Rhythm and Resilience: Haley Barbour’s Journey of Musical Discovery and Disaster Recovery

Mississippi on the Map

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, Johnny Cash, and Ronald Reagan. He shares how Mississippi earned the title Birthplace of America’s Music and why he believes the state’s greatest progress lies ahead.

Mississippi places referenced in this episode:

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Museum of Mississippi History, Tougaloo College, Mississippi Country Music Trail, Mississippi Blues Trail, Johnny Cash and Starkville City Jail (trail marker), The Westin Jackson, Glenwood Cemetery, Yazoo City, Liberty, Mississippi State University, Jackson, University of Mississippi, Grenada, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi Chemical Corporation, Tad Smith Coliseum, Biloxi, Coastal Mississippi, Natchez, Meridian, Tupelo, Indianola.

People and groups mentioned in this episode: Leland Speed, Dorsey Brothers, Glenn Miller, Lawrence Welk, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Duke Bardwell, the Greek Fountains, Marsha Barbour, Marty Stuart, Michael Henderson, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Fletcher Cox, Willie Brown, Stella Stevens, Zig Ziglar, Willie Morris, George W. Bush, Jerry Clower, "Gentle Ben" Williams, Owen Cooper, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Governor Phil Bryant, Governor William Winter, Ruben Anderson, Hezekiah Watkins, Jim Weatherly, James Meredith, Millsaps College, Verna Lee Bailey, James Brown, Johnny Mathis, Dionne Warwick, the Mamas and the Papas, Jimmie Rodgers, B.B. King, John Grisham, June Cash, Jim Barksdale, Burt Case, Senator Thad Cochran, Representative Barney Frank, Mac McAnally, Ketch Secor, Chris Stapleton, Charley Pride, President Bill Clinton, Jim Free, President Jimmy Carter, Charlie Daniels, President Ronald Reagan, Lester Flatt.