Millie Jackson, Mavis Staples and Dorothy Moore were among the Mississippi entertainers honored Monday during the 33rd annual Jackson Music Awards.

“We are saluting the legends of Southern soul,” said Jesse Thompson, president and founder of the program.

Also honored was The Composers, a group that formed at Jackson State University in the 1970s.

“(The Composers) paved the way for local entertainment and set the standard,” Thompson said. “We were part of the first Jackson Music Awards back in 1974.”

Willie Clayton, Sir Charles Jones, J. Blackfoot, Smacka Batch, Workhorse and Betty Padgett were among those who performed.