$30-million Congress of Country Music showcased at fundraising gala

JACKSON – When explaining what is going on with the Congress of Country Music in downtown Philadelphia, Country Music Hall of Famer Marty Stuart went back to the mission statement of his vision.

“… Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music is the spiritual home of country music — a cathedral where the spirits of country music legends, and the fires of today's creative souls, converge,” he said.

Stuart, a Philadelphia native, had the attention of Mississippi’s political and business elite as they gathered here at the Westin Hotel downtown for “An Evening with Marty Stuart and the Congress of Country Music.”

Going in, Stuart said he wanted to put not only Philadelphia but country music on the forefront. He did.

"Mississippi is the birthplace of America’s music.  Blues, rock-n-roll and country music,” Stuart said. “Country music is a way of life for me. I live it, Love it.

“In Philadelphia, we are building the Congress of Country Music, a center dedicated to the preservation of traditional country music. For years, I have been on this self-appointed mission to collect the lost, the forgotten, discarded pieces of this part of American history. I travel the land getting to know colorful country music fans and rescuing lost treasures.”

Stuart spent the first hour of the gala working the room, talking with his guests. Getting to know them. There was a dinner. Afterward, he put on a concert, joined by his wife, Connie Smith, and members of his band.

Speaker of the House Philip Gunn summed it up. “I am excited about this. I have been able to talk to Marty multiple times and have seen some of the items he has,” Gunn said.  “I am glad to be here tonight and to offer my support. I am very much for this project. A few years back, we appropriated some money for the project.”

Former Gov. Haley Barbour, who hosted the gala, reflected on music history in Mississippi.

“A lot of us think about where we lead in music,” said Barbour.  “Rhythm and Blues, nobody questions that it started in the Mississippi Delta. Rock-n-roll is a little more diverse but there is no question who the king of rock-n-roll is.

“Country music – we think of the Tennessee mountains but it started in Meridian with Jimmie Rodgers. Guys like Marty Stuart have kept it alive and beyond that. They have spread the Mississippi Country Music emblem of over the country and really all over the world,” Barbour said.

During his address to the crowd, Barbour pointed out the $30 million project is more than an idea on the drawing board.

“Construction is underway,” Barbour said. “They are spending $4 million on the first phase which is supposed to open this fall.”

Located on the south corner of Byrd Avenue and Main Street, when completed, the Congress of Country Music will feature a renovated Ellis Theater along with a museum to display Stuart’s 20,000-plus piece collection of country music memorabilia. There will also be classrooms, a community hall, event space and a rooftop performance venue.

While working with local school districts, the Congress of Country Music will create an education curriculum and programming to teach and promote the roots of country music. There will be changing displays which will not only spotlight Stuart’s collection. It will also include showings of international traveled artifacts, memorabilia, photography, folk art and Native American programming.

There were plenty of community supporters present at the gala.

Cyrus Ben, chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, spoke with pride how Stuart first saw his wife, Connie while she was performing at the Choctaw Indian Fair.

Stuart was a pre-teen at the time but legend has it he told his mama going home that night he was going to marry her one day. He did and wrote a song about it: “I met my baby at the Choctaw Fair.”

“It’s a unique story with Marty and Connie meeting at the Choctaw Reservation,” said Chief Ben. “They have always come back and visited and are friends of the Tribe.

“For us with the Pearl River Resort and all of our entities, the Congress of Country Music is another addition for us,” Ben said. “It reverberates as a positive thing for everyone in the community. from the stores and retailors in town and the resort. They can come and play with us on the golf course and maybe visit the tables and stay with us.”

Mayor James A. Young talked about how the city of Philadelphia has appropriated $1 million to show the rest of the state its support.

Retired Philadelphia educator Robert Turnage, who now lives in Water Valley, has been following the progress of Congress of Country Music.

“The progress they have made in the last two or three years has been phenomenal,” Turnage said. “I have seen pictures and have seen the construction part. It is going to be a fabulous thing. The Ellis is just the start.”

Neshoba County’s delegation to the Mississippi Legislator agreed.

“We are thankful for everything Marty has done in Philadelphia,” Sen. Jenifer Branning said. “He is an ambassador for our hometown and Mississippi.”

Rep. Scott Bounds added, “It is coming together. A good representation of people from Mississippi tonight.”