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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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The late Jackson musician Chuck Ripperton with wife, Sylvia. Credit: Courtesy Patrick Harkins

• Hal & Mal’s
• $10 cover, money goes to the Ripperton family

Called “our local Keith Richards” by some Jacksonians, musician Chuck Ripperton has been a fixture in Jackson’s music scene since the early 1970s. Ripperton, a guitarist, has played in numerous local bands including the Sofa Kings, The Oral Socks, The Riptones and Risque Ray and the Swing Set. On Jan. 2, Ripperton died from cancer, leaving behind his wife Sylvia and three children. A host of local bands and friends have rallied around Ripperton’s family and are playing a memorial concert in his honor to help them financially in the wake of his death. The lineup for the show includes the Bill Kehoe Trio, Patrick Harkins, Sofa Kings, Eric Stracener, The Moils and others. This is music for a good cause; do your heart a little good.