May 29, 2007 - Jackson To Honor Fallen Juke Joint with Mississippi Blues Trail Marker

Jackson held its first Mississippi Blues Trail marker unveiling at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at the former site of the Subway Lounge, basement of the old Summers Hotel. The marker will be erected on Pearl Street on the grounds where the famous venue used to stand.
During the segregated 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the two main Jackson hotels open to African Americans were the Edward Lee Hotel on Church Street and the Summers Hotel. The Summers Hotel opened in 1943 after its purchase by W. J. Summers, a prominent African American businessman, who ran the hotel with his wife. The hotel was popular among touring musicians, including James Brown, Hank Ballard, and Nat “King” Cole.
In 1966 Summers enlisted Jimmy King—vocalist, bandleader, and high school teacher—to run a newly constructed basement lounge, which King dubbed The Subway. In the ‘60s and ‘70s the Subway featured mostly jazz performers including King, brothers Kermit, Jr., Sherill, and Bernard Holly, and organist Levon Mitchell, as well as various touring or area groups.
In 1969 King left the Subway to start his own club but returned in 1986 to revive it as a late-night blues venue, with music starting at midnight. Guitarist Jesse Robinson led the initial house band, “500 Pounds of Blues” featuring Walter Lee “Big Daddy” Hood, which was followed by the Houserockers, led by Levon Lindsey, and the King
Edward (Antoine) Blues Band. Other artists who performed at the Subway included Jacksonians Eddie Cotton, Bobby Rush, Patrice Moncell, Eddie Rasberry, Sam Myers, J. T. Watkins, Pat Brown, and the Juvenators, as well as many out-of-town acts.
In April 2002 director Robert Mugge filmed performances at the Subway Lounge for the documentary Last of the Mississippi Jukes, which was released in early 2003. The documentary addressed the Subway’s history, its diverse clientele, as well as efforts to save the club despite the building’s serious structural problems. The efforts failed, and the Subway closed following a final performance in April 2003. The building was demolished in 2004.
"I am pleased to announce that Jackson is the next stop in our heritage trails program to mark important locations along Mississippi's blues trail. Mississippi is the birthplace of America's music and it is very appropriate that we honor our state's native-born blues musicians and the places they performed with these historic markers," Governor Haley Barbour said.
"We are pleased to unveil the first blues marker in the capital city for the Subway," said Alex Thomas, Heritage Trail Director. "Even though this site no longer exists, the memories that so many have about this place still make it a jewel for blues heritage in central Mississippi."
“Jackson has flourished over the years with many blues legends who shared their talents at the Subway Lounge. Our office is enthused to have it be a part of the Mississippi Blues Trail,” said Wanda Collier-Wilson, Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, President/CEO.
“The Subway was truly a unique experience for so many who stepped foot in the lounge. It was the environment for blues lovers and a shelter for lovers who had the blues,” said Jimmy King, former manager of the Subway Lounge.
The marker site is located on Pearl Street near downtown Jackson and a printable map can be viewed at http://www.msbluestrail.org.
The Mississippi Blues Trail markers are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities by support from the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Delta State University and the Mississippi Development Authority.