The symbolic leader of the Sunflower River Blues Association, Early Wright, “The Soul Man,” broadcast on WROX Radio for 52 years, and interviewed celebrities from Elvis Presley to Bobby Rush.
| 1991 | Early Wright |
| 1992 | Skip Henderson |
| 1993 | Sid Graves |
| 1994 | Jim O’Neal |
| 1995 | Panny Mayfield |
| 1996 | Lillian S. McMurry |
| 1997 | John Ruskey |
| 1998 | Johnnie Billington & Howard Stovall |
| 1999 | Lew Houston |
| 2000 | Maie Smith |
| 2001 | Yvonne Stanford |
| 2002 | Doris & Sam Carr |
| 2003 | Frank Ratliff/ Sonny Payne |
| 2004 | Catherine Clark |
| 2005 | Nat McMullen |
| 2006 | Red Paden |
| 2007 | John Sherman |
| 2008 | Steve Ladd |
| 2009 | Dr. Frank T. and Rita Marascalco |
| 2010 | Wade Fondren |
| 2011 | Shelley Ritter |
| 2012 | Morgan Freeman/Bill Luckett |
| 2013 | Roger Stolle |
| 2014 | Harold Pontez |
| 2015 | Ginger Johnson/True Value Hardware William H. Gresham, Jr. |
| 2016 | Paul Wilson |
| 2017 | Charlie Musselwhite |
| 2018 | James ”Super Chikan” Johnson |
| 2019 | Anthony Saffold |
| 2020 | No Award due to Covid-19 |
| 2021 | Samuel Davis / Margaret Jordan Walker |
| 2022 | Coahoma Community College |
| 2023 | Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry |
| 2024 | Dr. Patricia “Patty Johnson |
1991
Early Wright
1992
Skip Henderson
1993
Sid Graves
1994
Jim O’Neal
1995
Panny Mayfield
1996
Lillian S. McMurry
1997
John Ruskey
1998
Johnnie Billington & Howard Stovall
1999
Lew Houston
2000
Maie Smith
2001
Yvonne Stanford
2002
Doris & Sam Carr
2003
Frank Ratliff / Sonny Payne
2004
Catherine Clark
2005
Nat McMullen
2006
Red Paden
2007
John Sherman
2008
Steve Ladd
2009
Dr. Frank T. and Rita Marascalco
2010
Wade Fondren
2011
Shelley Ritter
2012
Morgan Freeman / Bill Luckett
2013
Roger Stolle
2014
Harold Pontez
2015
Ginger Johnson / True Value Hardware / William H. Gresham, Jr.
2016
Paul Wilson
2017
Charlie Musselwhite
2018
James “Super Chikan” Johnson
2019
Anthony Saffold
2020
No Award due to COVID-19
2021
Samuel Davis / Margaret Jordan Walker
2022
Coahoma Community College
2023
Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry
2024
Dr. Patricia “Patty” Johnson
Julius Guy, a community leader and activist for Clarksdale youth, co-founded the Sunflower River Gospel Festival with Melville Tillis.
| 1994 | James Julius Guy |
| 1995 | Rev Wars Carter |
| 1996 | Rev Willie Morganfield |
| 1997 | Melville Tills |
| 1998 | Johnnie Kennard |
| 1999 | Kenneth Lackey |
| 2001 | James Williams |
| 2002 | Norman Collins |
| 2003 | Edwin Fox |
| 2003 | Revered Lloyd Jackson |
| 2024 | Edwin fox |
| 2005 | Nancy Forte |
| 2006 | Dot Johnson |
| 2008 | Rose Williams |
| 2007 | Nathaniel Jackson |
| 2008 | Kevin Towers |
| 2009 | Christopher |
| 2010 | CV Veal |
| 2011 | Claudette Williams |
| 2012 | Rev Marvin Myles |
| 2013 | Chapel Hill Men’s Chorus |
| 2014 | Sons lf Wonder |
| 2015 | Myra Turner/P. J. Walker |
| 2016 | Terry Carr |
| 2017 | Marge Harris |
| 2018 | Locust Grove M.B. Church Morning Star M.B. Church |
| 2019 | Minister Ricky Burton & 4ever Grateful |
| 2020 | No Award due to Covin-19 |
| 2021 | Annie Bell Revel |
| 2022 | Pator E L. Martin III |
| 2023 | Earless Yvette Anderson |
| 2024 | Rev L. C. Tyler II |
