Rock music in Britain was in large part inspired in the 1960s by the recordings and tours of American blues artists, including Muddy Waters, B.B. King and others who were born in the state of Mississippi. Now a new Blues Trail marker has been unveiled on Mathew Street outside the Cavern Club to celebrate this musical connection.
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00:00Rock music in Britain was largely inspired in the 1960s by the recordings and tours of American
00:06blues artists including Muddy Waters, BB King and others who were born in the state of Mississippi.
00:12Now a new blues trail marker has been unveiled on Matthew Street outside the Cavern Club
00:17to celebrate this musical connection.
00:19Well what other street could it be on? I mean it couldn't be anywhere else could it?
00:23You can relate if you've been, anyone out there if you've been to
00:27Beale Street in Memphis and Matthew Street in Liverpool, there's BB King in Beale Street,
00:36Rum Barber, there's so many clubs there and BB King Memorial there and it's, they're similar.
00:46This is the first permanent Mississippi blues trail marker in the UK.
00:50We have over 217 markers in seven states and five countries I believe,
00:56so this is just another edition, this is number 217 I believe and we're just really excited to
01:02connect the ties to music in Liverpool and Mississippi.
01:07Liverpool has a history of cultural exchange between the United States and the Cavern,
01:12famed for its Beatles history, also booked many blues and R&B acts.
01:17Mississippi is the birthplace of America's music, we have birthed blues music, rock and roll,
01:23jazz, so many different types of genres of music and
01:27this is just a way for us to really tell our story here in Liverpool.
01:31Beatles manager Brian Epstein ran the NEMS record store on Whitechapel which imported blues records.
01:38So we were listening to Elvis and anyone before, I'm not saying Muddy Waters at that point,
01:45we were introduced to him listening to his music later on.
01:49I remember buying my first Lead Belly LP when I was 18, loved it, couldn't understand a word.