Historical marker honors renowned R&B singer, Jackson native Big Maybelle

JACKSON, Tenn. — A Jackson native gets a special honor in the Hub City.

There’s now a historical marker on South Highland Avenue dedicated to Mabelle Louise “Big Maybelle” Smith.

“Big Maybelle is just a wonderful singer, and she deserves some recognition in her hometown,” said Michael Baker, a librarian at the Jackson-Madison County Library and one of the people who worked to get the marker in Jackson. “She could sing raw blues, and she could bring it down to really intimate, touching vocals, so she had the whole package.”

Smith was born in Jackson in 1924. She is best known for her song “Candy” and won a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

“I’m so glad I was invited to this,” Eboni Ray, Big Maybelle’s great-granddaughter, said. “I can share this with my children, and they can share stories with their children.”

Ray says while she never got to meet her great-grandmother, she’s heard stories throughout her life that make her smile.

“My first interaction was watching ‘The Cosby Show’ and her song came on, and my aunt said ‘that’s your great-grandmother,'” Ray said.

Big Maybelle died in 1972.  She was 47 years old. In 2011, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

You can see the new historical marker on South Highland Avenue in front of the Criminal Justice Complex.