OXFORD, Miss. – The Rev. John Wilkins kicks off the eighth
season of the Lafayette-Oxford-University Summer Sunset
Series Sunday (June 1) in the Grove at the University of
Mississippi. Wilkins, pastor of Hunter’s Chapel Missionary
Baptist Church in Como, is the son of legendary Mississippi
bluesman the Rev. Robert Wilkins.
L-O-U concerts are scheduled at 7 p.m. each Sunday in June,
with performers to be announced for the rest of the series.
The programs are free and open to the public. Rain location
is Fulton Chapel.
Wilkins, a native of Memphis, is also leader of a
motorcycle group and a performer of gospel blues. His
father recorded blues in the 1920s and ’30s and performed
gospel on the blues festival circuit in the 1960s and
’70s.
“John really walks the line between secular blues and
gospel blues,” said Joe York, producer of the Highway 61
radio show. “He’s an incredible guy, an incredible
performer and a great preacher.”
Wilkins’ sound is a blend of the “country blues style
learned from his father and gospel-infused music that
punctuates his Sunday services at Hunters Chapel Missionary
Baptist Church,” said Kate Meacham, assistant director of
marketing for the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the
Performing Arts.
The performance is sponsored by Highway 61 Radio, L-O-U
Cultural Events Committee and the Ford Center.
Highway 61 plans to replay a previously taped broadcast of
Wilkins at 10 p.m. Saturday on Mississippi Public
Broadcasting stations. Visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/docproj to learn more about Highway 61.
For more information about the Summer Sunset Series or for
assistance related to a disability, contact Meacham at
662-915-2787