WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: State's Grammy Legacy Celebrated at Gala

State's Grammy Legacy Celebrated at Gala

"Mississippi is the Birthplace of America's Music" was the theme of a special celebration of entertainers in Jackson Thursday night.

The celebration of the state's Grammy legacy was hosted by Governor Haley Barbour and First Lady Marsha Barbour.

The homegrown talent of Grammy winners and nominees like singer and actress Brandy, Mavis Staples of the famed Staples Singers, the Williams Brothers, Eddie Cotton, and dancer Kathy Thibodeaux were recognized.

"I just feel like Mississippi is a state of soul," Staples said. "It just showered on all of us, and we just let it shine."

"Mississippi has got so many entertainers, and you sometimes don't realize it until one of these events, and you go, 'Oh yeah!'" said singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet.  

"I love coming back home, because there's so much love here," said McComb native Brandy Norwood. "I feel like everybody's my family, and it's such a different energy from anywhere else that I've ever been, so I'm so excited."

"We're the first state that the recording academy has ever allowed to have a Grammy-sanctioned event to honor our Grammy nominees and Grammy winners," said Governor Barbour. "In Mississippi we have more Grammy nominees and winners per capita than any other state in the country."

WLBT's Howard Ballou was part of the celebration for the second year in a row.

The event is sponsored by Meridian-based Peavey Electronics, which does business in 136 countries.