In Memoriam:

David “Honeyboy” Edwards

On April 13, 2007, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, then 89 years old, was present for the unveiling of a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in his honor in his hometown of Shaw, Mississippi. The eighth Blues Trail marker to be dedicated, it was the first to honor a musician who was still alive. Later that day another marker was dedicated outside of Clarksdale at the Stovall Plantation, recognizing Muddy Waters’ home there in the 1940s. In the early ‘40s both Waters and Edwards made their first recordings in the Clarksdale area for the Library of Congress. Both unveilings were scheduled in tandem with the fourth annual Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, where Edwards performed.

Edwards, who died on August 29, 2011, at age 96, was a regular visitor to his home state in his last decade. He headlined the Delta Blues Festival, the Highway 61 Blues Festival, and the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, and showcased his wonderful storytelling skills at special events at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center and the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. In February of 2010 Edwards—who received a lifetime achievement Grammy award the same year—came to Jackson to receive the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts; during his visit he also performed in a special “three generations of the blues” show with Jackson artists King Edward and Grady Champion. In early 2011 he performed in Meridian as part of a Robert Johnson centennial tour, and in April 2011 made his last public performance at the Cat Head Mini Blues Festival in Clarksdale.

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