Since the opening of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi last March, the Museum has presented over 30 education and public programs that featured talented up-and-coming artists as well as established, award-winning singers, songwriters, musicians, and engineers. In 2016, the Museum hosted programs in the Sanders Soundstage with soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples, former Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford, and legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick to name a few. This year, the Museum is thrilled to start the New Year with two music legends, Eddie “Chank” Willis and Bobby Rush.
On Monday, January 23, at 6 pm the Museum will screen the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown which tells the story of the Funk Brothers, a group of talented musicians recruited by Berry Gordy to record musical tracks for Motown. These musicians were responsible for the backing tracks for a large number of soul and R&B hits produced by Motown, including songs by the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and others. The Museum is pleased to bring the legendary session guitarist and member of the Funk Brothers, Eddie “Chank” Willis, to the Sanders Soundstage for a discussion about his career and his Motown experiences. The discussion will be moderated by Scott Barretta, host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Highway 61 blues program.
February’s programming begins with another music living legend in the soundstage on Wednesday, February 1, at 7 pm, the great bluesman Bobby Rush. Rush has enjoyed a 60-plus year career and is a 59th GRAMMY Awards® nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album for his most recent album, Porcupine Meat. He has garnered four Blues Music Award nominations, including Album of the Year for his latest GRAMMY®-nominated release and Best Historical Release for his 50-year career retrospective box set. The Museum is pleased to welcome this consummate storyteller and performer to the Sanders Soundstage for an intimate performance and conversation on his long and successful career.
“We are thrilled to bring these music legends to the Museum,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi. “We hope that the community will come out and enjoy these programs.”
Tickets for An Evening with Eddie “Chank” Willis are $10 and are available online. Tickets for An Evening with Bobby Rush are $25 for Museum Members and $30 for non-members and are also available online. Additionally, tickets for both programs can be purchased by calling the Museum box office at 662-441-0100, or in person at the Museum at 800 West Sunflower Road, Cleveland, MS. 
