Charles McLaurin

Indianola’s Blues Legacy on Church Street

Art, Black History, Blues, music, Night Clubs, Photography, Travel

050 Gin Mill Grill, Indianola MS051 Gin Mill Grill, Indianola MS052 Gin Mill Grill, Indianola MS053 Gin Mill Grill, Indianola MS054 Gin Mill Grill, Indianola MS055 Blues Corner Cafe, Indianola MS056 Blues Corner Cafe057 Blues Corner Cafe058 Blues Corner Cafe059 Blues Corner Cafe060 Blues Corner Cafe061 Blues Corner Cafe063 Blues Corner Cafe064 Church Street, Indianola MS065 Church Street, Indianola MS066 Blues Corner Cafe067 Church Street Heritage Festival068 Travis at Blues Corner Cafe070 White Rose Cafe071 White Rose Cafe073 White Rose Cafe074 Thug For Life075 Do Not Stand In Front of the Club076 Church Street
Our whole goal for the afternoon had been to make it to Indianola for lunch, but we were in for a disappointment, because when we got there, we found that the Blue Biscuit, where we had intended to eat, was not open for lunch on Wednesdays. So we went across the street to the Gin Mill Grill instead, and then over to Church Street, which was the traditional street for juke joints in Indianola. We found that the walls of the Blues Corner Cafe (or Cozy Corner Cafe) were painted with interesting murals full of wit, wisdom and portraits of Delta life and blues legends. The murals were also found on the adjacent White Rose Cafe, which is now the Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club, and even included a 2Pac portrait with the words “Thug Life” and “Only God Can Judge Me.” A banner in a nearby vacant lot promoted the Church Street Festival, which is being held on Saturday June 28th, as a way of celebrating the historic Black neighborhood’s legacy. The event is being organized by Charles McLaurin, a former Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and COFO leader, and perhaps not coincidentally will take place during the 50th Anniversary of the Mississippi Summer Project.