Mel Brown statue in Kitchener joining Mississippi Blues Trail
Posted Aug 6, 2025 04:30:00 AM.
Last Updated Aug 6, 2025 10:56:31 AM.
A local legend in the world of blues music will be making history when his name is added to an iconic list.
The statue of Mel Brown on Queen Street South will be added to the famous Mississippi Blues Trail during the 25th annual Kitchener Blues Festival. It will mark the 219th stop on the tour and the first ever in Canada.
The trail was first created in 2006 and is recognized globally by the blues community, which signifies the rich history of the genre all over the world.
Most of the stops are in Mississippi, but several are in other U.S. states, including Florida, New York, and Tennessee, as well as one stop in Liverpool, England.
Bruce Hall, the president of the Grand River Blues Society, said he applied for the statue to be added back in 2022. He said that Brown had an “unbelievable” influence on the music scene in Waterloo Region, especially the mentorship of young musicians.
“He was so welcomed when he moved to Kitchener in 1989,” said Hall. “I do believe that Mel raised the whole bar in the quality of the musicianship in the whole region.”
Brown was born in Mississippi in 1939 and first moved to Kitchener back in 1989. He would play regularly at the Pop The Gator club on Queen Street South in Downtown Kitchener.
“His arrival in the city helped inspire a cultural renaissance around the blues genre and served as a key catalyst for the founding of the Kitchener Blues Festival itself. His influence is still deeply felt in the region’s music scene,” said a press release from Explore Waterloo Region.
An annual award bearing his name is given out every year to an artist who has contributed to the genre. The statue of Brown was installed in 2023 outside of the old location for the Pop The Gator club at 46 Queen St. S.
The marker will be unveiled at the Brown statue on Saturday, August 9, at 10:30 a.m. Several guests will be in attendance, including representatives from Mississippi, members of Kitchener council, and Miss Angel, Mel Brown’s widow.
