Lady Trucker

Peggy Sue Hemphill Lesueur, known professionally as Lady Trucker, is a Mississippi blues and gospel singer whose music reflects the rich traditions of North Mississippi’s Hill Country blues while embracing the sounds of gospel, Chicago blues, southern soul, and zydeco. Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and now based in Marshall County, she comes from the celebrated Hemphill family, one of the most influential musical families in Mississippi history. Surrounded by music from an early age, Lady Trucker grew up singing in church and learning from relatives whose music helped define the Hill Country blues, including blues pioneer Sid Hemphill and her cousin, the legendary Jessie Mae Hemphill.

Recognizing her gift for singing, Jessie Mae Hemphill encouraged her cousin Peggy to develop her voice, while church services and family gatherings provided an education in gospel, blues, and music-making in a community setting. By the age of 16, she was writing her own songs, drawing inspiration from the musical traditions that surrounded her while developing a style uniquely her own. Her repertoire moves easily between sacred music, Hill Country blues, Chicago blues, southern soul, and zydeco, reflecting both her family's musical legacy and her talents as a multifaceted musician.

Her iconic stage name comes from another chapter of her life: she was the first Black woman truck driver for Delta Rice from Webb, Mississippi, giving her a nickname that has stayed with her throughout her musical career. Alongside her work as a performer, Hemphill has also worked as a nurse and remained deeply committed to community service, organizing school supply drives for children in Mississippi for more than two decades.

Today, Lady Trucker performs throughout the South at blues festivals, community celebrations, and cultural events, while also leading efforts to preserve her family's musical legacy through the annual Jessie Mae Hemphill Hill Country Blues Festival. Whether singing gospel, blues, or her own original songs, she continues to celebrate the enduring traditions of Mississippi music while carrying the Hemphill family's remarkable musical heritage to new audiences.