Mississippi Blues Marker

The Pensacola Blues Marker is located at the corner of Belmont and Devilliers Street at Five Sisters’ Blues Café, the former site of Gussie’s Record Shop and the historical African-American business entertainment district. Pensacola, an important early center of blues, ragtime, vaudeville and jazz activity, developed into a regional cornerstone of the “chitlin’ circuit” in later years. Touring blues, jazz and rhythm & blues acts, and local bands found a welcome base here for many decades in the Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood, an African-American business and entertainment district. Mississippi-born performers such as B.B. King, Junior Parker and Sam Cooke contributed to the vibrant nightlife in the neighborhood’s theaters and clubs. The marker also recognizes the works of those in the neighborhood dedicated to fostering the growth and appreciation of the blues, including Gussie Streeter of Gussie’s Record Shop and Abe Pierce Sr. of Abe’s 506 and Savoy Ballroom.