Subway to Open On Farish Without Jarrod

Subway Lounge Farish Bound

Famed blues lounge to open in existing building in entertainment district

By Arnold Lindsay
alindsay@clarionledger.com

King

Jackson's world-renowned Subway Lounge, displaced after Summers Hotel was demolished in west Jackson, will rise again in the Farish Street Entertainment District.

Subway operator Jimmy King and John Elkington, CEO of Performa Entertainment Real Estate, developer of the district, formally agreed on Thursday to resurrect the Subway in a 4,000-square-foot existing building in the two-block entertainment district.

The Subway will be part of the $12 million Farish Street revitalization. Businesses will begin opening in April 2006.Adding local flavor to the national entertainment businesses that have committed to the district should help spur the development, said Trey Phyfer, one of the organizers of "Save The Subway" — a failed campaign organized to try to preserve the Summers Hotel building.

"I think that (the Subway) will be the cornerstone of Farish Street," Phyfer said."If you could do the Subway right ... people from all over the country will come there again."

The original Subway, was featured in the 2003 90-minute documentary, Last of the Mississippi Jukes, which chronicled the history of the Subway Lounge and the fight to save the juke, a dying part of Southern culture.

Amid the rally to save it, King shut it down because the structure inside the basement of Summers Hotel, was caving in. King has hosted a Subway Lounge night at Schimmel's once a week since mid-2004.Elkington, developer of Beale Street in Memphis, said the unique heritage of the Subway Lounge should have been preserved. But since it wasn't, he wants to recreate it on Farish Street.

"Basically, it ought to have its own place. Jay Schimmel has been great to have (King) at his restaurant. This is one of the great historic juke joints in the world. And the fact that Jimmy King is still alive makes it all better," Elkington said. "We wanted to create the music, the history and the culture. They should never have torn down the Summers Hotel. That was a mistake in itself."Phyfer said even if the lounge isn't in its old location, having King is what matters the most.

"Jimmy is the Subway. It doesn't matter if you have it at Schimmel's, it doesn't matter if you have it at Thalia Mara Hall, Jimmy King is the Subway," Phyfer said. "With Jimmy King being involved I think that's absolutely the greatest thing they could do.

"He has to have his stamp placed on it. You had so many musicians come through there, but you had one constant — that was Jimmy King."The 68-year-old King said he was surprised the Subway was selected to be among the Farish Street lineup that will include a B.B. King Blues Club, Wet Willie's, Funny Bone Comedy Club and King Biscuit Cafe.

King said he's thankful Schimmel's allowed him to host the weekly Subway night to keep loyal fans happy and draw in new ones. He said it felt good to know he will once again have his own identity and will hold the keys to the door.King said the attendance has been standing room only — 300-350 — on Saturday nights at Schimmel's.

The original Subway could tightly hold up to about 80 people at a time. With crowd turnover, it would have up to 200 patrons per night.

"I'm kind of excited about it. It was kind of a surprise because I really didn't think they would select the Subway to go down there with B.B. King and all that group," King said. "It will be a little bit more exposure, and that's basically what I need. I kind of like the idea of being down there with the boys."King opened the original Subway in 1966 in the basement of Summers Hotel. The historic hotel was frequented by popular entertainers and African-American politicians during segregation.

Musical greats James Brown, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins and Jackie Wilson once stayed at the Summers Hotel.The Subway developed a reputation that brought in blues lovers from across the country. It was the place where many local blues artists got their starts, taking advantage of the open microphone policy that allowed them to sing or play with bands performing there.

King said he envisions the revitalized Farish Street giving birth to the careers of more blues musicians.

"It will be an opportunity for me to bring in a lot more musicians to expose the public to," King said. "Really, that's what I've always done because I was given that chance when I was in high school."