Suburbs

I’ve always kind of wondered about the kinfolk ties between Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite and iconic blues harmonicist Charlie Musselwhite. I figured there was a link somewhere along that bloodline.

The Musselwhite name isn’t quite as common as Smith, Jones or even Bailey. My sister and brother-in-law’s surname is Zipperer, so if we hear of someone else with that name, the default is that they are related.

Musselwhite kind of falls in that same category. There must be some connection between mayor and musician, right?

So, when reporter Brandon LaGrone posed some out-of-government questions to Darren Musselwhite this week, the mayor acknowledged the link. However, distant, the mayor and the entertainer are cousins. Maybe third or fourth cousins twice removed or some such calculation, but a familial link nonetheless, with roots down around Kosciusko in Attala County, Mississippi.

The Musselwhite relationship was just one of the facts we learned about the Southaven leader. He played in the Minnesota Twins minor league organization, so he remains a fan of that American League team. He listens to Hootie & the Blowfish but is also a big fan of Journey. He’d like to have a sit-down with Elvis, not to talk about music exclusively, but about the King’s life and challenges.

I like it when reporters conduct these question-and-answer interviews. The responses kind of pull back the curtain on government leaders. What they do outside of making policy, directing business and overseeing a city.

What they read.

Hidden talents.

An unknown sports career.

All of those things were unveiled with Musselwhite.

One unknown that remains is whether Darren has the talent to play that harp like Cuz’n Charlie. A Musselwhite-Musselwhite performance at Snowden Grove could draw, I’ll bet.

Or better still, Darius Rucker, lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish, is playing Live at the Garden this summer. How about Charlie and Darren opening for them?

Meanwhile, I need to do a little ancestry research. My wife has family ties in Kosciusko. Maybe I’ve got some distant connection to Charlie Musselwhite.

By marriage. - Suburbs editor, Clay Bailey

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