Mississippi's Famous Musicians Quiz

Answer: Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29, 1935 on a plantation in Ferriday, Louisiana. At seven years old, he taught himself to play the guitar. One year later, he discovered the ivories on the piano. His family was poor, but they mortgaged their house to purchase a piano for their son after realizing he had developed an early talent.

He was raised on gospel in the Assembly of God Church where he also played. He got his first job when he was only 13 years old where he played in a nightclub in Mississippi, earning $10 a night.

By the end of 1957, he would be making $10,000 a night. In 1956, his father took him to Memphis, Tennessee to Sun Records Studio, where he met Sam Phillips. In 1956, he first toured with Johnny Cash. In 1957, Jerry Lee recorded, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", followed by, "Great Balls of Fire", which became his biggest hit. Elvis Presley once told Jerry Lee, "If I could play the piano like that, I'd quit singing". Elvis, as well as Johnny, would become true friends to Lewis through the years.

In 1958, at the height of his national success, his sky-rocketing career came crashing down to earth when in Britain, the public was appalled at the news that Lewis, then only 23 years old, had married his 13 year old cousin, Myra Gale Brown. The tour was cancelled after only three concerts, and Lewis soon vanished from the music scene. Jerry Lee loved the country landscape so much that he purchased a 32 acre ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi, just 25 miles south of Memphis. He secluded himself and his family there for many years before making a comeback in music. In 1962, his first son, Steve Allen Lewis, drowned in the family swimming pool when he was only three years old. Afterwards, Lewis poured his heart and soul into country and western music to deal with his grief. Six of his singles hit number one on the country charts. Later, his erratic behavior was induced with alcohol and drugs, and worsened due to another family tragedy. In 1973, his son, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr. was killed in an automobile crash at the young age of 19. So overtaken by the poisons of alcohol and drugs, Lewis knew he couldn't overcome his addictions by himself. He checked into the Betty Ford Clinic for help. In 1989, a book written by his ex-wife Myra, "Great Balls of Fire", was made into a movie, that starred Dennis Quaid as the famous piano wild man. "The Killer" was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Lewis developed his own style of playing because there wasn't a role model when he was growing up. He combined his blues and gospel together and created a one-of-a-kind stage production which was exciting, yet unpredictable. His cousins, who lived near him, television evangelist, Jimmy Swaggart and country music artist, Mickey Gilley, also grew up with the similar piano style, because they too, were raised in the same religious musical background. However, they couldn't quite take their piano playing over the top as their famous hell-raising cousin did. Some people thought his wild stage antics were silly. Others would say they were down-right stupid, while others who really knew the real Jerry Lee, would agree that he was a living legend and all around, the greatest boogie woogie, country, soul, and rock and roll piano player that's ever hit the big stage!

Answer: The Mississippi Mass Choir

The Mississippi Mass Choir was a 100-member, soulful vocal group, founded in the state capital of Jackson, Mississippi by Frank Williams. Mr. Williams was born on June 25, 1947 and grew up singing gospel as a child. He was a member of the gospel quartet, "The Jackson Southernaires". Nine years, his dream was to bring together some of the best talent to show the world all that Mississippi had to offer.

His motto and mission was through his determination to "serve God through song". In the latter months of 1987, word quickly spread about the choir try outs over the radio waves and several hundred cassettes poured in. Williams chose 100 of the best vocals to audition.

In May 1988, his dream was realized and the choir's first rehearsal was held. Six months later, October 29, 1988, the first debut album, "Live" was recorded at the Jackson Municipal Auditorium and stayed on the charts for 45 weeks. On December 8, 1990, the choir put together their second live project, "God Gets the Glory", in the Mississippi Coliseum. That album hit #1 only two weeks after it was released.

