Church Street
Church Street catered to every need of the African American community during the segregation era, when most area residents worked in the cotton fields during the week and came to town on weekends. Church Street (also designated as Church Avenue) offered everything from doctors’ offices to tailoring shops, from shoe shine stands to ice cream parlors, from Saturday night blues to Sunday morning church services. B. B. King often played for tips on the street as a teenager in the 1940s.
Church Street was once a crowded, bustling thoroughfare where African Americans shopped, socialized, dined, listened to music, and attended church services. In the segregated 1950s, ’60s, and earlier, according to Indianola attorney Carver Randle, “Church Street was an escape valve for black folks. On Saturdays Church Street had a festive kind of Mardi Gras atmosphere. People walked in the street and ate hot tamales and hot dogs and ice cream, drank corn whiskey and ate fish sandwiches. And although that was a tough time for black folks, we were pretty much self contained, all the way from fun to health care. If you made it to Church Street, you were all right.”
When the young B.B. King played on Church Street, he found that churchgoers would give him praise and moral encouragement for performing gospel songs, but tippers were more likely to reward him with money when he played blues. Jones Night Spot on Church Street was then the area’s premier blues venue, presenting blues men such as Robert Nighthawk and Robert Jr. Lockwood as well as the big bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Jones later moved to Hanna Street and was renamed the Club Ebony. King appeared there often after turning professional.
Other spots on Church Street, including Sports Place, Stella B.’s, the Pastime Inn, the Cotton Club, the Blue Chip, the Key Hole Inn, Price Night Club, George’s Lounge, and Club Chicago, have offered blues music, most often on jukeboxes, although some have featured live entertainment. Guitarist David Lee Durham (1943-2008), who played with Bobby Whalen in the Ladies Choice Band, once had his own place on Church Street. Other local blues figures have included B.B. King’s cousin Jerry Fair, his wife Galean Fair, and James Earl “Blue” Franklin, a former member of the Greenville band Roosevelt “Booba” Barnes and the Playboys. A Canadian television crew filmed the Barnes group performing at the Key Hole Inn in 1990.
While other notable blues musicians have been born in Indianola, few of them played on Church Street, since most left the area when they were young. These include Albert King (1923-1992), who rivaled B.B. as a blues guitar king; Chicago harmonica players Jazz Gillum (1904-1966, famed for his 1940 recording of “Key to the Highway”) and Little Arthur Duncan (1934-2008); and brothers Louis(1932-1995) and Mac Collins (1929-1997),who were mainstays of the Detroit blues scene. Louis Collins, who performed under the name “Mr. Bo,” and David Durham both developed styles heavily influenced by B.B. King. Another Indianola native, Earl Randle (b. 1947), made his mark in Memphis as a songwriter
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 Mississippi River, which forms the western border of the state, is the longest river in North America.
Sunflower County played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. It was the birthplace of Fannie Lou Hamer, a prominent civil rights activist who tirelessly fought for voting rights, school desegregation, and equal treatment for African Americans. The county became a battleground for racial equality, witnessing numerous protests and acts of resistance against segregation and discrimination.
During the mid-20th century, Sunflower County, like much of the Mississippi Delta, experienced socio-economic hardships due to mechanization in agriculture and the decline of the cotton industry. Poverty and unemployment became prevalent, and the population decreased as many residents left in search of better opportunities.
In recent years, Sunflower County has made efforts to revitalize its economy and improve living conditions for its residents. Various initiatives have been implemented to promote education, job creation, and community development. While challenges persist, the county continues to evolve and adapt, striving for a brighter future. Today, Sunflower County serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by its inhabitants in the past, while also showcasing their resilience and determination for a better tomorrow.
Sunflower County Timeline
This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Sunflower County, Mississippi.
- Early 1800s: Sunflower County was inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Choctaw and Chickasaw.
- 1833: The Mississippi Legislature established Sunflower County.
- 1844: The county seat was established in the town of Pheba.
- 1846: Pheba was renamed to Sunflower, becoming the county seat.
- 1854: The town of Sunflower was superseded by the newly established town of Johnsonville as the county seat.
- 1858: Sunflower County's seat moved again, this time to McNutt.
- 1910: Indianola became the permanent county seat, replacing McNutt.
- 1920s-1930s: Sunflower County experienced a significant growth in cotton farming and became a major center for the agricultural industry.
- 1950s-1960s: The Civil Rights Movement had a strong presence in Sunflower County, with notable activists leading initiatives for equality.
- 2004: The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in Indianola, honoring the famous blues musician who was born in Sunflower County.
- Present: Sunflower County continues to be primarily agricultural, with a focus on cotton, soybeans, and catfish farming.