Tunica gets a dose of the blues

" Bluesville complex will be a 'dream' attraction for blues fans. "

By Heather Gates

When David Simmons looks southward from his Downtown Memphis office window, it's likely he looks beyond Beale Street toward his "lifelong dream" that's being built in Robinsonville, Miss.: Bluesville.

Currently under construction, Bluesville will be a 25,000-square-feet blues "complex" located between Horseshoe Casino and Sheraton Casino in Robinsonville.

Scheduled to open in June 1997, Bluesville will house the Blues & Legends Hall of Fame Museum, 61 Crossroads Cafe, Bluesville Drygoods & Gallery and a Showcase Club & Performance Hall.

Long an avid listener of the blues, Simmons first dreamed of building a museum in Memphis. It seemed to him the two were a natural fit.

"(Blues) music is extremely unique to Memphis. The rest of the entertainment world is so enamored of Memphis. They see it as a sort of a mecca," says Simmons, who is project manager of Bluesville.

He says he met with about a half-dozen government and business groups, but never got their official support for the project.

"Until four or five years ago, I think they saw this blues thing as a 'flash in the pan' - something they didn't want to be involved with."

Then last year Simmons presented the concept to Horseshoe Casino executives. The casino is a client of Simmon's advertising agency, the Rutland Simmons Group. He says "they loved it from the very start. They saw it as a natural tie-in with the cultural heritage of Robinsonville."

Although other blues museums exist, namely the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Miss., Simmons hopes Bluesville will become the "definitive (blues) museum in the world."

It'll be a little slicker - and much bigger - than its Clarksdale counterpart. But Simmons feels there's room enough for everyone. Bluesville, he says, will complement existing attractions and help draw more tourists from around the world.

And besides there's a need for a place like Bluesville.

"I get telephone calls from people coming to Memphis and they want to go see where the blues were born. Where do they go? Do they buy a T-shirt on Beale?"

For critics who might say Bluesville is a little too "high-profile" for the blues, Simmons believes that's just not the case.

"This music, this culture, is so strong it has endured for years. Of course, over-commercialization will water it down in the media's eyes, but just because you do something sophisticated...if you still stay true to its nature, it still works."

The 7,000-square-feet Blues & Legends Hall of Fame Museum will honor 25 to 30 blues musicians including Robert Johnson, Son House, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Ma Rainey and Big Mama Thornton.

The exhibit will start with a chronological timeline at "The Birth of the Blues," and take visitors through highlights (and low points) of major blues eras. Such eras include "Beale Street & Memphis Blues," "Blues on the Road," "Sweet Home Chicago," and "Blues Had a Baby and They Called it Rock 'n' Roll."

Other key exhibits will feature women in the blues, musical instruments that "made the sounds" and blues photography collections from local artists such as Dick Waterman.

Most areas will also include interactive video monitors.

As for the Showcase Club & Performance Hall, Simmons envisions it becoming "a premier entertainment venue," offering 360 live musical acts every year. The three-level club and performance hall will accommodate up to 1,500 people.

Sixty to 70 headliners will perform once a week, primarily on major holidays and to coincide with major regional events. Twice a week, touring bands such as Preston Shannon will perform. And on off-nights, a houseband, which Simmons says will be an "all-star rhythm and blues band," will take the stage.

While Simmons plans to showcase major entertainers, he also wants to "mix in as many local and regional acts as possible."

Opening night is only about eight months away for Simmons and his Bluesville staff. Until then, museum artifacts and construction blueprints will continue to clutter Simmons' office.

But that isn't a bad thing in his book. After all, they're proof that blues music isn't just a "flash in the pan," but a permanent gem in Robinsonville.