They had become the most successful choir in gospel music, and were welcomed every where they toured with an enthusiastic congregation. On March 22, 1993, at the age of 46, Frank Williams died, but his dream lived on. The Mississippi Mass Choir toured Japan, Europe, Nassau, the Bahamas, and most of the states in America. In 1996, they were the first gospel choir to perform at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. They have been in countless magazines, and television appearances which included, "The Bobby Jones Gospel", "PBS-ETV:River of Song", in 1998, "The Today Show" on NBC, "BET-A Family Christmas", and the "CBS" television network. They have been honored with dozens of awards and accolades. Some of them were winning, The James Cleveland GMWA Award as Contemporary Choir of the Year, Best New Traditional Artist of the Year, Soul Train Music Award, Stellar Awards, 1992 Gospel Record of the Year for "God Gets the Glory", Best Sellers Award from the National Association of Record Merchandisers (NARM), Invocation Award from 3M Corporation, several nominations for the Dove Awards, and the 1990 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, just to name a few. On November 14, 1989, governor of Mississippi, Ray Mabus, proclaimed that day as the Mississippi Mass Choir Day in Jackson, Mississippi.

Answer: Lance Bass

James Lansten "Lance" Bass was born on May 4, 1979 in Laurel, Mississippi to Jim and Diane Bass. He had an older sister named Stacey. The Bass family moved to Clinton in the capital city area of Jackson, Mississippi. In 1989, he took chorus in his junior high school, where his musical career actually began.

A year later, he found himself singing in the state wide group, "The Mississippi Show Stoppers", sponsored by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum in Jackson. Lance, the 5 foot, 11 inch tall, green-eyed and blonde haired guy, had always considered himself, "the all-American dude from Mississippi".

He had always been proud of his Mississippi background. His favorite subjects in school were math and science. His life-long dream was to travel into space some day.

In October 2002, he was found to be physically fit and was cleared to fly on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft at the cost of 20 million dollars. However, when his sponsorship funds didn't come through, someone else took his place on that flight.

But in 1995, a pop dance group of five guys were formed, with Lance being chosen as the last person. The name of this popular boy band was called, 'N Sync. Lance was the "bass" singer for the group, and they have been compared with the, "New Kids On The Block" and the "Backstreet Boys". They first hit it big in Europe, then in America. It is interesting how they got their name. Justin Timberlake's mother took the last letter of all the guys first name (after Lance changed his middle name to Lanceton), and she came up with 'N SYNC. His biggest influence was Garth Brooks, and after attending one of his concerts, Lance was convinced that was what he wanted to do. He wanted to sing and become a performer. For four solid years, he lived that dream. There had been numerous rumors and speculations on his sexual orientation because of snapshots that had been taken by the paparazzi. On July 14, 2006, the Southern Baptist reared, Mississippi-bred, former 'N SYNC star, shocked his family when he did a front page cover story for "People" magazine revealing that he was gay. Joey Fatone, his close friend, and member of the group, was the first to know of Lance's secret, but supported him 100%. In 2003, Lance Bass was inducted into the Mississippi Musician's Hall of Fame.

Answer: Sam Cooke

He was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on January 22, 1931 as Samuel Cook (later adding the "e" to his last name). The son of a minister, the family moved to Chicago where his father began pastoring the Church of Christ Holiness. His singing began when, he, two of his sisters' and two brothers formed their own gospel group, calling themselves, "The Singing Children". Between the years of 1957 and 1965, he had 29 top 40 hits. Among some of his best were, "You Send Me", a song he wrote with his brother, L.C. Cook, which resulted in his first big hit.

It remained #1 for six weeks on BillBoards R&B chart. Other hit songs followed, such as, "Chain Gang", "Cupid", "Only Sixteen", "Another Saturday Night", and "Twistin' the Night Away". After the drowning of his infant son in 1963, Sam went into a deep, dark depression, although he and his wife, Barbara, had a daughter named Tracey. Sam took his soulful, gospel sound, along with his talents of song writing and became the most influential black performer to catch the attention of both the black and white races.

