The Chitlin' Circuit consisted of venues throughout the U.S. that were mainly Black-owned, where Black entertainers would perform, predominantly to Black crowds, during the racial segregation era of the 1930s to the 1960s. "[It] is really the educational training ground for African American performers. Before they reach concert stages or Broadway or make recordings or they’re going to places like Motown or Stax or Chess Records, they’re really getting their start, particularly for musicians, in these small clubs, really forming a community of musicians, learning your craft, learning your vocals for the day, and then going on to the next level," history professor Michelle Scott told Jala Everett on Atlas Obscura's podcast. They chatted about one specific venue, Club Ebony in Indianola, Mississippi, where artists like B.B. King, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford and Bobby Rush cut their teeth.

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#History #BlackHistory @histodon @blackmastodon #Music #Culture #Lifestyle #ChitlinCircuit #USHistory

Club Ebony, an old chitlin circuit club in BB King's hometown of Indianola, MS, is reopening after extensive renovations by the BB King Museum.

Gifted link (no paywall):

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/arts/music/club-ebony.html?unlocked_article_code=35Ec7CcWCpFtZtXTL9UPMnHmr2iozuvPgvLZ1Hh486pkoVgTXrNCkcH4L5udsG99zeU09WWx8quMZXImnOmF4ohI0CU-Ti5mRaATsJX464fqrAfzK0EH2Wc8niaNX-s0xV34B2M6Jc7k8dP4MBKEIPlyKrh6TovLrjZikGUfe7UIAYrJJH6FT56i-gOWlPeh2lM3Dqh-FW_MK54kplCLqgszbmI21Ef-hG-h_iNdS80uGAGi_E7U282a11KtkPxHFwVBdgHCkOvWz8vD4gyQKwSYbN_QgBlsVgoU4NbfCNPNFvNEu5mKaYO4XwHh4R_yGmTgXPs1JQ&smid=url-share

#blues #ChitlinCircuit #Mississippi

I just opened my last #OffBeat newsletter of 2022 to find out #Nawlins bluesman and "dedicated smoker and drinker" Edward "Walter Wolfman" Washington had passed away just before Xmas and only two days after his 79th birthday. He was a staple of the #CrescentCity live music scene for decades, beginning when as a teen terror he lived above the #DewDropInn and was soon backing local soul greats like #IrmaThomas, and the late greats #LeeDorsey and #JohnnyAdams at home and on the road. After years on the #ChitlinCircuit in 80's he formed his own band #TheRoadmasters holding down residencies at clubs like #TheMapleLeaf and and d.b.a on Frenchmen St where enthralled fans have included #KeithRichards and #StevieWonder. After backing Johnny Adams late career #RounderRecords releases, beginning in 1986 the label released its first of 4 #WalterWolfmanWashington solo albums, and twenty years since his last outing on Rounder, and ten since his last one off indie label release, his final release 'My Future Is My Past' (his first LP using an acoustic guitar) was issued on -Anti in 2018 and got him touring internationally again, including gigs in India. Washington was dedicated live performer, known for late night shows that went into the dawn hours as a younger man, he was the first performer to return to #NewOrleans after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, infamously playing a generator powered gig that was shut down by authorities for curfew violation. Following tonsil cancer treatments in 2022, Mr. Washington continued to perform live shows, including a set at the #NewOrleansJazz and Heritage Festival and his final this past September at a blues fest in Bogalusa #Louisiana. A funeral is scheduled for Jan 4th and on Jan 8th #Tipitinas is hosting a benefit concert jam for his family featuring other local legends like #Meters guitarist #LeoNocentelli, #MemShannon, #JonCleary #Galactic, #IvanNeville, #LittleFreddieKing and more ... deets here for those in the know wid da flow and close enough to #GetDown to the #Uptown and go...

https://tipitinas.com/e/12795655/a-tribute-to-walter-wolfman-washington/ #theyDontMakeEmLikeTheyUsedTo #RestInPower