Piney Woods Country Life School — Piney Woods, Mississippi

Piney Woods Country Life School, founded in 1909 by Laurence C. Jones south of Jackson, was an independent boarding school for Black students in the Jim Crow South that nurtured musical talent across generations and has a Mississippi Blues Trail marker acknowledging its role in the state's musical heritage. The school's travelling student choirs brought its story to national attention in the early 20th century, and the institution became known far beyond Mississippi. Among the musicians with connections to the school and the surrounding Piney Woods region was Little Brother Montgomery, the boogie-woogie piano pioneer.

The Piney Woods region of Mississippi — the longleaf pine forests of the south-central part of the state — produced its own musical traditions distinct from the Delta blues to the north. Gospel, folk, and early blues all flourished in the African American communities of the pine country, and the school served as a focal point for these traditions. The contrast between the Piney Woods and the flat Delta defines the geographic diversity of Mississippi music.

Piney Woods Country Life School still operates as an accredited boarding school and remains one of the few historically Black boarding schools in the country. It is located off US Highway 49 south of Jackson and is open to respectful visitors.