James Moseman
? - April 4, 2015

Dedicated to Friends, Past and Present

Obituary​

I'm very saddened today by the passing of my cousin, James "Rusty" Moseman, at age 68 of Hernando, MS. He was a great guy and we were very close. Originally from East Point, GA, he was a star football player for, as well as a graduate of the Russell High School Class of 1965. Rusty took me to my first Atlanta Braves game, and my first MLB game for my 13th birthday in 1966. He was also a U.S. Navy Veteran, and later retired from Northwest Airlines after thirty-seven years of service. During my working jaunts to Memphis and the surrounding area up and down the Mississippi Delta, Rusty would accompany me to my gigs and pilgrimages through the land where the Blues began. The first photo shown here was taken in Tutweiler, MS, at the location where W.C. Handy, while waiting for a train back in 1903, first heard a gentleman playing what later became known as Bottleneck Slide Guitar. He said "it was the strangest sound I ever heard". Handy later documented what he heard that night, creating what would later be known as a musical style called the Blues. Rusty, along with his wife, Maryellen Moseman, would always welcome me, along with my band members, to make their home a regular stop on my tours heading out west and back. They are also avid animal lovers, and in turn, Jolie and I will make a donation to the DeSoto County, MS Animal Shelter, in memory of my cousin, James "Rusty" Moseman. There will be no funeral or memorial service, but his ashes will be spread around his eleven acres in Hernando, MS, a place where he was always at peace and will continue to be. I, along with the rest of my family, will greatly miss Rusty, a kind and unassuming guy who was always thankful for what he had and where he came from. Telling you briefly about who he was just seemed like the right thing to do today. Happy Easter - Roger Wilson