MCCOMB, Miss. (WJTV) – Born in McComb in 1976, Castro Coleman graced the world with his musical gift at a young age. The child prodigy, also known as Mr. Sipp, was influenced by his grandfather, Lewis Coleman. The first instrument he played was a guitar.

“I look like him. I walk like him. I think like him. I am Lewis Coleman’s grandson. He was a phenomenal guy. Phenomenal musician. One that never really got his just do. But that was nothing he was looking for anyway,” said Coleman.

Coleman has traveled the world with some of gospel’s greatest like The Legendary Williams Brothers and The Pilgrim Jubilees. He gained national attention with two gospel groups of his own, The True Believers, and highly favored receiving the 2018 Gospel Group of the Year by the Mississippi Gospel Music Awards.

“Out there on the road, and I’m with Doug Williams, the Melvin Williams, the Henry Green’s, the Harvey Watkins, the Paul Porter’s, the Lee Williams, you know, Frank Williams, the Huey Williams. You know, Mississippi had a strong presence on the professional gospel side. And I’m grateful that those guys that I just named saw a little knucklehead kid like me, embraced me, and chastised me when needed,” he said.

The City of McComb honored him by unveiling a permanent statue. Now, all who drive through downtown can recognize the birthplace of his soulful music.

Coleman was given the Bobby Rush Entertainer of the Year award by the Blues Foundation for 2015. He won several Jackson Music Awards. One of Coleman’s most recent notable honors is a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album.

“I really don’t have no clue. What I do know is it’s a good record. It’s a good record. It’s talking about some real stuff. It’s what I call the underdog record, meaning nobody really believed in this record with me,” he stated.