Jimmie Rodgers Festival and Museum

Jimmie Rodgers Festival and Museum The Jimmie Rodgers Festival has been a showcase of talent for some very well known artist since 1953

The Sound of America was made in Meridian.Sculptor Mark Brown is transforming pieces of Meridian's history into The Soun...
06/17/2026

The Sound of America was made in Meridian.

Sculptor Mark Brown is transforming pieces of Meridian's history into The Sound of America, a new public art sculpture that will stand outside the new Jimmie Rodgers Museum.

We are proud recipients of a Mississippi Arts Commission Public Art Grant, which is helping bring this project to life as part of the MS America250 celebration.

The sculpture will incorporate artifacts that helped build our city, including a railroad signal and a gear from historic Soule Steam Works. These pieces represent the industries that brought people from many backgrounds together in Meridian: Irish, Scottish, and German immigrants, alpine yodelers, minstrel performers, and African American blues musicians whose music traveled the railroad lines.

It was here that those influences met. It was here that Jimmie Rodgers learned from the sounds around him and blended them into something new.

We often say that the Sound of America was made in Meridian, and Jimmie Rodgers carried that sound to audiences around the world through his recordings.

We're excited to watch this project take shape and to share more as Mark brings The Sound of America to life.

06/11/2026

“Mama Tried”- performed by 16 year old Meridian Musician Ford Sharman.

The Sound of America was made in Meridian.

When a Tupelo news crew from WTVA 9 News visited the Jimmie Rodgers Museum to feature Jimmie Rodgers’ influence on American music, they also featured 16-year-old Ford Sharman covering “Mama Tried.”

We honor Jimmie’s legacy by nurturing the young musicians who will carry that sound forward.

The Sound of America was made in Meridian and it’s still alive and well today.

06/09/2026

Senator Wicker singing Jimmie Rodgers’ “In the Jailhouse Now” may have been one of our favorite moments of Mississippi June Bug weekend.

One of the June Bugs’ Weekend rules is: no politics.

Just literature, music, fellowship, good food, great conversation, and the things that bring us together.

The June Bugs understand something we believe deeply: music matters because it connects people. That’s why they were here. They understand that songs and stories help us see one another a little more clearly.

Jimmie Rodgers understood that too. Long before anyone used terms like diversity and inclusion, he was building bridges through music, collaborating across cultural lines, and creating something bigger than himself.

Weekends like this remind us that while many things can divide us, music, stories, and shared experiences still have the power to bring us together. We’re grateful the Mississippi June Bugs made Jimmie Rodgers part of their Meridian experience. We loved having them at our museum and will share more of that soon.

06/04/2026

Some days at the museum are better than others.

It's always a good day when someone walks through the door with a story. Today was one of those days.

Jim Ford recently brought us photographs, autographs, and memories from the 1955 Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival. As we work to catalog and preserve the history of the festival, contributions like these help us fill in the gaps and bring the story to life.

The photographs and memorabilia are treasures, but so are the memories behind them. Every conversation, every photograph, every ticket stub, and every autograph helps us create a more complete record of the people and moments that shaped this festival and our community.

We're grateful to Jim for sharing a piece of his history with us and helping ensure that the story of the Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival is preserved for future generations.

History isn't just found in archives. Sometimes it walks through the front door carrying a handfull of memories.
Center for Digital Humanities - USM
International Country Music Conference
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum


We love seeing familiar faces! Our Young-at-Heart visitors from last year returned, this time with their church group al...
05/28/2026

We love seeing familiar faces! Our Young-at-Heart visitors from last year returned, this time with their church group all the way from Pelahatchie. Whether you’re 8 or 88, Jimmie Rodgers’ legacy draws visitors from near and far, and we’re honored to share the joy.

Next stop: Weidmann’s!

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country...
05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Their sacrifice made possible the freedoms we enjoy today, and we are forever grateful.

The Jimmie Rodgers Museum is also proud to announce that we are now an official participant in the Blue Star Museums program for 2026.

Through this partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, active-duty military personnel and their families can receive free admission to the museum from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day.

Music has always helped tell the story of America and we are honored to welcome and serve the families who help protect it.

From all of us at the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, thank you to those who served, those we remember today, and the families who carry that legacy forward.

Please join us in congratulating our youth talent competition winner, Juliana Helton.
05/19/2026

Please join us in congratulating our youth talent competition winner, Juliana Helton.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Jimmie Rodgers talent competition. Our finalists should be very proud, as well. Making it to the live competition puts you in good company with Elvis, Hailey Williams, Jamal Roberts, Todd Tilghman and Faith Hill to name a few.

Thank you to Governor’s Recording Studio at The MAX and MISSISSIPPI SONGWRITERS' FESTIVAL for adding amazing prizes to our prize package. We appreciate your partnership!

Thank you to Red Radio Productions South for covering this historic competition!

That's a wrap on the 2026 Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival. 🎸 From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. To every artist who...
05/11/2026

That's a wrap on the 2026 Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival. 🎸 From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. To every artist who took the stage, every volunteer who showed up before the sun did, every sponsor who believed in this thing, and every single person who made the drive to downtown Meridian this weekend. You are what makes this festival what it is. This community never misses.

Three days of music, memories, and the kind of good time that's hard to put into words. We are already counting down to next year. See you in May 2027. 🤘

Address

1200 22nd Avenue
Meridian, MS
39301

Telephone

+16019387427

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