Ground Zero Blues Club

Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, attorney Bill Luckett, Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall, and Eric Meier. It got its name from the fact that Clarksdale has been historically referred to as "Ground Zero" for the blues.[1] It opened in May 2001[1] and is located near the Delta Blues Museum. In the style of juke joints, it is in a repurposed, un-remodeled building, vacant for 30 years, that had housed the wholesale Delta Grocery and Cotton Co.[2] There is no decor, mismatched chairs, Christmas-tree lights, and graffiti everywhere. Blues fans in Clarksdale welcomed it as a place where local musicians have a chance to work regularly.[3]

Interior of Ground Zero Blues Club, 2019. Performer is Lala Craig.
Ground Zero Neon Sign/Logo
Exterior of Ground Zero Blues Club, 2019.

The menu consists of traditional Southern foods, and the restaurant has live blues music playing Wednesday through Saturday. Super Chikan and Bill "Howl-n-Madd" Perry, not to be confused with the deceased Bill Perry, are two of the most frequent and well-known performers. In addition to the food and music, there are seven upstairs apartments that can be rented out to customers who would like to live the blues experience 24 hours a day.

Ground Zero has appeared in many television shows and publications, including:

  • 60 Minutes
  • Stephen Fry in America (BBC Documentary), 3rd episode, aired 26 October 2008.
  • The Mighty Mississippi
  • "The Story of God W/Morgan Freeman, S1/E3(Who is God)" ([NatGeo])

Video
  • Robert Mugge, Director (2003). Last of the Mississippi Jukes. Clarksdale and Jackson, Mississippi: MVD Visual. OCLC 971052576. Retrieved August 9, 2019.

References
  1. Ground Zero Blues Club (2014). "About Us". Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  3. Stephen Kinzer, In Search of the Blues, at Its Roots; Musing on a Genre's Purity, Fans Flock to Mississippi, NY Times, March 25, 2003, Section E, Page 1

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