Hey Philip, I’m also from Mississippi, but I live in Georgia now………I was born in Clarksdale but brought up in Greenville.
Most of my family is still there! What town are you from?
I don’t think of Mississippi as a hick state…………home of Eudora Welty, Craig Claiborne (just finished his autobiography in January, awesome book),Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote,William Faulkner,John Grisham.
We birthed both Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones WOW!
and as far as music………….Where to start………Son House, James "Son" Thomas (lived on my Uncles land), Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley, Elmore James, Johnny Winter…………………too many to name.
I’m proud of that great state (there have been and still are problems but….)
Welcome, welcome hope you stick around. 