Music has long been central to Ocean Springs’ identity as a coastal arts center and home of festive celebrations. Notable African-American musicians born there include Jaimoe, born Johnnie Lee Johnson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member with the Allman Brothers Band; guitarist and bandleader Henry Donahue; and pianist Tempy Smith and her gifted children, who were renowned on the coast in the 1920s and later in New York City. Ocean Springs music has ranged across many genres and settings, including Marshall Park bandstand, Gulf Hills resort, Mardi Gras parades, community centers, restaurants, nightclubs, outdoor festivals, and the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows hall. Blues remained part of local performers’ repertoires and gained a stronger foothold when The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint on Highway 57 began booking blues specialists in the early 2000s, while other venues in town also featured blues artists with Mississippi roots and local residents. Jaimoe was born in Ocean Springs on July 8, 1944, played drums with local artists in the 1960s, toured with Percy Sledge and Otis Redding, joined the Allman Brothers in 1969, and later formed Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band in the New York City area. Henry “Hank” Donahue, born in Ocean Springs on December 4, 1941, was remembered as a dynamic coast performer in the 1960s, composed songs by 1959, entertained at area dances with his group, later moved to Florida, recorded CDs on his Treble Records label, and died on October 19, 2013. Tempy Stuart Smith, born in 1884, was a pianist and teacher praised for classical and sacred music who also led a jazz band in Ocean Springs featuring her children, once billed as the Infant Orchestra; after moving to New York City in 1927, the family continued successful music careers, including daughter Geraldine “Jeri” Smith’s 1945 Carnegie Hall “synco-symphonic” concert and Helena and Joe Smith’s dancing appearances at the Apollo Theater and other venues.