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Blues Heritage Award

This award honors Mr. Early Wright, "The Soul Man" of WROX radio who became Mississippi's first African American radio DJ in 1947.  Early Wright was the symbolic leader of the annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival and the Early Wright Award has been presented each year at the Festival during August since 1991.  This award is presented to a non-musician for outstanding work to "preserve, promote, perpetuate, and document blues in the Mississippi Delta."

Early Wright was born on February 10, 1915 in Jefferson, MS and died on December 10, 1999 in Memphis, TN.
Facts about Mr. Wright:  Moved to Clarksdale in 1937; was a farmer; learned to drive a train; was a mechanic; was a manager of a Gospel group; was hired by Buck Hinman, manager of WROX; interviewed Elvis, Muddy Waters, BB King, Bobby Rush, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, Little Milton, Pinetop Perkins, Rufus Thomas, and Charley Pride; profiled on CBS, ABC, and CNN; written up in The Los Angeles Times, The Atlanta Constitution, and The Washington Post; an Early Wright scholarship was established at the University of Mississippi in 1988.

WROX-AM is the oldest Radio Station in Northwest Mississippi.  The Station opened on June 2, 1944 with 250 watts broadcasting from 321 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale, MS.  The station moved to 257 Delta Avenue in 1946 and remained there for nine years until moving to the Alcazar Hotel in 1955.  The station remained within the Hotel until 1980.  After additional moves, in 2005 WROX relocated to 628 Desoto Avenue.

Kinchen H. O'Keefe Jr. purchased the Hopson Building in 1999 and "Bubba" maintains the WROX Museum at 257 Delta Avenue.  The first floor has a display of early radios and the second floor has a recording studio.

Early Wright Award Winners
1991 Early Wright - The Soul Man
1992 Skip Henderson, music promoter & historian
1993 Sid F. Graves, founder Delta Blues Museum d 1-9-2005
1994 Jim O'Neal, founder Rooster Blues Records
1995 Panny Flautt Mayfield, journalist, writer
1996 Lillian McMurry (Shedd), founder Trumpet Records d 3-18-1999
1997 John Anton Ruskey, Delta Blues Museum Curator
1998 Johnnie Billington, Master Blues teacher
1998 Howard Stovall, Blues Foundation Director
1999 Lew Houston, Festival promoter
2000 Mae Smith, Delta Blues Museum specialist
2001 Yvonne Stanford, Sunflower Blues secretary
2002 Sam & Doris Carr, Delta Blues Association members
2003 Frank 'Rat' Ratliff, owner Riverside Hotel
2003 Sonny Payne, host of King Biscuit Time KFFA
2004 Catherine Clark, Treasurer Sunflower Blues Association
2005 Nat Mullen Atty, Sunflower Festival Chairman
2006 Leroy 'Red' Paden, owner Red's Lounge
2007 John Sherman, Attorney
2008 Steve Ladd - Radio Veteran d 7-20-2008
2009 Rita Marascalo long-time Patron

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