NATCHEZ — With the Natchez Bluff Blues Fest rocking Broadway Street Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered to relax, hear some good music and honor four of Natchez’s musical legends.

The 16th annual festival featured a day full of free music leading up to the 5:30 unveiling of a new Mississippi Blues Trail Marker honoring the Ealey Brothers.

Two of the Ealey brothers, “YZ” and “Bubba,” were there to receive the honor.

Scott Barretta with the Mississippi Blues Trail introduced the brothers to the stage, and said he was glad to see them commemorated for their work.

“The Ealey Brothers did a lot of good for blues music,” he said. “It is an honor to have them here today.”

The brothers were welcomed with a roar of applause as they walked their way up the bluff to remove the sheet covering their marker next to the fountain.

The Ealey Brothers were born in Sibley and played their music throughout Natchez.

Brothers Theodis, YZ and Melwin began playing under the band name, “YZ and the Merry Makers,” while eldest brother “Bubba” played by himself.

Their style of traditional blues, modern funk and soul garnered them national prominence once they left Natchez and began to perform.

Both “YZ” and “Bubba” thanked the crowd and Natchez for the honor, before “YZ” joined the Natchez Bluff Blues Band on stage for the final performance at the UMB stage on Saturday.

“I am not much of a talker,” YZ said. “But, I want to send my thanks and appreciation to everyone who is gathered here to show respect for me and my brothers.”

Natchez Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Heritage Tourism Director Darrell White said it was an honor to have the brothers in attendance to unveil the marker.

“We are just here to celebrate them for being such a wonderful part of our history,” he said. “We have some very valuable Natchez residents and we are seeing that today.”

White said this is the fourth Blues Trail Marker to arrive in Natchez, and one of 129 markers placed throughout the state.

“We are going to work to continue to find more folks like them to commemorate in our city,” he said.

Natchez’s other three existing markers are dedicated to the Rhythm Club Fire of 1940,“Papa Lightfoot” and Bud Scott.

There is also a marker in Ferriday commemorating former nightclub Haney’s Big House.

The Mississippi Blues Commission established the trail in 2003, and it has been funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mississippi Department of Transportation.