A Route to Discover the Blues
As a child I always wanted to explore like Indiana Jones or follow the yellow brick road like Toto and Dorothy. Even the smallest of tasks can be turned into an epic journey when a lust for learning is within you. Having an inquiring mind, can lead to obtaining a wealth of knowledge. Sometimes, just on a whim, you should get in the car and investigate the massive world around you.
Searching for Mississippi Blues Trail markers can be a great way to spend a weekend. Make a game of it, of course you could get out your handy navigation system, but where’s the fun in that. Look for the brown and white signs that lead the way to these historic blues landmarks. Go ahead, get lost, we did.
It’s no fun to go adventuring alone. You have to have a sidekick for all the antics, laughs, and conversation. Myself and Ashleigh Jones decided to go to the legendary Poor Monkey Lounge. It was situated far out on a gravel road lined with trees. When we arrived the wind was blowing some kind of terrible. The wood and tin building lined with Christmas lights and old posters looked as if it was in disrepair. There were porta pottys in the back and the old building stood out against the wondrous blue sky. The rules listed on the outside wall, one of the few original surviving juke joints in the Delta, Poor Monkey Lounge has received world wide recognition.
Leland, Ms has great information to offer blues lovers and historians. The small town, which earned the name, “the hellhole of the Delta,” is home to five blues markers and The Highway 61 Blues Museum. (Tyrone Davis, Corner of 10 & 61, Ruby’s Nite Spot, Son Thomas, & Johnny Winter)
Below is one of the five markers in Leland, MS. The Highway 10 & 61 Marker was discovered by my best friend Dawn Misskelley while I was down the block reading the Tyrone Davis Marker. What I found quite interesting is that this location was a profitable spot. On this corner, musicians played requests in exchange for tips, vendors sold hot tamales and fried fish to the gathering crowd, making it a bustling center of commerce.
Club Ebony located in Indianola, MS was built after WWII ended and showcased such legends as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Bobby Blan, Little Milton, Willie Clayton, Albert King, and numerous other famous acts. When owner Johnny Jones died his wife operated the club under the ownership of James B. “Jimmy” Lee, a white bootlegger from Leland. Ruby Edward’s, who ran Ruby’s Nite Spot in Leland, purchased the club in 1958 and later that year B.B. King married her daughter, Sue Carol Hall. In 1975 the club was purchased by Willie and Mary Shepard. Mrs. Shepards ran the club up until her retirement in 2008. B.B. purchased the club in 2008 preserving the cultural landmark that was near and dear to his heart.
Being from Sunflower County, I have passed by this club several times in my life and never knew its deep rooted and rich history. I never realized how many talented performers had stepped within the clubs boundaries and electrified its occupants with the melodic sounds of pain, love, lust, disappointments, and triumph. Throughout the decades, the club continued to book acts from the “chitling circuit” included such talent as James Brown, Ike Turner, Syl Johnson, Clarence Carter, Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, Howlin’ Wolf and Tyrone Davis, to name a few. Club Ebony is nestled on the corner of Mary Shepard Ave and Hanna St. You can also go to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, also located in Indianola, MS and find out more about the blues and this historic club.
