Historical Marker

Willie Dixon

Marker provided by: Mississippi Blues Commission.

Willie Dixon, often called “the poet laureate of the blues,” was born in Vicksburg on July 1, 1915. As a songwriter, producer, arranger, and bass player, Dixon shaped the sound of Chicago blues in the 1950s and ’60s with songs such as “Seventh Son,” “Little Red Rooster,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “My Babe,” and “Wang Dang Doodle.” Dixon traced many of his works back to poems and songs he heard or wrote as a youth in Vicksburg.

Willie Dixon, born at 1631 Crawford Street, about ¾ mile east of this site, defined the blues as “the facts of life.” Dixon developed his ear for language and music in Vicksburg by listening to his mother Daisy’s poetry, singing spirituals at Spring Hill Baptist Church, and savoring the blues of pianist Little Brother Montgomery. He learned harmony singing from Theo Phelps, leader of the Union Jubilee Singers, and sang with the quintet on a weekly WQBC radio program broadcast from the Vicksburg Hotel in the 1930s. Dixon also brokered his songs to other WQBC performers. As a teenager, he often left town in search of work during the Depression, loading freight, chopping wood, or shoveling coal, among other jobs, and was once arrested for hoboing in Clarksdale, Mississippi. In 1936, he moved to Chicago and pursued a brief boxing career. But he continued to sing and write songs, and learned to play a homemade one-string bass.

Dixon recorded with the Big Three Trio and other combos before securing a production job with Chess Records in the early 1950s. He emerged as the studio mastermind behind the classic Chicago blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, and many others. Dixon played string bass on numerous sessions, including the first hits by Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. He also produced the debut releases of Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, and Magic Sam on the Cobra and Artistic labels.

Dixon’s impact reached far beyond the African American blues market. He played a key role inpromoting and booking blues in Europe in the 1960s, and covers of his songs by the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and others sold millions of copies. He subsequently toured and recorded several albums with his band, the Chicago Blues All Stars. His achievements earned him induction into both the Rock and Roll and Blues Halls of Fame.

In 1981, Dixon established the Blues Heaven Foundation to assist blues musicians and sponsor blues education programs. After his death in Burbank, California, on January 29, 1992, his widow, Marie, and the Dixon family carried on his mission, and in 1997 they fulfilled a Dixon dream by purchasing the former Chess Records building in Chicago to house Blues Heaven. Dixon is buried in Alsip, Illinois.

Vicksburg honored its native son by renaming this street Willie Dixon Way in 2002

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
Mississippi played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the most important events of the movement, including the Freedom Rides and the March Against Fear, took place in Mississippi.
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.