Hi-Hat Club
The Hi-Hat Club, which was built at this site in the 1950s, was once an important stop on the “chitlin circuit” for African American blues and soul performers. B. B. King, James Brown, Otis Redding, Ike & Tina Turner, and many others played to packed houses here. Owner Milton Barnes (1915-2005), one of Mississippi’s most successful African American entrepreneurs, also owned Barnes Cleaners, the Hattiesburg Black Sox baseball team, and several other night spots in addition to his own contracting business.
The Hi-Hat Club flourished during the heyday of the “chitlin circuit,” when most of the touring venues for the nation’s top blues, R & B, and soul performers were large African American nightclubs and dance halls. The Hi-Hat, one of the largest clubs in Mississippi, often drew crowds of eight to nine hundred, sometimes in excess of a thousand. As economics and audiences changed, the role of clubs like the Hi-Hat declined as the bigger shows gravitated to auditoriums and arenas, and by 1994 the Hi-Hat had closed its doors.
Owner Milton Barnes started Barnes Cleaners in 1935, expanded his various enterprises over the years, and was honored for his many achievements by official proclamation of the State of Mississippi in 2001. Barnes opened the Embassy Club at this site in the 1940s and rebuilt it as the Hi-Hat after a 1957 fire. This area, known as Palmers Crossing, was then outside the city limits and thus subject to fewer restrictions than nightspots in town on Mobile Street, the center of much of Hattiesburg’s earlier blues activity. A number of other nightspots operated in Palmers Crossing over the years, including the Club Desire, Blue Flame Beer Parlor, Thelma’s Place, Club Manhattan, Dashiki, Aquarius, and the Elks (I.B.P.O.E.W.) Lodge. The Embassy competed with the Harlem Night Club, on Highway 11 South, to present big-name acts during the segregation era, but even then, certain acts–Fats Domino, in particular–attracted white audiences here, as did Ike & Tina Turner and B. B. King in later years. Guitarist Chick Willis also recalled carloads of white teenagers and college students parked outside the Hi-Hat vicariously enjoying the music.
Other performers at the Embassy or Hi-Hat included James Brown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Al Green, Johnnie Taylor, Tyrone Davis, Albert King, Ray Charles, Rufus Thomas, Little Milton, Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, Guitar Slim, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Charles Brown, Lowell Fulson, Joe Morris, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Junior Parker, Al “TNT” Braggs, Joe Simon, Z. Z. Hill, Joe Tex, Clarence Carter, Latimore, Solomon Burke, Ollie Nightingale, Shirley Brown, Otis Clay, O. V. Wright, Denise LaSalle, Artie “Blues Boy” White, Lynn White, Millie Jackson, Ronnie Lovejoy, the Bar-Kays, Bobby Powell, L. C. Cooke, Southside Movement, and Candi Staton. Eddie Lee “Cozy” Corley and the Blue Gardenias, Terry Leggett and the Jewels of Swing, Jimmie Payton, and the Bogalusa-based Rhythm Aces were among the regional acts featured here. Milton Barnes also invested in several other clubs and cafes, including a Hi-Hat Club in Gulfport and the Crown Club and Hut Drive-In in Laurel
The Mississippi Blues Trail markers tell stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. We have a lot to share, and it’s just down the Mississippi Blues Trail.
The Mississippi Blues Trail is an ongoing project of the Mississippi Blues Commission. Funding for this project has been made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, AT&T, and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University plus additional support from the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division.
For more information visit msbluestrail.org.
The famous blues guitarist Robert Johnson, who is often cited as a major influence on rock and roll, was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
In the 19th century, European settlers began to arrive in the region, drawn to the fertile land and abundant natural resources. The economy of Forrest County was primarily agrarian, with cotton becoming the dominant cash crop. Large plantations and farms were established, worked by a significant enslaved African American population.
During the American Civil War, Forrest County, like many parts of Mississippi, supported the Confederacy. General Forrest, for whom the county is named, was a prominent figure in the Confederate Army and led successful campaigns against Union forces. The county saw its fair share of battles and skirmishes as Union troops attempted to gain control of the area.
After the Civil War, Forrest County faced the challenges of Reconstruction. The abolition of slavery brought significant societal changes, and the county's economy underwent a period of transformation. The advent of the railroad in the late 19th century opened up new opportunities for trade and commerce, leading to the establishment of towns such as Hattiesburg, which became the county seat.
Throughout the 20th century, Forrest County continued to develop and diversify its economy. The lumber industry became a significant presence, taking advantage of the region's vast timber resources. Education also played a crucial role in the county's growth, with the founding of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg in 1910. Today, Forrest County is a thriving area with a diverse economy, rooted in its rich historical heritage.
Forrest County Timeline
This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Forrest County, Mississippi.
- 1811: Forrest County is established and named after Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
- 1870: Hattiesburg, the county seat, is incorporated.
- 1882: The Mississippi Central Railroad is completed, boosting the area's economic growth.
- 1914: The University of Southern Mississippi, originally known as Mississippi Normal College, is established in Hattiesburg.
- 1917: Camp Shelby is established as a military training site during World War I.
- 1932: The Longleaf Trace, a 41-mile recreational trail, begins operation as a railroad corridor.
- 1942: Camp Shelby becomes a major training site during World War II.
- 1984: Pine Belt Stadium, now known as M.M. Roberts Stadium, is built on the University of Southern Mississippi campus.
- 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast, including areas of Forrest County.
- 2017: The Hattiesburg Zoo expands with the opening of the Asbury Discovery Center.