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Honoring the Blues

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When we looked a little deeper as to the origin of this image, we found a gritty and beautiful body of work that captures the uniquely American culture of the Mississippi Delta and the origin of the Blues. Over the course of years, Lou Bopp made it his mission to photograph as many blues legends he could find by driving Route 61, or  what he called the “Blues Highway,” through the Delta, stopping in at many of its roadhouses and juke joints. He not only captured many of the musical greats we’ve never heard of on this journey, but the culture. Sadly, according to Lou, it’s been fading away; as the musicians pass away so do many of these establishments and the culture they created. Choosing to honor musicians like “Duck Holmes” in this way acknowledges their lasting contribution to American arts and culture.

USPS statement: This stamp celebrates the 200th anniversary of Mississippi statehood. Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817. The stamp features a 2009 photograph showing a close-up of a guitar player’s hands. Mississippi is the birthplace of many legendary blues artists who created a uniquely American genre of music. Among states, the Magnolia State is 32nd in size, and with nearly three million people, it ranks 31st in population. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with an existing photo taken by Lou Bopp.