Po' Monkey's

Po' Monkey's was a juke joint in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States, outside of Merigold.[1] The juke joint was founded in the early 1960s and was one of the last rural juke joints in the Mississippi Delta.[2][3] It ceased operating after the death of operator Willie "Po' Monkey" Seaberry in 2016.[4]

The shack was originally sharecroppers' quarters.[3] The building is made of tin and plywood, held together by nails, staples, and wires, loosely fashioned and made by Seaberry.[5] The low ceilings of the joint were lined with Christmas lights, naked babydolls, street signs, wrapping paper, disco balls, and dozens of stuffed-animal monkeys.[6][7] The outside of the joint features a sign reading: "No Loud Music, No Dope Smoking, No Rap Music." [5] Po' Monkey's was operated by Seaberry until his death in 2016. He also had a life estate in the property itself, meaning that he owned it during his lifetime. Upon his death, ownership of the property (but not the building's contents) reverted to the Hiter family.[8][9]

Po' Monkey's was an incubator for the Delta Blues scene.[10] By the 1990s, Po' Monkey's was attracting a conglomeration of college students, migrating from Delta State University, located in Cleveland, MS, to juke joint pundits.[11] In the 2000s, it housed in a raunchier crowd filled with dirty dancing, strippers, and $2 cans of beer.[3][12] In 2009, the Mississippi Blues Commission placed a historic marker at the Po Monkey's Lounge in 2009 designating it as a site on the Mississippi Blues Trail for its contribution to the development of the blues (and being one of the few authentic juke joints then operating).[11][13]

Seaberry was best known for his strangely coordinated outfits of wildly exotic pantsuits. He could be seen sneaking out of bar room, into a bedroom offset of the drinking quarters, only to reappear in a new pantsuit.[3][14] Billy Nowell, the mayor of nearby Cleveland, MS at the time of Seaberry's death, called Seaberry a "positive influence" on Bolivar County.[5] Seaberry was found dead on July 14, 2016.[15] Po' Monkey's ceased operating after Seaberry's death, and the contents of the building were sold at auction to Shonda Warner.[4]

References
  1. Holt, Jerry (November 30, 2007). "Juke Joint: Po' Monkey's Lounge, Merigold, Miss". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  2. Luther Brown, "Inside Poor Monkey's", Southern Spaces, 22 June 2006.
  3. Eckholm, Erik (March 2, 2007). "At Night, Farmer Trades His Tractor for the Blues". New York Times.
  4. Weatherly, Jack (October 5, 2018). "Po' Monkey's artifacts sold in auction as collection". Mississippi Business Journal.
  5. "RIP Po' Monkey". Garden & Gun. July 18, 2016. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  6. airick17 (January 15, 2013), A tour of Po' Monkey's Lounge and interview with Mr. Po' Monkey himself, retrieved 2017-05-09
  7. Nash, JD (July 14, 2016). "The Death of Willie "Po' Monkey" Seaberry May End an Era". American Blues Scene. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  8. Weatherly, Jack (May 31, 2018). "Fate of Po' Monkey's hinges on settlement of estate". Mississippi Business Journal.
  9. Weatherly, Jack (July 4, 2017). "Po' Monkey's still silent a year after Seaberry's death". Mississippi Business Journal.
  10. Mississippi Blues Commission. "Po' Monkey's - Merigold".
  11. "Po' Monkey's". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  12. Eubanks, Katie (July 15, 2016). "Iconic Delta juke joint owner 'Po' Monkey' has died". Clarion-Ledger.
  13. "The Last Juke Joint – The Awl". The Awl. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  14. Threadgill, Jacob (July 21, 2016). "Fate of Po' Monkey's in flux; Seaberry funeral Saturday". Clarioni-Ledger.
  15. Press, Associated. "Willie Seaberry, Owner of Mississippi's Po' Monkey's Juke Joint, Dies at 75 - Afro".

Further reading

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