Special to The Mississippi Link
JACKSON – The Bluegrass Appeal, a band led by Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson, will perform its second annual “Christmas at the Capitol” concert at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, in the Capitol rotunda. The free 45-minute concert will include traditional Christmas music.
Justice Dickinson will play hammered dulcimer, Irish whistle, guitar and autoharp during the concert. Fiddle and bass players are brothers and attorneys Joe Thornton of Magee and Steve Thornton of Jackson. Coleman Stewart and his son James Stewart, both of Hattiesburg, play guitar and mandolin. Janet Dickinson, Justice Dickinson’s wife, and Forrest County Justice Court Judge-elect Gay Polk-Payton will sing.
Justice Dickinson said, “There is only one universal language and that is music. It’s been my passion all of my life.”
Justice Dickinson, who grew up in Tallahatchie County, learned to play guitar from his grandfather at age 8. He plays 31 musical instruments. He formed rock bands in high school and college, and worked briefly as a studio musician.
Although he chose a career in the legal profession, he and his wife, Janet, continued to play music for banquets and church programs for 30 years. He formed the band Bluegrass Appeal three years ago. The group’s repertoire includes bluegrass, Delta blues, gospel, Irish and traditional fiddle tunes. The group has played in venues including Thacker Mountain Radio, the Legends of Bluegrass Festival in Columbia, Gateway to the Delta Bluegrass Festival, Southern Strings Dulcimer Festival, the Mississippi Legislature Prayer Breakfast, and the Mississippi Bar Convention.
Justice Dickinson joined the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2004 after practicing law for 21 years. He became a presiding justice in February 2011. He is a founding member of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission, which works to improve poor people’s access to civil legal representation. He is chair of the Supreme Court Rules Committee on the Legal Profession.
Be the first to comment