He even began the new dance craze, the Twist, in the late '50s. However, his legacy continued to grow even after his death. On December 11, 1964, he met 22 year old Elisa Boyer at a nightclub. They checked into the Hacienda Motel in South Los Angeles, California. Later in the evening, Cooke burst into the motel office, drunk, wearing only one shoe and an overcoat. It was said that he threatened the manager, Bertha Franklin, when he inquired about the woman who had been with him earlier that evening. She feared for her life and shot him three times with a .22, tragically killing the 33 year singer/songwriter. But according to Franklin, his last words were, "Lady you shot me", then fell to the ground dead. Questions of his murder still remain and even talk about re-investigating the case. Most of Cooke's clothes and all of his money were missing from the motel room. Miss Boyer, his escort for the evening, was arrested in L.A. for prostitution months after his death. But in the early '60s, sadly, many questions weren't asked and not much criminal investigation took place. The L.A. police ruled the shooting as a justifiable homicide. It only took 15 minutes for the jury to render a verdict. His family believed it was a conspiracy to commit murder. His widow later married Bobby Womack. Years after Sam's death in 1986, they inducted him as a member into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and on June 15, 1993, his family accepted the Apollo Theater Foundation Chairman Award. You may forget the name, Sam Cooke, but you'll always recognize the words to one of the most famous songs still being played today. "Don't know much about history, don't know much biology. Don't know much about a science book, don't know much about the French I took". A song that's lived on, long after his untimely demise.

Answer: Marty Stuart

Born of the Choctaw Native descent, John Marty Stuart was born on September 30, 1958 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, 35 miles northeast of Meridian. His first guitar was a toy at three years old. At five, he wanted the real instrument. By the time he was 12 years old, he had taught himself to play the guitar and the mandolin.

After attending a Bill Monroe concert, Mr. Monroe gave Marty his mandolin pick, which became his prized possession. Some of his earliest performances were playing festivals and Pentacostal churches with the bluegrass gospel band, "The Sullivans", on weekends and summers. Marty had a life-long passion to play music professionally. School couldn't hold his attention.

He was caught reading country magazines in class instead of his history book, and was sent home by his teacher.

However, this did not stop young Stuart from being obsessed with country music. At 13 years old, Roland White, mandolist for Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass, invited Marty to go on the road with them on a Labor Day Weekend in 1972 to Delaware.

After much convincing, his parents, John and Hilda, agreed and put him on a bus to Nashville where he met up with the band. Mr. White didn't know it then, but he had played an imperative role in launching the musical career of Marty Stuart. After hearing him sing and playing his instruments, Lester Flatt offered him a full time job in his band. While on the road, Flatt promised his parents he would over-see their son's financial and educational responsibilities. Marty took correspondence classes and put most of his earned wages in a bank. Stuart was a band member for six years, until Flatt had to retire because of health reasons. After the death of his mentor and friend, Marty began doing session work for Merle and Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, and others. In 1980, Marty met his all-time hero, Johnny Cash. At 21 years old, he was living his dream playing and traveling the world in Johnny's band for six more years. In 1983, Marty married Cindy, Cash's daughter, but in 1988, they were divorced. In 1989, Marty took a chance and launched his own solo career. He blended traditional, bluegrass, gospel with a southern rock and country, which resulted in the rockabilly sound. This style of music earned him six top-ten hits, one Platinum and five Gold albums, four Grammy Awards and countless hit singles. He soon became known as the best instrumentalist in Nashville. His songwriting skills weren't bad either. He was very well known for encouraging upcoming and rising new country stars. He had befriended Travis Tritt and helped him at the start of his career. In 1991, the two hit the road together with their famous, "No Hats Tour". The Grand Ole Opry inducted Marty as a member in 1992. Never forgetting his roots, he traveled back home to Mississippi quite a lot. On July 24, 1970, at the annual Choctaw Indian Fair in Philadelphia, Mississippi, he met country music legend, Connie Smith, after her performance. That evening, he told his mom that he was going to marry her one day. He pursued his lady and they soon became friends and songwriting partners. Since they had met at the Choctaw Indian reservation in Mississippi in the 70s, they concluded that it was only appropriate that they should be wed there. On July 8, 1997, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith were united in marriage. Marty served as president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Board of Directors in Nashville for six terms. He's done some impressive work as a still photographer of some of his country music,legend friends, with his exhibits being displayed in New Orleans and Nashville. He also had the most extensive collection of country memorabilia and artifacts with over 20,000 items. Some of his collections included, the original song Hank Williams wrote, "Your Cheating Heart", and the last pair of boots that Patsy Cline wore. In 2000, the Stuart's built a home and relocated to Mississippi. Marty once quoted, "I've followed the sound of music all around the world and it led me right back where I started from-home in Mississippi. From the perspective of the Delta land, it's not just about country music, the blues, gospel, or rock & roll. It's about all of it. Mississippi is the home of roots created in an atmosphere where all things are possible".

