Juke joints are a function of blues, and the physical spaces mimic the metaphorical in many ways. In this spectacular album of fullcolor photographs birney imes reveals a. He attended desegregated public schools in columbus and graduated from the university of tennessee at knoxville with a bachelor of arts degree in history in 1973. Celebrating southern and blues heritage, juke joint attracts over a hundred blues acts to play renditions of the genre over the decades. Fire levels junior kimbroughs north mississippi juke. These days its open only on thursdays, but you should visit this shack to get a real taste of what juke joints used to be like.
Classic juke joints found, for example, at rural crossroads, catered to the rural work force that began to emerge after the. This presentation is part of the dance halls, juke joints, and honky tonks symposium, march 2223, 2016. This symposium focuses on the issues associated with the preservation of dance halls and similar sites throughout the rural south. In clarksdale, epicenter of the blues, this years juke joint festival has everything from legendary blues singers like grammywinner david honeyboy edwards, all the way to racing pigs and. So yes, reds lounge definitely feels like an authentic juke joint. Downtown clarksdale, mississippi shuts down in the evenings to bring locals and tourists a completely immersive blues experience. How can i resist a book that has photographs of places called the purple rain. Souths best juke joints and dance halls southern living. Opened in 1948, the blue front is recognized as the oldest surviving juke joint in mississippi, and likely america. During those years, 1897 to 1934, he traveled with another blues great, son house, tutored the young howlin wolf, and inspired countless others. Last of the mississippi jukes 2003 an 86minute film about jackson, mississippis subway lounge and clarksdale, mississippis ground zero blues club with performances by alvin youngblood hart, chris thomas king, bobby rush, vasti jackson, patrice moncell, levon lindsey, abdul rasheed, greg fingers taylor, lucille, eddie cotton, dennis fountain, pat brown. I was in clarksdale, mississippi recently for the juke joint festival, an annual event celebrating the birthplace of the blues.
Photographer birney imess work is featured at jackson fine art a gallery that supports fine art. The evocative mississippi place names in imess photographs are as. Mississippi juke joint confidential signed by roger stolle. Men in juke joint frank frostclarksdale, mississippi. See more ideas about blues music, delta blues and blues artists. The juke joints themselves may be slipping away, but the sounds they created, and the spirits they unleashed, already belong to the ages. Event highlights mississippi delta culture and provides boost to area businesses. Going to drive from toledo, oh need your honest advice about where to stay, where to go to get the real juke joint down home blues feel. He began playing around the delta at juke joints, dances, fish fries, and house parties. Juke joint is a not only a wonderful coffee table book, its a wonderful read too. The mississippi juke joint keeping the blues alive youtube. Working in both black and white and color, imes s photographs take viewers inside juke joints and dilapidated restaurants scattered across that landscape. Live blues at oldest juke joint still operating in mississippi jimmy duck holmes center performs with minnesota musicians dave hundreiser left and mike munson at holmes juke joint, the blue.
Po monkeys, view01, po monkeys rd, merigold, ms, usa. According to willie po monkey seaberry he opened a juke joint at his home in. Juke joint festival 2021, a blues festival in clarksdale. After attending the festivities, i had a whole new appreciation for blues music. That they see, oh jackson has this many or clarksdale has 10.
Bill luckett, is talking about why do we look to birney imes book juke joint. Juke joint festival in clarksdale, ms mikes road trip. The blues is rooted in old and long forgotten mississippi juke joints long forgotten except for the blue front cafe in bentonia. Birney imes roamed the countryside of his native mississippi photographing the people and places he. Birney imes iii was born in 1951 in columbus, mississippi. In this famed collection of fullcolor photographs, birney imes reveals a previously unexplored and now nearly vanished domain, the black juke joints of the mississippi delta. It shows in the color and designs of juke joints, which often include brightly painted reds, yellows and blues. Deita blues museum, clarksdale, alississippi, april 14jun 5, 2006. Description in this famed collection of fullcolor photographs, birney imes reveals a previously unexplored and now nearly vanished domain, the black juke joints of the mississippi delta. The juke joint 1911 government st, ocean springs, mississippi 39564 rated 4.
Photographs by birney imes, limited edition signed by. Interpreting juke joints and african american nightspots. See more ideas about clarksdale mississippi, mississippi delta and wine barrel table. The blues i learned comes in many different artistic and musical forms, some i didnt care for, but most i found permeated my soul in a way i had never discovered before.
For more than 20 years in the 1970s and 80s, birney imes roamed the countryside of his native mississippi photographing the people and places he encountered along the way. This author takes you on a real journey through a visual exploration of heartfelt photography. Jukin in mississippi they heard the squeal of the old screen door, but they paid no attention to me a stranger as i entered. Belfour performing at the juke joint reds lounge in clarksdale, mississippi.
The evocative mississippi place names in imess photographs are as captivating as the names of the juke joints themselves. Birney imes, arcola cafe, arcola, mississippi, 1985. Photographs by birney imes, limited edition signed by birney imes. Unlike clubs or bars, juke joints rely on an atmosphere of familiarity among the patrons, proprietors, and musicians. Many tracks arent what people may think of as juke joint music, but the juke box ushered in a new era of music in taverns and local joints all across the south. Some of the constant threats include relevancy, development pressures, deterioration, and financial viability. The tables were scarred from a hundred burning butts, the juke box had threeyearold 45s that were so scratchy that the music could barely be heard above the hiss and poppings.
Im with the mississippi blues trail, want to talk about the. The beer signs were the only lively, uptodate accoutrement in the place. Located at the shack up inn, the juke joint chapel is a large live music venue based in a reconverted warehouse. It celebrates our past and living history by presenting over 100 blues acts including many mississippi and southern greats in their 60s, 70s, 80s or even 90s. See whos going to juke joint festival 2020 in clarksdale, ms. Eddie son house was born in coahoma county in 1902. This presentation is part of the dance halls, juke joints, and honky tonks symposium.
As a tourist and not at all a blues expert, i cannot vouch for its authenticity, but i think they do a good job of keeping it real even when most of the customers are tourists. A night at reds juke joint in the mississippi delta. The callandresponse nature of blues, for example, can be seen in the interaction required of juke joints. Birney imes photography has been collected in three books. On all accounts this collection has to be one of the most authentic, important releases in the blues genre for 2016. Juke joint festival is half blues festival, half smalltown fair and all about the delta.
In 2004, blueimpressario roger stolle started the juke joint festival in clarksdale to show the world that the delta blues was still alive. Items similar to ground zero blues alley, clarksdale, mississippi on etsy blues. Juke joint festival 2020 in clarksdale, ms everfest. Again, the traditional blues culture that took root early in the last century would seem, at last, to be verging on extinction. As the door slammed shut behind me, i looked and listened to identify the makings of a juke a woman prancing, with her river hips shaking like two big, wild boars turned loose in a pup tent. Mississippis birney imes, who featured the club in his 1990 book juke joint. The pictures are fantastic and the information about the juke joints is amazing. Souths best juke joints and dance halls souths best juke joints and dance halls. Juke joint also jukejoint or jook joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by african americans in the southeastern united states. Clarksdale, mississippi march 16, 2020 in coordination with the city of clarksdale, mississippi state department of health and the centers for disease control, the nonprofit clarksdale downtown development association announced today that the april 18. Clarksdale, mississippis epic 18th annual festival is dedicated to all of the late, great delta blues players, juke joint owners and supporters who have passed away during the past year.
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