A tour of Po' Monkey's Lounge and interview with Mr. Po' Monkey himself
Po' Monkey's lounge is located in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi outside of Merigold. Located in the Mississippi Delta, it is a juke joint located in cotton fields in a one-room house. The juke joint was founded in 1961 and is considered to be one of the last original juke joints in the south. Here's what the Mississippi Blues Commission has to say:
The rural juke joint played an integral role in the development of the blues, offering a distinctly secular space for people to socialize, dance, and forget their everyday troubles. 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. Initially frequented by locals, Po' Monkey's became a destination point for blues tourists from around the world during the 1990s.
According to Willie Po' Monkey Seaberry he opened a juke joint at his home in this location in 1963. Seaberry (b. 1941) worked as a farmer and operated the club, where he continued to live, at night. By the 1990s Po' Monkey's was attracting a mixed crowd of locals as well as college students from Delta State University and blues aficionados in search of authentic juke joints. The dramatic décor both inside and outside the club also attracted attention from news outlets including the New York Times and noted photographers including Annie Leibovitz and Mississippi's Birney Imes, who featured the club in his 1990 book Juke Joint. Despite such notoriety Po' Monkey's in many ways continued to typify the rural juke joint, furnished with a jukebox, a pool table, beer posters stapled to the walls, and Christmas lights strung across the walls and ceiling. Modern juke joints were preceded by informal jookhouses that were actually tenants' houses on plantations. Residents would clear the furniture from the largest room and spread sawdust on the floor in preparation for an evening, and often sold fried fish and homemade liquor to those who gathered for music, dancing, and gambling. Such gatherings were called house parties, fish fries, country suppers, Saturday night suppers, balls, or frolics. Many musicians recall first hearing blues at jookhouses run by neighbors or family members. Some artists, including Muddy Waters, ran their own jukes in Mississippi. In the 1930s coin-operated phonographs became widely distributed throughout the South and quickly became known as jukeboxes. Since that time, most music at juke joints (including Po' Monkey's) has been provided not by live performers but by jukeboxes and, later, by deejays.
The term juke—sometimes spelled jook and often pronounced to rhyme with book rather than duke—may have either African or Gullah origins, and scholars have suggested meanings including wicked or disorderly, to dance, and a place of shelter. Used as a noun, juke refers to small African American-run bars, cafes, and clubs such as Po Monkey's; as a verb, it refers to partying. Variations of jook first appeared on recordings in the 1930s, and at a 1936 session in Hattiesburg the Mississippi Jook Band made what were later described as the first rock 'n' roll records. Juke gained widespread recognition in 1952 as the title of a hit record by blues harmonica player Little Walter. More formal establishments in towns and cities eventually replaced most rural juke joints, but jukes continued to occupy an important place in the imagination of blues fans and performers. In the 21st century Mississippians Little Milton, Lee Shot Williams, Bill Howlin' Madd Perry, and Johnny Drummer sang and composed new songs about jukes, and in 2004 Clarksdale established an annual Juke Joint Festival to celebrate the city's down-home venues.
Cleveland, MS - Poor Monkey Lounge
Just outside of Cleveland, MS you'll find the Poor Monkey Lounge, a hoppin' juke joint in an old rural sharecropper's shack. Find more great treasures in Cleveland, Mississippi on our website!
History Is Lunch: Will Jacks and Boyce Upholt, Po' Monkey's: Portrait of a Juke Joint
On October 23, 2019, Will Jacks and Boyce Upholt presented Po' Monkey's: Portrait of a Juke Joint as part of the History Is Lunch series.
Outside of Merigold, off an unmarked dirt road, stands Po’ Monkey’s, one of the most famous houses in Mississippi and perhaps its last rural juke joint—now closed to the public. Before the death of the lounge’s owner, Willie Seaberry, in 2016, it was a mandatory stop on the constant blues pilgrimage that flows through the Delta.
“Mr. Seaberry ran Po’ Monkey’s Lounge for more than fifty years, opening his juke joint in the 1960s,” said Jacks. “A hand-built tenant home located on the plantation where Seaberry worked, Po’ Monkey’s was a place to listen to music and drink beer—a place to relax where everyone was welcomed by Mr. Seaberry’s infectious charm.”
In Po’ Monkey’s: Portrait of a Juke Joint, photographer Will Jacks captures the juke joint he spent a decade patronizing. Award-winning writer Boyce Upholt contributed an essay on the cultural significance of the lounge.
