- The new members are folklorist William “Bill” Ferris, historian and novelist Shelby Foote, poet Natasha Trethewey, and singer-songwriters Bobbie Gentry and Mac McAnally.
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) presented its fifth class of Hall of Fame inductees during a ceremony last Thursday night at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian. The new members are folklorist William “Bill” Ferris, historian and novelist Shelby Foote, poet Natasha Trethewey, and singer-songwriters Bobbie Gentry and Mac McAnally.
The open-to-the-public awards ceremony included tributes to the five artists, with musical performances by McAnally, Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, and Tricia Walker. Robert St. John, restaurateur, writer, and co-founder of the Institute for Southern Storytelling at Mississippi College, served as master of ceremonies. After the ceremony, guests attended a cocktail reception at The MAX (just two blocks away) where Mississippi’s emerging talent – students at the Mississippi School of the Arts, presented performances in dance, visual art, music, theater, and film.
The Hall of Fame is the centerpiece of The MAX, the state’s 50,000-square-foot arts and cultural center. It’s devoted to celebrating Mississippi’s arts and entertainment legacy while nurturing future creatives. The new class brings the number of stars featured in the soaring two-story Hall of Fame to 38. The latest members were announced at the Mississippi State Capitol in February. Longtime Hall of Fame consultant Marty Gamblin, who passed away in October, coordinated the selection process—which begins with a list of prominent Mississippi artists and entertainers who are vetted by advisory panels and a public vote.
“From writings about Civil War history and social change to chart-topping songs and blues documentation, the works of these trailblazing individuals warrant celebration,” said MAX President and CEO Penny Kemp. “We invite Mississippians, along with visitors to the state, to learn about these and other Hall of Fame members. Their stories are especially inspiring to young people, and we share them with great pride.”
Various arts disciplines and Mississippi regions are represented in the latest Hall of Fame class. Here are the honorees:
Vicksburg native William “Bill” Ferris (b. 1942) is an author, photographer, and longtime college professor whose books, documentaries, and recordings explore the blues, African American folklore, and the lives of Southern writers. Ferris co-edited the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Encyclopedia of Southern Culture and received two Grammy Awards for his documentary recordings and accompanying book, Voices of Mississippi. He founded multiple academic centers, including the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, and was chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The novelist and self-taught historian Shelby Foote (1916-2005) was a native of Greenville who spent decades researching and writing the acclaimed three-book series The Civil War: A Narrative. He furnished expert commentary for Ken Burns’ documentary The Civil War, which was one of the most-watched programs ever to air on PBS. Foote’s other books include Shiloh, a re-creation of the epic Civil War battle, and a series of novels set in a fictional Mississippi Delta town.
Bobbie Gentry (b. 1942) grabbed international attention in 1967 with her haunting hit “Ode to Billie Joe,” which propelled her to stardom and established her as one of the first female recording artists to compose and produce her own material. Gentry was born Roberta Lee Streeter in the Woodland area, in Chickasaw County. She regularly appeared in television specials, had her own show in Las Vegas, and released seven albums, garnering multiple Grammy and Academy of Country Music awards before retiring in 1982.
The singer-songwriter, musician, and producer Mac McAnally (born Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr.) is widely known as a guitarist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and has released more than a dozen albums of his own. He has written hit songs recorded by country music acts ranging from Kenny Chesney (“Back Where I Come From”) to Alabama (“Old Flame”). Born in Red Bay, Alabama, in 1957, McAnally grew up in Belmont, Mississippi, where he sang and played piano in church. In addition to a host of other honors, the Country Music Association has named him Musician of the Year a record 10 times.
Natasha Trethewey, a former poet laureate for the United States and Mississippi, has used her poetry to explore issues of race and Deep South culture. A longtime creative writing professor, she was born in Gulfport in 1966. Trethewey won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2007 for Native Guard, which explores the story of a Black Union Army unit, composed of former slaves, on Ship Island off the Mississippi coast. Years earlier, her poetry collection Domestic Work received the Cave Canem Prize, honoring the first published book by a Black poet.
Complimenting the induction ceremony, new stars were added to The MAX Walk of Fame for Ferris, Foote, Gentry, and Trethewey. McAnally received a star in 2012. An additional star will be unveiled for Philadelphia native Marty Gamblin. Gamblin was the founding director of The MAX and an influential figure in the music industry.
The Hall of Fame festivities followed an exceptionally busy 2024 at The MAX that included a sharp increase in school group visits and overall visitation. A special exhibit and documentary screenings gave fresh attention to two longstanding Hall of Fame members, artist Walter Anderson and writer Eudora Welty.
Programs in the spring of 2025 will connect to the cultural legacy celebrated in the Hall of Fame, as well as new generations of creative descendants inspired by them—including Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed and Fuel the American South, an exhibition of photographs by Kate Medley, whose was influenced by Ferris.
About The MAX
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) is an arts and cultural center in the heart of downtown Meridian that celebrates Mississippi’s creative legacy through interactive exhibits, workshops, and live performances.
The multipurpose facility contains a two-story Hall of Fame celebrating the state’s groundbreaking artists like Walter Anderson, William Faulkner, Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, and Leontyne Price to name a few, along with over 20,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, art studios, a recording studio, and performance spaces.
Every visit to The MAX is a unique experience that leaves visitors in awe of Mississippi’s global impact on music, literature, art, and entertainment. Visit www.msarts.org to learn more.
