The site that hosted one of the state’s historic recording studios has been honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker.
Officials with Visit Mississippi, the Mississippi Blues Commission, the city of Clinton, and Mississippi College gathered at the site where Grits and Gravy was located on Capitol Street in the Jackson suburb to celebrate the legacy of the former recording studio.
Founded by Bob McRee, Cliff Thomas, and Ed Thomas, Grits and Gravy operated inside the former Hilltop Theatre — later Mississippi College’s Choctaw Band Hall before its demolition in 2013. The studio attracted notable music talent, including Dorothy Moore, Junior Parker, Barbara Lynn, Freddy Fender, and Grammy-nominated duo Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson.
The studio’s rise reportedly began in the mid‑1960s after McRee and the Thomas brothers established the Mississippi Artist Corporation. By the early 1970s, the founders moved into new chapters: Cliff and Ed Thomas launched soul radio station WKXI, while McRee continued studio construction and later collaborated with Mississippi Entertainment Television.
“Honoring places like Grits & Gravy recording studio ensures that the heart of Mississippi’s creative history is never forgotten,” Visit Mississippi Director Rochelle Hicks said. “The Blues Trail not only celebrates our cultural legacy—it strengthens it for future artists, visitors, and communities across our state.”