The Hernando area was the birthplace of an important group of musicians who helped establish Memphis as a major blues center in the 1920s. The marker honors Hernando musicians Gus Cannon, Jim Jackson and Robert Wilkins who helped establish the mid-south area as a major blues center in the 1920's. Gus Cannon was born in nearby Red Banks in 1883 or 1884 and buried in 1979 in Hernando. Gus was a banjo player who also “played the jug”. He wrote and first recorded the song, “Walk Right In”, which became a number-one hit in 1963 for the Greenwich Village folk group, the Rooftop Singers. Jim Jackson was born in Hernando in 1878, placing him among the earliest artists to record blues. His most famous song, “Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues”, was widely covered by other artists. Jackson died in Memphis in 1933.