Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman, born in McComb on August 25, 1976, and raised in nearby Gradyville, built an award-winning career in both gospel and blues that reflected the close ties between the two traditions. Inspired as a child by B.B. King and other blues artists, he picked up the guitar at six and soon played at Saint Joseph the Church of the Living God and the Saint Mark Spiritual Church. He joined his parents Johnelle and Vera’s gospel group, the Star Lights, and by eight was touring as guitarist for his aunt’s group, Grace Cain and the Mellonettes. In high school he played in the gospel group Vive, and his group the True Believers, founded in 1995, gained national attention. He also earned acclaim as a guitarist for the Williams Brothers and as leader of Castro Coleman and Highly Favored, which debuted on Jackson’s Malaco Records in 2006. In 2012 he entered blues performance as Mr. Sipp, short for Mister Mississippi, after learning of a regional challenge hosted by the Vicksburg Blues Society and writing his first four blues songs within a week. He won that event, was a finalist at the International Blues Challenge in 2013, and in 2014 won both the band competition and the Gibson Guitar Award for best band guitarist, leading to international touring. Coleman credited his rapid success in blues to its similarities with gospel and to skills developed through church and professional gospel performance. His later recordings on Jackson’s Malaco Records and touring brought many honors, including a 2016 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Album for The Mississippi Blues Child, a 2018 Living Blues Award for Knock a Hole In It in the Best Blues Album, Contemporary Blues category, multiple Jackson Music Awards in both blues and gospel, and the Bobby Rush Entertainer of the Year Award in 2014 from the Jus’ Blues Foundation. In 2024 he was nominated for a GRAMMY for The Soul Side of Sipp in the Best Traditional Blues Album category and participated on the GRAMMY-winning Basie Swings the Blues by the Count Basie Orchestra. Beyond extensive touring across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, he appeared in the film Get On Up as James Brown’s guitarist Les Buie, in Texas Red as a blues singer, and in CMT’s series Sun Records as B.B. King. In 2017 he revived the True Believers and recorded as the Chosen 4 with LJ Echols, Vick Allen, and Stevie J Blues.