Answer: B.B. King

In a tiny sharecropper's shack on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Riley B. King (better known as B.B. King) was born to Albert and Nora Ella King, on September 16, 1925. B.B. grew up enduring hard times, which he poured into his songwriting and singing.

A small town preacher showed him how to play the guitar in the chords of E, A, and B, and King was soon playing and singing gospel throughout his teen-aged years. He'd play the blue's on several delta town street corners for tips. After working as a tractor driver on a cotton field plantation, earning only $1.00 per day, B.B. decided to follow his musical dream.

In May, 1947, with $2.50 in his pocket and his guitar, he hitchhiked Highway 49 to Memphis, Tennessee. And as they say, "the rest is history".

His first #1 hit was, "Three O'Clock Blues", but his most popular hit came in 1966 with, "The Thrill is Gone". In 1950, while playing in a club, a fight broke out among two guys over a woman named Lucille. A kerosene stove was accidentally knocked over, setting the place on fire. With the rush of excitement to get out like all the rest of the people, B.B. realized he had left his $30 electrical accoustic guitar behind.

He ran back into the burning blaze to retrieve it, barely escaping with his life. From that day on, his guitars' became known as, "Lucille". King won nearly every award imaginable. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984, and in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. That same year, he recieved NARAS' Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. In 1992, he recieved the National Award of Distinction from the University of Mississippi. Among many of his honorary doctorates came from Tougaloo Mississippi College in 1973, Yale University in 1977, Berklee College of Music in 1982, Rhodes College of Memphis in 1990 and Mississippi Valley State University in 2002. He also wrote an autobiography in 1996 titled, "Blues All Around Me". King opened several Blues Clubs, including one on Memphis' famous Beale Street, New York City's, Time Square, Los Angeles, and two in Connecticut's casino's. He has been known to work 362 shows in only a year. He toured Australia, France, Holland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, West Germany, and all over the United States of America. King took his $2.50 in 1947 and turned it into millions with a song and a guitar. Talk about, "Most Likely To Succeed", B.B. King knew what it took, and he made it happen.

Answer: James Blackwood

In the red-clay hills of Choctaw County in Ackerman, Mississippi, James Webre (actual spelling) Blackwood was born August 4, 1919, on a sharecropper's farm. During the great depression, he grew up singing in the Church of God, and at age 15, he formed the Blackwood Brothers.

They disbanded at the start of World War II, but in 1946, James eagerly put his group back together, calling it simply, The Blackwoods. This group featured the late J.D. Sumner on bass vocals. In 1952, they signed a contract with RCA Victor. Elvis Presley auditioned in 1953, but was turned down to join the group.

This quartet was considered one of the greatest gospel quartets ever and paved the way for other musicians, setting the standard for the much loved sound of Southern Gospel music.

In August of 1958, they were touring in North Carolina when Elvis had a plane chartered to fly them back to Memphis to sing at his Mother's funeral. The Presley family were devoted listeners of gospel music and the Blackwoods were Gladys' favorite gospel quartet. Elvis and his father Vernon, asked them to sing, "Rock of Ages", "I Am Redeemed", "In the Garden", "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", and his mother's all time favorite song, "Precious Memories". James Blackwood and J.D. Sumner, have been credited with customizing the first bus ever for group traveling.

A replica of their first tour bus is displayed at the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Blackwood won eight Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Performance in 1966. He won 27 Dove Awards, and seven consecutive Dove Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year during the 70s. He made over 200 albums during his career, and traveled in 47 countries. Blackwood and Sumner also founded the National Quartet Convention. In 1969, James started the petition, "God and Country", whose purpose was against the banning of school prayer. He collected over 200,000 signatures for the cause. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1974. Their biggest hit song came in the 70s, with "Learning to Lean". In 1981, he formed the quartet, The Masters V, featuring his bass partner, J.D. Sumner, Hovie Lister, Jake Hess, and Rosie Rozell. Blackwood continued to perform after his 80th birthday. He died on February 3, 2002 in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 82.