“For this book we had to think about the difficulties of preservation, historical context, community relations, and cultural tourism,” said Jacks. “Now that Mr. Seaberry is gone, the uncertainty of the future of his juke joint highlights the need for a historical record.”
Will Jacks is a photographer, curator, storyteller, and educator of culture and relationships in the Mississippi Delta, the Lower Mississippi River region, and the American South. He teaches photography and documentary courses in the Mississippi Delta.
Boyce Upholt received his MFA from Warren Wilson College and was a 2017 fellow with the 11th Hour Food & Farming Journalism program at U.C.-Berkeley. A freelance writer, Upholt won the 2019 award for investigative journalism from the James Beard Foundation and was named a 2016 Writer of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association.
History Is Lunch is a weekly lecture series of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History that explores different aspects of the state's past. The hour-long programs are held in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum building in Jackson. MDAH livestreams videos of the program at noon on Wednesdays on their Facebook page,
Po' Monkey's
NEH Landmarks Seminar group visits Po' Mokey's--the last rural jook joint--which is located in Merigold, Mississippi.
Last Of The Mississippi Jukes - trailer
Robert Mugges 2003 music doc LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES explores the fading traditions of juke joints where the blues was born a century ago and where regional musicians still practice their craft and entertain their fans. The film focuses, in particular, on Jimmy Kings legendary Subway Lounge in Jackson, MS and Morgan Freemans and Bill Lucketts Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS.
Vacation In Mississippi, Memphis and Arkansas
Took a trip to the Dirty South and had a great time. My spot is Po Monkey's in the Delta of Mississippi. An old school juke joint. Sharing some pics and videos from my trip.
Intro | Will Jacks
“For the last eight or so years, I spent many Thursday nights at Po’ Monkey’s Lounge, a juke joint outside of Merigold, Mississippi. In the last twenty years, this iconic location became the biggest marketing piece used by the state in its quest to promote – and economize – the rich musical heritage of the region. Lauded as “the last of the rural juke joints,” Po’ Monkey’s somehow managed to keep a loyal local following while increasingly attracting tourists from around the world. Blues purists bemoaned that the marketing push undermined the juke’s authenticity, but the core crowd that had been coming since the 60’s was still very much around in 2016.
I went in search of a story, but what I found was so much more. I found a home. I found friendships, and I found the most unexpected mentor. Willie Seaberry, known to most as Po’ Monkey, was one of my greatest teachers.
When I first visited Willie’s juke joint I was intrigued by it’s myth. I’d heard stories, and even visited once or twice in the early 90’s while in college. On those early trips I wasn’t seeking to understand anything. I just wanted a beer or two. I was young, stupid, and clueless as to the significance of the place and the man that ran it. By the time I returned years later I mostly wanted to understand why the rest of the world had added a visit to their bucket list.
What I found was a deeper connection to my home. I reconnected with classmates from high school, most of whom I’d lost touch with despite the fact that as adults we lived only a few minutes away from one another. I realized that without the formal structure of school to bring us together, we’d allowed life to retreat us into smaller and smaller worlds. Willie Seaberry provided a new structure for our reunions, and just as I forged a bond with the classmates of my youth, so, too, did I form deep connections to those who visited the Lounge regularly.
Those are the bonds that made Po’ Monkey’s special. We came because we enjoyed each other. We came to laugh and celebrate and dance and sing together. We drank together. We ate together. On July 14, 2016 we cried together. Now we are all seeking that joyous space that closed the night Willie left us.
In the month since Mr. Seaberry’s passing I’ve realized what it all meant, and why we were so lucky. On the Thursday following his death, a celebration was held at Sky Box in Shelby. When I entered the club, the space was certainly different, but the people were the same. The following week we moved to Annie Bell’s in Clarksdale, and the week after that we gathered at The Old Time Blues Place in Marks. We talked about Mr. Seaberry. We toasted his life, and we were grateful for him bringing us all together as a family.
This was the magic of Po’ Monkey’s Lounge and why so many wanted to visit – because of the family. The place was regularly filled with tourists and first-timers, but it was always anchored by a family with Willie Seaberry as our patriarch. It wasn’t the same if that family wasn’t there. We loved him, and we loved each other, and when a room is filled with that much unconditional love, how could you not want to be a part of it?”
Hot Blooded Woman Blues - Cleveland, Mississippi
An impromptu performance of Rog and Big Dick at Po' Monkey's Juke Joint in Cleveland, Mississippi, on April 29, 2016, featuring Big T.
