Mississippi on the Map

In the season finale of Mississippi on the Map , host Charlie Worsham turns the mic on himself, reflecting on his own Mississippi story. From growing up in Grenada to finding his way into music, Charlie shares the early influences, experiences, and moments that shaped his path, both as an artist and as a storyteller. Along the way, he explores Mississippi’s lasting cultural impact through the lens...

Charlie joins Boo Mitchell, GRAMMY Award-winning musician, producer, engineer, and owner of the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, the recording studio founded by his father, Willie Mitchell. Boo grew up inside one of the most influential recording environments in American music, where artists like Al Green helped define the sound of soul. The conversation explores the balance between honoring a...

In Part 2 of our conversation with hitmaking songwriter Craig Wiseman, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer dives deeper into the stories, influences, and lessons behind some of country music’s biggest songs. Craig and Charlie talk about the gospel roots that shaped songs like “When the Lights Go Down,” the moment he realized there was “another gear” after writing “Live Like You Were Dying,” an...

Charlie welcomes Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Craig Wiseman, a fellow Mississippian whose story starts in Hattiesburg and led to a career that includes numerous No. 1 hits and a 2015 induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Craig looks back on the radio station, church camps, and bar bands that formed his early musical education, experiences that helped shape his knack f...

Charlie welcomes two friends from the Grand Ole Opry, which celebrated its 100th year in 2025. Jordan Pettit, a fellow Mississippian, traces his path from Olive Branch and family trips through north Mississippi to a career that took him from Vanderbilt to record labels and eventually to the Opry. Dan Rogers shares what it meant to grow up in rural Illinois with the Opry as a Saturday-night lightho...

What do the Bristol Sessions, a blue yodel, a preserved shotgun house in Tupelo, and a guitar once held by Jimmie Rodgers all have in common? They’re all threads in Mississippi’s country-music DNA. Host Charlie Worsham sits down with Paul Kingsbury of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for a wide-ranging conversation that traces Mississippi’s influence from Jimmie Rodgers (and his genre-ben...

In this episode of Mississippi on the Map , Charlie Worsham journeys into the heart of the Mississippi Delta for an intimate, revealing conversation at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, where he meets members of the newly revived Parchman Band, a group of incarcerated musicians whose work is quietly transforming both their own lives and the culture around them. Through stories of chi...

Charlie Worsham sits down with ESPN’s Wright Thompson at the Lyceum on the University of Mississippi campus for a wide-ranging conversation about why Mississippi history, music, literature, and more. They trace lines from Delta juke joints to Chicago clubs, from cotton pickers to electric guitars, and from Emmett Till to James Meredith. The two swap stories about Dockery Farms, Doe’s Eat Place, an...

Mississippi on the Map welcomes Michael Hardy, a.k.a. HARDY, a multi-platinum artist and songwriter whose roots run deep in Neshoba County. From cabins at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds to arrowheads found along hunting camp creek beds, Hardy’s childhood memories fuel his songwriting and his love of place. In this episode, he joins host Charlie Worsham to talk about the powerful ways Mississippi c...

Academy Award–winning actor Morgan Freeman joins host Charlie Worsham for a rare podcast interview at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. Alongside Ground Zero Blues Club co-owner Eric Meier, Freeman discusses his Mississippi roots, his journey through music, military service, and film, and the creation of the Symphonic Blues Experience — a touring production that blends orchestral arrangements,...

In this episode of Mississippi on the Map , host Charlie Worsham sits down with former Governor Haley Barbour for a far-ranging conversation about music, memory, and Mississippi. From his upbringing in Yazoo City to the civil rights era and navigating the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Governor Barbour reflects on the moments and people who shaped his life — including Willie Morris, Jerry Clower,...

In this episode of Mississippi on the Map , host Charlie Worsham sits down with 11-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton for a conversation recorded at the Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Together, they explore the deep ties between blues and country music, from Pops Staples' signature tremolo to the poetry and songwriting methods of the late Mike Henderson....

Grammy-winning artist and cultural ambassador Marty Stuart reflects on his Mississippi roots, his life in music, and the power of reconciliation. From his childhood in Philadelphia to launching the Congress of Country Music in his hometown, Marty shares the values, stories, and people who shaped his journey. He and Charlie Worsham explore what makes Mississippi unique—and why coming home still hol...

In this episode, singer-songwriter, producer, and Country Music Hall of Fame member Mac McAnally reflects on his journey from the small town of Belmont, Mississippi, to playing sold-out shows around the world. A master storyteller with deep roots in the South, Mac talks about how Mississippi shaped his sense of melody, lyrics, and humility—and why he still carries that small-town spirit onto every...

In Part 2 of Charlie Worsham’s conversation with Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, the focus deepens from lighthearted place-name rhymes to the soul-searching power of music. Ketch reflects on the stories behind songs like “Mississippi Saturday Night,” the roots of “Wagon Wheel,” and the long musical thread that runs from Arthur Crudup to Bob Dylan to himself. He also discusses cultural reviva...

In Part 1 of this wide-ranging conversation, Charlie sits down with Ketch Secor, co-founder and current frontman of the band Old Crow Medicine Show, to explore the deep musical roots of Mississippi. Though not a Mississippi native, Ketch shares personal stories that connect him to the state, from learning to walk in McComb to organizing a pickup baseball game in William Faulkner’s backyard. Along...

Mississippi on the Map is a new podcast hosted by 2024 CMA Musician of the Year Charlie Worsham. The podcast explores why Mississippi is the Birthplace of America’s Music. You’ll hear conversations with special guests about the influence of Mississippi on American music and culture, and we’ll explore the state’s stories and storytellers to learn about all those who put Mississippi on the map.&nbsp...