Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of the metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson. Much of Canton is on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse square is a beautiful historic shopping district and host to the Canton Flea Market. The East side of town is a large part of the historic district with many historic homes and a few bed and breakfasts. Canton was the birhplace of George Doherty (1920–1987), a football player for the Buffalo Bills in 1947, who later coached at the high school and college levels in Louisiana, and John McCrady (1911–1968), a notable artist. Canton is also the birthplace of L.C. Greenwood (1946-). Greenwood was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a 10th-round draft choice in 1969 and for 12 seasons, Greenwood was the Steelers' starting defensive left end. Greenwood started in six AFC championship games and in Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV. Founded in Canton, the Canton Spirituals have remained one of the best gospel music quartets in the country. The original members included singer/songwriter, Harvey Watkins, Sr. (who started singing and also founded The Canton Spirituals at the age of fourteen), Eddie Jackson, Theo Thompson, and Roscoe Lucious (Mississippi Almanac 1997-1998). The current lead singer of the Canton Spirituals is Harvey Watkins, Jr. Current members include: Victor Allen, Ralph Loften, Merlin Lucious, Rufus Mapp, Michael Richardson, Wallace Strickland, and Cornelius Dwayne Watkins. Harvey Watkins Sr. was the only original member with the Canton Spirituals until his death in 1994.