Interpreting Juke Joints and African American Nightspots on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Interpreting Juke Joints and African American Nightspots on the Mississippi Blues Trail by Scott Barretta
Initiated in 2006, the Mississippi Blues Trail consists of 189 interpretive markers that address important musicians, places and themes in the musical history of the state. Unlike conventional metal markers, the Blues Trail markers feature a vinyl panel on one side with multiple images and over five hundred words of text, allowing considerable interpretive possibilities.
The Trail serves two main purposes—historical documentation and advancement of cultural tourism, goals that might potentially be in conflict. For instance, will bringing more “outsiders” to local watering holes drive away the regulars and thus the “local color” that attracts outsiders to begin with? Alternatively, in the context of a relatively dramatic decline in juke joints with live music over the last decades can we see publicity associated with the Trail as leading to the survival—albeit in an altered form—of the juke?
These questions will be examined via examples of markers placed at longstanding venues including the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, the Queen of Hearts in Jackson, Po’ Monkeys in Merigold, Red’s Lounge in Clarksdale, and the Club Ebony in Indianola.
Another topic to be addressed is how the Blues Trail has acknowledged the spots of defunct, but once vital, venues including Ruby’s Night Spot in Leland, the Harlem Inn in Winstonville, and the Club Desire in Canton. Once central to local African American communities, these venues were previously only alluded to briefly in blues scholarship and largely ignored by local historians or tourism officials.
Stacy Mitchhart Better Off Dead
Stacy Mitchhart puts his stamp on the Bill Withers classic Better Off Dead, the second single from his current album Live My Life. Available on iTunes
Directed by Tim Hardiman and shot in Clarksdale, MS; Merigold, MS and Helena, AK. Special thanks to Zee Ratliff at Riverside Hotel, Willie Seaberry at Po' Monkey Lounge, the city of Helena, Arkansas, Dan Sutton and Gina Hughes. ©2015 Dr. Sam Records.
Despite Blizzard, New York Locals, Tourists Come Out to Play
Despite whiteout conditions in New York, accompanied by low visibility and wind gusts approaching 60 kilometers per hour, many of the city's locals and tourists .
News from the US and around the world by the Voice of America (VOA)
Just when beleaguered Buffalo residents started to dig out from a historic blizzard that dumped up to 65 inches - it's snowing again in western New York.
Po' Monkey's lounge is located in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi outside of Merigold. Located in the Mississippi Delta, it is a juke joint located in .
Unique Museums | Mississippi Roads | MPB
Biloxi’s Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina flattened it in 2005, provides a glimpse into the cultures that make the coast unique. We explore a different industry up at the Martin and Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum in Cleveland.A trip down memory lane reacquaints us with the wildly popular Graceland, Too, in Holly Springs, now no longer in operation. Skipping on down to Petal, we’ll visit the International Checkers Hall of Fame, then we end up singing the blues at Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold.
Learn more at
harp hart & bones - blues in the bottle
harp hart & bones play live at po' monkey's, merigold ms - 4/10/14 -- harp hart & bones are: guitar, bill hart; harp and vocals, fast eddie c; percussion, randy seppala
Carlos Elliot Jr. - Mamut Fest 2014. Antares El Mejor Rock
Presentación de Carlos Elliot Jr. reconocido bluesero inspirado por el Mississipi Hill Country Blues durante la 5 versión del Festival Mamut Fest 2014.
Evento: Mamut Fest 2014
Fecha: 20 de diciembre 2014
Lugar: Concha Acústica Bernardo Romero
Ciudad: Buga - Valle (Colombia)
Grabado y Editado: Antares El Mejor Rock
Contacto: antarestelevision@hotmail.com
Facebook: Antares El Mejor Rock
Twitter:
Carlos Elliot Jr.
