consumer Finance, notably installment credit products, the Lee Chair is the first of its kind. He currently serves as a member of the Academic Research Council at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Professor Miller has several ongoing research projects on various topics in small dollar loans. His current research now includes projects on payday loans and on small dollar installment loans.
Miller is a frequent speaker at national conferences and conventions. His overall topics generally tend to focus on the value to consumers of maintaining access to small dollar credit products, the value of competition in small dollar credit products, and educating policymakers about how small dollar credit products work.
Miller has had, and maintains, a long-standing interest in derivative securities and investments. He has published numerous scholarly peer-reviewed articles on various topics in derivative securities. In addition, he is the author of How Do Small-Dollar Nonbank Loans Work? and co-author (with Bradford D. Jordan and Steve Dolvin) of Fundamentals of Investments: Valuation and Management, 9th ed. (McGraw-Hill/Irwin). He is also co-author (with David Dubofsky) of Derivatives: Valuation and Risk Management (Oxford University Press).
Miller received his Ph.D. in finance from the University of Washington (Seattle) and his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in applied economics from Montana State University. In his off hours, he enjoys playing jazz and blues on the tenor saxophone.