Bill Luckett, an attorney, owner of Ground Zero Blues Club, former candidate for Governor of Mississippi and native of Clarksdale was remembered by his friends last week.
Those who knew him best told of how he worked to better not only Clarksdale, but the lives of others with his hands, his resources and his ideas.
News of Luckett’s death was reported on Facebook Thursday evening, Oct. 28. The City of Clarksdale flew flags at half-staff the following Friday.
"Bill (aka Gooch) never ceased to amaze me," said Mike Tyner, a high school classmate of Luckett's. "He learned to paint houses from Walter Howell a master painter and painted his way through law school and afterwards."
Tyner added that Luckett had an intense desire to do things and do them well.
"I have watched him over the years through all of his many pursuits and think back on how persistent he was as that high school painter and how he carried that determination throughout his varied career," Tyner said. "I never doubted his friendship and he never doubted mine. To the end, I always called him "Gooch."
Luckett was mayor of Clarksdale from to 2013 to 2017, but one of his favorite claims to fame was to say he had lived in Clarksdale all but the first six months of his life. He has roots in the community that go back several generations.
“Bill was exceptional in everything he did,” said longtime friend Pete Johnson. “He was very smart with an endless amount of energy. He loved his family, his friends and Clarksdale.”
Johnson pointed out Luckett not only invested his heart in Clarksdale but also his good fortune.
“When it came to Clarksdale he put his money where his mouth was,” said Johnson. “At one time he was one of if not the largest property owners in town and he wasn’t afraid to take a risk.”
It was Luckett, his friend Morgan Freeman and others who ventured out with Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi Restaurant kindling a young tourism economy in Clarksdale.
Luckett’s vision was also bigger than Clarkdale. Luckett was the democratic candidate for governor in 2011, with education and jobs central to his platform.
“I knew Bill for 38 years,” said Jon Levingston, Executive Director of Crossroads Economic Partnership. “He was a singular individual of vast talent who cared deeply about our city, region, and state.”
Levingston talked about Luckett’s love of art and the culture of the Delta.
“He worked hard to develop a broader awareness of the blues genre of music, its history, and unique connection to our region,” said Levingston. “He was a relentless promotor of our community to anyone who would listen wherever his peripatetic journeys took him. He graced the world with two immensely talented children whom he adored.”
Luckett’s relationship with Freeman opened doors in the movie industry that allowed Luckett to do business in Hollywood, bring productions to be filmed in Mississippi and even act.
IMBd, (Internet Movie Database) listed Luckett as an actor or producer of movies, such as The Poison Rose (2019), Vanquish (2021) and The Comeback Trail (2020).
He most recently played the part of a country sheriff in the yet-to-be released movie Paradise Highway that was filmed this summer in Coahoma County.
A 1966 graduate of Clarksdale High School, he was President of his senior class. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American government from the University of Virginia in 1970, where he graduated on the Dean’s List. He graduated from the University of Mississippi Law School in 1973 and returned to Ole Miss later in life as an adjunct professor.
In May 2002 Luckett was awarded an honorary degree from Coahoma Community College, where for several years he chaired its annual scholarship golf tournament. He was a Lifetime Member of the NAACP, and was honored in 2005 with the May Fest Trailblazer of the Year award for his outstanding and significant contribution to diversity and racial reconciliation.
Other honors include Delta State University 2007 Delta Regional Heritage Champion and Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi 2008 Man of the Year.
Bill practiced law with Luckett Tyner Law Firm, P.A. as a member of the Mississippi and Tennessee Bars.
Luckett served on the Executive Council of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association, and the North Mississippi Advisory Board for Regions Bank. He served as President of Bayou Bend Golf & Country Club in Sumner, Mississippi and served as Secretary of the Tallahatchie River Foundation, a non-profit organization, which supports education in the Mississippi Delta. He was president of Burke Hunting Club for years and served on the professional advisory board for ALSAC (St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis Tennessee). He served on the Executive Committee (representing the State of Mississippi) of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative.
Bill attended St. George’s Episcopal Church in Clarksdale and proudly served his country as a member of the military in the Army Reserve. A private airplane pilot, he had more than 3,000 hours and was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2009.
Luckett had been ill, but had stayed active in community events and recently hosted the June Bug in Clarksdale for longtime friends.