Answer: 3 Doors Down

This alternative-modern, American rock band began in the small town of Escatawpa, Mississippi. According to Todd Harrell of the group, Escatawpa was "a one light, one grocery store kind-of-town". They all grew up friends from an early childhood, and were from religious backgrounds. Like any kids however, these guys had their idols too.

They were big fans of the southern rock groups, Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 special. On the country side of music, it was Merle Haggard and the Charlie Daniels Band. In 1994, rock & roll called Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts, and Todd Harrell to some of the grandest stages in the world.

Their first gig was playing in the backyard of a friend's home. Soon they had become the biggest thing to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast since the casinos.

While playing and traveling in the south, near Foley, Alabama, they saw an old run-down building that had been boarded up. The sign on the building read, "doors down". Due to the harsh environmental elements, the lettering before those words were not legible. Since there were three of them, they chose to call themselves, 3 Doors Down, or 3DD for short. Chris Henderson and Richard Liles, also from Mississippi, later joined the band, making it a five-piece, world-class act. Arnold wrote the lyrics to "Kryptonite" in algebra class one day.

This song gained national recognition and landed them in a showcase in New York. Shortly afterwards, they signed a deal with Republic/Universal. Since 2000, 3DD have sold over 12 million albums and have performed over 300 sold-out, live shows a year. Some of their accolades are, Billboard's Music Awards, New Group of the Year, Rock Track of the Year, Modern Rock Track of the Year, 2000, American Music Award, Favorite New Artist, Blockbuster Award, and Favorite Group New Artist, 2001. In August 2003, as the NASCAR gentlemen started their engines, 3 Doors Down revved up their career when they were introduced to a new set of fans on the stock car racing circuit. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had been a big fan of the group since they began, and honored the guys with a paint scheme of 3DD on his Budweiser #8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In 2004, a cool, musical video was taped with 3 Doors Down and their hit song titled, "The Road I'm On". It appropriately featured Dale Jr. and his good friend, the driver of the #20 Home Depot car, Tony Stewart, competively racing through the streets of town. On February 5th, 2005, 3DD were honored by being a part of the Lynyrd Skynyrd's Super Bowl Saturday Night Special, in Jacksonville, Florida. Dale Jr. had them back in the NASCAR spotlight on September 10, 2005 for the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, with the band's logo graphics painted on the hood of his #8 car once again. Three Doors Down have accomplished a lot in the rock & roll era, since their beginning in a small town backyard of Mississippi.

Answer: Charley Pride

One of 11 children, Charley Frank Pride was born March 18, 1938, on a 40 acre cotton farm in Sledge, Mississippi. After being a sharecropper and working in the cotton fields, his father drove a school bus and cut hair for a living. Charley didn't escape the harsh job of picking cotton when he was a child, yet he kept his dreams of playing baseball and being a country music singer.

He bought his first guitar at Sears-Roebuck for $10. He taught himself to play by listening to the songs on the radio.

When he was 16, he began playing semi-professional baseball. After his mother died in 1956, he quit playing ball and joined the armed forces. He spent two years in the military only to return home to play more baseball with the Memphis Red Sox, but was later dropped from the team because of an injury to his pitching arm.

While in service, Charley married his love, Rozene, from Oxford, Mississippi. He later tried out for the California Angels and the New York Mets, but were rejected by both, basically because of a racial issue.

