If you happen to find yourself traversing the dark back streets of Bessemer, Alabama- on any given Saturday night, between the hours of 9PM and ‘whenever AM’ Sunday morning- pause. Listen. If you have a keen ear, and perhaps an instinctive knack for discovering hidden treasure, maybe you’ll hear it. Somewhere in the darkness, a band will be playing. A blues band.
Follow the downbeat, and you will be drawn to a world most blues fans only dream of. Somewhere in the heart of a tin roofed neighborhood, there’s another tin roof. This is Gips Place.
A living history, Mr. Gipson himself
One of the few remaining establishments of its kind, Gips Place has preserved a tradition that is unique to southern Blues heritage and Americana: the ‘juke joint’. This ramshackle structure has drawn night owls and music fans since 1952, when bluesman and gravedigger Henry “Gip” Gipson cobbled together the backyard venue so he and his friends would have a place to enjoy each other’s music and fellowship. And to be certain, Mr. Gip has no lack of friends.Nearly every Saturday night the tin shed is crammed wall to poster-cloaked wall with folks from every walk of life, from lawyers to construction workers, cashiers to clergymen. At Gips Place, there are no social or racial barriers. Once you step through the doorway, you’re part of the family.
Welcome to the family
The place is truly miniscule in size. 40 or 50 people might fit sardine style, with another 60 or so piled around the metal sides trying to catch a glimpse of what’s going on. In the summertime, the clear plastic sections are taken down to allow a few more people to get in on the party. And summertime is a great time to be at Gips. Out in the yard, any number of grill-masters will be cooking up some of the best fixins’ a blues hound could beg for. Fried chicken and catfish sandwiches seemingly fly out of the rickety cook shed as fast as hungry partygoers can grab them up. There’s no doubt about it, the folks at Gips Place can cook.
The ‘cook shed’
Gips Place is an unofficial venue. It is after all, a shed in a man’s back yard! But don’t think there aren’t any ground rules to follow. Each evening begins with prayer followed by a laying down of the law. It’s a short list, but a clear one: no drugs, no profanity, and every man must leave with the woman he “brung.” All events at Gips are BYOB, but any clear liquor must be “checked” (wink), along with firearms at the cook shed. The iron hand of Gipson has deterred riffraff for nearly 60 years, and the place has a perfect tract record of trouble free Saturday nights to prove it.
Mr. Gipson
If you do walk through the doorway at Gips, you will follow in the footprints of some pretty legendary bluesmen. Kenny Brown, Sam Lay, Cedric Burnside & Lightning Malcom, and T-Model Ford are just a few of the names that have graced the stage here. Be it a ragtag group of local musicians, or a visit from the King himself, at Gips Place you never know who might stroll up on stage.
The Blues knows no age, and neither does Gips Place. Whether you’re an old soul or a young one, there’s something for you at Gips. If it’s that authentic blues experience you’re after, or if you’re just looking for a friendly hangout with a down home feel, let down your guard and follow that downbeat into the night. What you find may surprise you.
3 Comments
Gip’s Place DID NOT burn down. It was just a little out-shed.