Toca la guitarra, el bajo, la flauta y el fife. Ha estado viviendo el Rock y el Blues desde joven, pero fue sólo cuando empezó a tocar en los Juke Joints del Delta y las fiestas Backyard House Blues en Mississippi cuando su música obtuvo ese penetrante estilo, hipnóticamente rítmico. Creó un único estilo con una única mezcla entre sus Backgrounds y este beat the Juke-Joint con ritmos de música rural bailable de Mississippi. La búsqueda de las raíces del Blues, lo llevó directo al norte del Mississippi, donde cayó bajo el hechizo del Blues local tocando con legendarios Bluesmen con quien aprendió y vivió su propia cultura, permeando su expresión musical y primitivas tradiciones del Hill Country Blues. Po' Monkeys Lounge - Merigold, Mississippi. Carlos Elliot Jr. ha tocado con muchas de las leyendas aún vivas y fallecidas del blues de Mississippi tales como T-Model Ford, R.L.Boyce, Little Joe Ayers, Terry Harmonica Bean, Cadillac John, Pat Thomas, Mr. Tater, Robert Bilbo Walker y The Big Jack Johnson’s Band entre otros, también con los nuevos artistas del MS Hill Country Blues como, Kenny Brown, Kent Burnside, Lighnin’ Malcolm y Sean Appel, en pequeñas villas al norte de Mississippi como Clarksdale, Holly Sprimgs, Merigold, Hollandale, Greenville, Indianola, Leland y otras ciudades donde el Blues, el origen de toda la música Americana nació y sigue siendo interpretado. Ha realizado 3 tours en los Estados Unidos, “Back to the crossroads 2011” y “Highway 61 South Tour 2012” y “US Mystic Juke-Joint Blues Tour”, y ha participado en diversos festivales, llevando también su música a Chicago, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Detroit, Arkansas y Mississippi al igual que a Winnipeg y Toronto en Canadá y por muchas partes en su país, Colombia. En El Crossroads, antigua highway 61 & 49 - Mississippi La relación de Carlos E. Jr. con el Blues y con la música misma tiene una connotación espiritual. Él ha sido naturalmente impulsado a cantar el Blues y ha sido atraído hacia el gospel en el Delta del Mississippi. En sus propias palabras - “Blues es el llanto natural del alma, orándole a Dios por el alivio”-, así que no importa donde es tocada, ese penetrante zumbido de su música siempre lleva alguna carga mística y espiritual. Carlos E. Jr. llamó la atención de una importante agrupación de la escena del blues, The Cornlickers, banda del club más histórico de Blues “Red’s Lounge” situado en Clarksdale, Mississippi. Fue la última banda por varios años del legendario músico de Blues Big Jack Johnson (Uno de los Jelly Roll Kings en los 60’s), tocado también con otras leyendas como lo son Cadillac John Nolden, Big T Williams & Terry Harmonica Bean. Cd Cover de grabación en el mundialmente reconocido Juke-Joint: Red's Lounge, Mississippi The Cornlickers y Carlos Elliot Jr. grabaron juntos su segunda producción “Mystic Juke-Joint Blues” en el estudio “Right Coast Recording” State-of-the-art Vintage studio, producido por Bobby Gentilo y con la presencia de Dave Natale y Dave Wilkerson (Ingenieros de sonido de Rolling Stones y YES respectivamente por más de 24 años). El disco ha sido grabado en cinta magnética y procesos análogos. Este álbum posee el Hill Country Blues de las canciones de Carlos Elliot Jr. y la expresión Juke-Joint Blues de The Cornlickers, combinado para producir este penetrante sonido, cargado de mística y espiritualidad. -Si algún día has tenido en tu mente una fiesta de blues rural de Mississippi, podrás cerrar tus ojos y dejar que este “Mystic Juke-Joint Blues”, te transporte a una sala de Juke-Joint para bailarlo todo! – Declaraba Carlos para iTunes y Cdbaby distribución digital. Carlos Elliot Jr. tocó junto con The Cornlickers varios shows en el pasado tour por los Estados Unidos, realizado en el mes de abril 2013, siguiendo ahora su tour promotional con su “Power Blues Dúo”. “La música de la nueva generación con todo el legado del Blues del Mississippi, buscando activar la conciencia y corazón del mundo entero”. - See more at:
Contacto:
CARLOS ELLIOT JR.
Mississippi, EE.UU.:
662 483 0065
Pereira, COLOMBIA:
315 458 6909
Carlos@CarlosElliotjr.com
Promo: Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, Biloxi | Mississippi Roads | MPB
Biloxi’s Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina flattened it in 2005, provides a glimpse into the cultures that make the coast unique. We explore a different industry up at the Martin and Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum in Cleveland.A trip down memory lane reacquaints us with the wildly popular Graceland, Too, in Holly Springs, now no longer in operation. Skipping on down to Petal, we’ll visit the International Checkers Hall of Fame, then we end up singing the blues at Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold.
Thursday, June 16 at 7PM on MPB TV.
Learn more at