anthony: some time ago something crawled, or slithered, or grew like a fungus. something that started small, got bigger, lurched like a swamp thing out of the mud and moist earth and humid nights of the delta. then, it took over the world. so next time some smart ass foreigner, horrified by our latest ham-fisted foreign policy blunder wonders out loud, what good is america? well, you can always pipe up that the blues, rock n roll, r&b, and soul all came out of this place one state mississippi. i took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting colder sha la la la la sha la la la la la sha la la la la sha la la la la la la geno: right now we re in the middle of downtown jackson. farish street. anthony: it is a street with a lot of history. what did it used to be like back in the day? geno: the street was packed with folks. folks all over, they
jook joints started as plantation community rooms during slavery times. they went on to become the small, private, african-american run bars, clubs, and lounges. first, in rural areas, then in towns and cities. where workers could dance, drink, party, and gamble, as a respite from the hard labor of delta sharecropping, tenant farming, house service, and segregation. they were often condemned by church leaders as houses of the devil. william po monkey seaberry runs this place, as he has since 1963. and he makes the rules. how long has this been a business? william po monkey seaberry: i ve been in this place 58 years. i m 74. anthony: how did you get into this business? william po monkey seaberry: i just got into it. something i liked to do. and everybody come here enjoy theyself. no problem. anthony: please explain this policy. you know, no hats backwards and no pants hanging down. what is that? william po monkey seaberry: you re right, that s
gotta know, is it s pronounced jook joint. and this one, this is a real good one. scholars have suggested the word jook came from the gullah, descendants of enslaved africans, and it meant wicked or disorderly, to dance, or a place of shelter. jook joints started as plantation community rooms during slavery times. they went on to become the small, private, african-american run bars, clubs, and lounges. first, in rural areas, then in towns and cities. where workers could dance, drink, party, and gamble, as a respite from the hard labor of delta sharecropping, tenant farming, house service, and segregation. they were often condemned by church leaders as houses of the devil. william po monkey seaberry
africans, and it meant wicked or disorderly, to dance, or a place of shelter. jook joints started as plantation community rooms during slavery times. they went on to become the small, private, african-american run bars, clubs, and lounges. first, in rural areas, then in towns and cities. where workers could dance, drink, party, and gamble, as a respite from the hard labor of delta sharecropping, tenant farming, house service, and segregation. they were often condemned by church leaders as houses of the devil. william po monkey seaberry runs this place, as he has since 1963. and he makes the rules. how long has this been a business? william po monkey seaberry: i ve been in this place 58 years. i m 74. anthony: how did you get into this business? william po monkey seaberry: i just got into it. something i liked to do. and everybody come here enjoy
good one. scholars have suggested the word jook came from the gullah, descendants of enslaved africans, and it meant wicked or disorderly, to dance, or a place of shelter. jook joints started as plantation community rooms during slavery times. they went on to become the small, private, african-american run bars, clubs, and lounges. first, in rural areas, then in towns and cities. where workers could dance, drink, party, and gamble, as a respite from the hard labor of delta sharecropping, tenant farming, house service, and segregation. they were often condemned by church leaders as houses of the devil. william po monkey seaberry runs this place, as he has since 1963. and he makes the rules. how long has this been a business? william po monkey seaberry: i ve been in this place 58 years.