Birmingham AL and Gip's Place: One of the last true Juke Joints

Birmingham, Al has the distinction of being a beautiful city with a tragic history of racism. It may have been the most racist city in the US before the civil rights movement and is the location of the 16th St Baptist Church bombing that killed 4 little girls in 1963. More on this story later. 

On our arrival we explored the 1930s downtown and stumbled on the Shoe Hospital. 

Rhonda the owner of the Shoe Hospital was a wealth of knowledge and said we had to get out to Gip's Place, some kind of blues spot that she had only heard of. Well we followed her advice and ended up at one of the few true juke joints inAmerica. You can follow the link to an NPR story for more into.  http://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136497027/gips-place-a-blues-lovers-dream

Henry Gipson started Gips in 1952 

His age is. . . .well apparently its been 86 for some years

Die Dra the Blues Queen with the Ruff Band

Gips is in Bessimer 20 miles from Birmingham and almost impossible to find but the joint was hopping at 10:30 when we got there. It was a totally mixed scene with Black and White folks partying together, something you don't see so much in Alabama. 

This place is a must do for any music fans in Birmingham. Totally the real deal. Check out the NPR story for more info.