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MISSISSIPPI JUKE JOINT TRADITION
HONORED ON THE BLUES TRAIL
Jackson, Mississippi (June 20, 2009) – The rural juke joint
played an integral role in the development of the blues, offering
a distinctly secular space for people to socialize, Mississippi Blues
Trail marker number seventy-nine will be unveiled at Po’ Monkey’s
juke joint in Merigold, Mississippi on Monday, June 22 at 2:30 p.m.
"Po' Monkey's is part of the fabric of Mississippi's blues history,"
Governor Haley Barbour said. "Juke joints like this one in Merigold
provided the outlet for musicians to get their music heard. Po' Monkey's
also has been instrumental in raising the profile of Mississippi blues
as a tourist attraction to an international level."
The marker acknowledges both the club as well as the broader juke
joint tradition. While many such jukes once dotted the cotton fields
of the Delta countryside, Po’ Monkey’s was one of the relatively few
to survive into the 21st century. Owner Willie “Po’ Monkey” Seaberry,
who was born several miles away from the club in 1941, says that he
first opened Po’ Monkey’s in his house in 1963. Po Monkey’s is in
many ways typical of the rural juke joint, which was often named informally
after the proprietor. Like Po Monkey’s many jukes were dimly lit and
were furnished with a jukebox, a pool table, beer posters stapled
to the walls, and Christmas lights strung across the walls and ceiling.
Unlike other jukes, though, Po’ Monkey’s eventually gained international
recognition. Its colorful decoration both inside the club and on its
outside walls made it a popular destination for news outlets and it
appears in books by noted photographers including Annie Liebowitz
and Mississippi’s Birney Imes, who featured it in his book Juke Joint.
Initially frequented mostly by locals, Po’ Monkey’s became a destination
point for blues tourists from around the world during the 1990s. For
most of its tenure the music at Po’ Monkeys has been provided mostly
by its jukebox and deejays, but more recently it has hosted performances
by traditional Mississippi blues artists including Cadillac John Nolden
from nearby Renova, Bill Abel of Duncan, and Monroe Jones of Cleveland.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour created the Mississippi Blues Trail
to recognize the talents of the state’s countless musicians in the
Birthplace of America’s Music. When completed more than 150 sites
will offer an unforgettable journey into Blues history.
While markers are scattered statewide, the Mississippi Blues Trail
is now outside the state with sites in Chicago and Memphis. The trail
starts at the first official marker in Holly Ridge, the resting place
of the blues guitarist Charley Patton. The trail then winds its way
to sites honoring B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Son House and more.
The Mississippi Blues Trail markers are funded in part by a grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by support from
the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Center for
the Study of Southern Culture, the Mississippi Department of Transportation,
Delta State University and the Mississippi Development Authority.
To submit information on the musicians, sites, and promoters honored
by the Mississippi Blues Trail, contact: Jim O’Neal, Mississippi Blues
Trail Research Director (816-931-0383, bluesoterica@aol.com).
For more information, about the event visit the Mississippi Blues Trail on the web at msbluestrail.org or the official MDA Tourism site visitmississippi.org. To contact the Mississippi Blues Trail office in Jackson, contact Alex Thomas (601-359-3297, athomas@mississippi.org) or Leigh Portwood (601-359-3061, lportwood@mississippi.org).
