Jackson Free Press logo

This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

• Schimmel’s
• $15, includes tax, tip and food

Grammy-nominated blues singer and Mississippi native Dorothy Moore has gathered some of the best gospel and blues musicians in Mississippi for a concert and brunch benefiting needy blues artists. Performers include Bobby Rush, Ralph Miller, Billy Winston, EDIFY, Bob Gates, and others. Benefiting the Blues Foundation/HART Fund, proceeds go toward helping struggling blues artists with anything from medical costs to burial fees. Schimmel’s owner Jay Schimmel has created two new dishes especially for the brunch: eggs benedict with grilled eggplant and a three-cheese casserole served with fried green tomatoes.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.