Historical Marker

The Red Tops

Marker provided by: Mississippi Blues Commission.

Between 1953 and 1974 the Vicksburg-based Red Tops entertained legions of dancers with their distinctive mix of blues, jazz, and pop. Under the strict direction of drummer and manager Walter Osborne, the group developeda devoted fan base across Mississippi and neighboring states. Most of the ten original members had played with an earlier Vicksburg band, the Rebops. Vocalist Rufus McKay’s rendition of “Danny Boy” was a crowd favorite.

The Red Tops were the most popular band in Mississippi during an era when nightlife centered on the dance floor and couples and hopeful singles donned their finest clothesfor evenings out on the town. The group, part of a long line of dance bands in Vicksburg, started during World War II as the Rebops. On weekends the Rebops played on Morrissey’s Showboat, a barge moored on DeSoto Island on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River, where alcohol laws were less strict than in Mississippi. Under the leadership of drummer Walter Osborne, the Rebops reorganized as the Red Tops. Their first performance was at the Sequoia Hills Club in Bovina, just east of Vicksburg, on June 20, 1953. The majority of the Red Tops’ performances over the course of their history were for white audiences at venues including country clubs, restaurants, ballrooms, high schools, and colleges across Mississippi as well as in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. In Vicksburg these included the Vicksburg Auditorium, site of an annual New Year’s Eve dance; the Hotel Vicksburg; and the “BB Club,” housed at this location in the elaborate quarters of the B’nai B’rith Literary Association.

The group also performed regularly for African American audiences at clubs including the Blue Room in Vicksburg, Stevens Rose Room in Jackson, Ruby’s Night Spot in Leland, the Harlem Inn in Winstonville, the Plaza Hotel in Greenwood, and various Elks lodges. They were joined on occasion by blues harmonica great Sonny Boy Williamson II or the Knights, a local doo-wop group that included future blues recording artist Terry Evans. Saxophonist/bassist Anderson “Andy” Hardwick, the youngest of the Red Tops, spent many summers touring with various national artists, including Lowell Fulson, B.B. King, Otis Redding, Fats Domino, and James Brown. In the early ‘60s Hardwick and vocalist Rufus McKay left the Red Tops and formed the Fabulous Corvettes, a band whose repertoire was more blues and R&B-oriented than the Red Tops’.

Most Red Tops performances were on weekends, as all of the members had full-time day jobs. Unlike most bands, the Red Tops operated very strictly as a business, with detailed ledgers, annual audits, and bookings often scheduled a year in advance. Their matching uniforms were tailor-made, members were subject to regular inspections and rules of conduct, and rehearsals were held every Monday evening at the YMCA on Jackson Street. The Red Tops stopped performing regularly in the mid-‘70s but reunited on a number of special occasions. Multi-instrumentalist Andy Hardwick continued performing regularly as a jazz pianist, while Rufus McKay moved to Las Vegas and sang with Stanley Morgan’s Ink Spots and other vocal groups before returning to Vicksburg in 2000

The Mississippi Blues Trail markers tell stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. We have a lot to share, and it’s just down the Mississippi Blues Trail.

The Mississippi Blues Trail is an ongoing project of the Mississippi Blues Commission. Funding for this project has been made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, AT&T, and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University plus additional support from the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division.

For more information visit msbluestrail.org.

Blues Trail
In 1962, the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, was the site of a violent confrontation between federal forces and white segregationists over the enrollment of James Meredith, the university's first African American student.
Mississippi random facts
Warren County, Mississippi, has a rich and complex history dating back thousands of years. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Natchez and Choctaw peoples, who lived off the land and established their own communities. European exploration and colonization began in the 16th century, and Spanish, French, and British influences shaped the region.

By the early 19th century, European settlers began to establish permanent settlements in Warren County. The county's namesake, General Joseph Warren, was a hero of the American Revolutionary War and became a symbol of the county's commitment to independence and liberty. As a bustling frontier town along the Mississippi River, Vicksburg — which is the county seat of Warren County — quickly grew in importance as a center for trade and commerce.

The county played a significant role in the American Civil War. In 1862, Union forces sought to gain control of the Mississippi River and Vicksburg became the focal point of a lengthy and brutal military campaign. The Siege of Vicksburg, lasting from May to July in 1863, resulted in Confederate surrender, marking a turning point for the Union and further solidifying the importance of Warren County in American history.

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era brought significant changes to Warren County. African Americans, both freed slaves and those who had been free before the war, gained political and social rights. However, the county also experienced racial tensions and struggles for equality, as seen during the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century.

Overall, Warren County's history mirrors the broader historical developments of the South, encompassing Native American cultures, European colonization, the impact of the Civil War, and ongoing social and political changes that shape the county today.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Warren County, Mississippi.

  • 1767 - Warren County, Mississippi is established as one of the original nine counties in the Mississippi Territory.
  • 1779 - Spanish explorers pass through the area, establishing a temporary fort near present-day Vicksburg.
  • 1803 - The United States acquires the Mississippi Territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
  • 1811 - The first permanent settlement is established in what is now Warren County, known as Walnut Hills.
  • 1836 - The county is officially organized and named Warren County after American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren.
  • 1863 - During the American Civil War, the Siege of Vicksburg takes place, with Warren County being a major battleground. The Union Army eventually captures Vicksburg, leading to a turning point in the war.
  • 1876 - The first bridge over the Mississippi River in the Vicksburg area, known as the Old Vicksburg Bridge, is completed, connecting Warren County with Louisiana.
  • 1903 - Mississippi Flood of 1903 causes significant damage and displacement in Warren County and the surrounding areas.
  • 1936 - The current Vicksburg Bridge, a steel truss bridge over the Mississippi River, is completed, replacing the old bridge.
  • 1962 - The Mississippi River floods again, causing extensive damage to Warren County and leading to the construction of the Yazoo Backwater Levee.
  • 2005 - Hurricane Katrina causes widespread devastation along the Gulf Coast, with Warren County serving as a temporary shelter for evacuees.
  • 2014 - The Warren County Courthouse, a historic building dating back to 1860, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.