After some harsh and cruel words were spoken by the managers of both teams, he gave his dream of baseball up for good, and began pursuing a singing career. He returned home and auditioned in a session to record producer, Jack Clement. His southern-accented, baritone voice proved he had talent for country singing. Soon afterwards, vice-president of RCA and Nashville guitarist, Chet Atkins, signed him to a recording contract. For his first three singles, his race was kept hidden, not knowing how the audience would react to a black man singing country music. "The Snakes Crawl At Night", was his first #1 hit single. In 1966, in Detroit, Michigan, the audience loudly applauded the country new-comer to the stage and public for the first time ever. As they stared in disbelief, their applause grew to a silent volume. "The Pride of Country Music", not only proved he had what it took to be a country singer, he also proved that his race did not matter to the majority of America's country music fans. His warm and relaxed style of singing won him some of the most highest awards and top honors in the music business. He performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage on January 7, 1967, being the first black artist to do so since 1925. In 1968, Pride was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, but declined the offer. He later accepted the prestigious invitation and became a member in 1993. Although Charley Pride was a phenomenal success as a country music entertainer, he never forgot where his true roots and music began. He once quoted, "I loved Mississippi and do to this day. The rainbows that stretch from horizon to horizon after a summer rain are the most spectacular I have ever seen". His hit song, "Roll On Mississippi", had been considered as the official song of the state. Many of his chart topping singles are now considered classics of country music, with the most popular being, "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" and "Just Between You and Me". Pride pushed doors down during a hard, misunderstanding era and paved the way for many others to pursue and achieve their dreams, regardless of race.

Answer: Jeff Bates

If you have heard Jeff Bates sing his ballad, "My Mississippi", it's as if you're listening to his own life story. Jeff was adopted when he was three months old by Ed and Barbara Bates from Bunker Hill, Mississippi. He was raised with eight other siblings, and two cousins.

He grew up in a Pentacostal church where he began singing. At age 10, while watching Elvis, "Aloha From Hawaii", on a black and white television set, he knew instantly that he wanted the stage life of a singer and entertainer. Jeff's origin was different from his other family members and class mates, and he was always being picked on by bullies at school. Jeff was a very intelligent child, but when he fought back on a school bus one day at the age of 14, he was suspended from school.

He quit school and went to work with his father in the logging business in Columbia, Mississippi. At 17 years old, Jeff was such a red-neck backwoods boy, that he hadn't even been beyond his own state line. For that matter, he hadn't been out of Marion County were he had been raised.

He joined the National Guard, and worked on a drilling oil rig to see what life was all about outside of Mississippi. At the Colonial Steak House in Columbia, the public discovered the uniqueness of Jeff's singing. His sexy, deep voice, was a cross between Elvis Presley and Conway Twitty. The owner offered him $50 a night to play six nights a week. Jeff accepted and quit his oil rig job. His band, Southern Storm, began playing local honky tonks, and Jeff was writing his own music as well. As time went on, Jeff began hanging out with the wrong crowd and his life took a down-hill slide. Crystal methamphetamine took over for 18 months. Doing what it took to supply his crazed habit, Jeff sold all of his musical equipment, and when that was depleted, he stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment from his friends. He pawned the majority of the stolen merchandise. He'd been through two failed marriages, and on March 14, 2001, Jeff was arrested for grand larceny. He served a three month jail sentence. While incarcerated, he had a spiritually-altering experience, and telephoned everyone that he had wronged. According to Jeff, they all forgave him and gave him a second chance. Doors quickly opened for Jeff after serving his term, and he was signed to an RCA record contract in 2002. Some of Jeff's songs included, "Rainbow Man", "The Love Song", "I Wanna Make You Cry", "The Wings of Mama's Prayers", and all time favorite, "Long Slow Kisses". In a September issue of "Country Weekly" magazine, Jeff was chosen #5, by his fans, as the country's hottest bachelor. After Jeff turned his life around, so did his compassion to help others. He has collected for "Toys for Tots", St. Judes Children Hospital, "Operation Circle of Love", which helped support American troops overseas, and he has raised money for the family of the native Pearl, Mississippi teen-age victim, Natalee Holloway, who became missing in Aruba on a class trip in June, 2005. After seeing the Mississippi Gulf Coast so devastated by Hurricane Katrina, he quickly put together a concert held in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and raised $25K for its stricken victims. He returned in late 2006, to the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center in Hattiesburg, and recorded his first live album to his home-state family, friends, and fans. The people will always remember what Jeff did for himself, but most importantly, what he had done for Mississippi. Jeff Bates was a red-neck, backwoods, country boy who hit the big time, while helping others on his way to the top.