GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Celebrates Gospel Music Heritage Month

GRAMMY Museum Mississippi will celebrate Gospel Music Heritage Month with events and programs open to the public throughout the entire month of September. Known informally as part of the "Bible Belt," the state of Mississippi's roots run deep in the origins of gospel music and American history.

Upcoming events during Gospel Music Heritage Month include:

• Spotlight: Travis Greene on Sept. 4 in the Sanders Soundstage. The event will start at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Greene will also participate in the Museum's Backstage Pass education workshop at 11 a.m.

• The Gospel Showdown on Sept. 15 on the Front Lawn. Ten choirs will be selected to perform two songs and be judged by song, appearance and crowd support. The event will start at 2 p.m. and the winner of the competition will receive a $500 donation to their organization. Tickets are free for members and advance tickets are $5 for non-members and $8 at the door.

• Gospel Roots Family Day on Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes fun activities for all ages. Gospel Roots Family Day admission is half price and supported in part by the King's Daughters and Sons Circle Number 2 and The Delta Center.

"So much of our history has been told through hymns and spirituals," said GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Executive Director Emily Havens. "The museum is excited to put a spotlight on a genre that shares the pain, the joy and the inspiration that shapes our American history - only gospel music can do that."

GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is located at 800 W. Sunflower Rd., Cleveland, Mississippi, 38732. For more information on upcoming events, visit GRAMMYMuseumMS.org.

Developed by the Cleveland Music Foundation - a nonprofit organization founded in 2011-the 28,000-square-foot GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is housed near the campus of Delta State University, home of the Delta Music Institute's Entertainment Industry Studies program, which features the most unique audio recording facilities in the South. Affiliated with the Recording Academy, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is dedicated to exploring the past, present and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The museum features a dynamic combination of public events, educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric area that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi's songwriters, producers and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.

For more information, visit GRAMMYMuseumMS.org, "like" GRAMMY Museum Mississippi on Facebook and follow @GRAMMYMuseumMS on Twitter and Instagram.

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