CLINTON – The City of Clinton unveiled its second Mississippi Blues Trail marker Thursday, recognizing the legacy of the historic Grits & Gravy Recording Studio and its role in Mississippi’s musical history.
The studio, once located inside the former Hilltop Theatre, was founded in the mid-1960s by Bob McRee and brothers Cliff and Ed Thomas. During its years of operation, the studio attracted several notable artists, including Dorothy Moore, Junior Parker, Barbara Lynn, Freddy Fender and the GRAMMY-nominated duo Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson.
City officials said the studio helped leave a lasting mark on the state’s music scene.
The unveiling ceremony was hosted in partnership with Visit Mississippi, the Mississippi Blues Commission and Mississippi College. Following the ceremony, Mississippi College provided refreshments for attendees, including grits and gravy, in tribute to the studio’s name and legacy.
After the recording studio era ended, Mississippi College continued the building’s musical tradition by using the space as the Choctaw Band Hall. The building remained a place for music until it was eventually demolished in 2013.
Although the studio building no longer stands, officials said its history will now be preserved through the Mississippi Blues Trail marker.
With the addition of the marker, Clinton joins more than 200 locations across the state recognized on the Mississippi Blues Trail, a statewide initiative that honors the people, places and moments that helped shape Mississippi’s reputation as the birthplace of America’s music.
