Po' Monkey's: Portrait of a Juke Joint by Will Jacks | University Press of Mississippi

note: South x Southeast Gallery will host a book signing on September 21 during the SlowExposures Photography Festival. Please join us at the gallery from 10-5, maybe buy a book, and, if so, Will will sign it. Hope to see you there!

A PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR OF A QUINTESSENTIAL STAPLE OF THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES

Outside of Merigold, Mississippi, off an unmarked dirt road, stands Po’ Monkey’s, perhaps the most famous house in Mississippi and the last rural juke joint in the state, now closed to the public. Before the death of the lounge’s owner, Willie Seaberry, in 2016, it was a mandatory stop on the constant blues pilgrimage that flows through the Delta.

Willie Seaberry stands in front of a cotton field, which is only a few steps from his back door. (2010)

Willie Seaberry’s club has grown from just a handful of co-workers from the Hiter farm to a destination location for travelers from around the world. (2012)

Willie Seaberry sits with Mrs. Hiter, widow to his first employer. the Hiter family allows Willie to live rent free in this space, but when he dies, the property goes back to the family. (2014)

The interior of Po’ Monkey’s Lounge is filled with memorabilia. Some of it was gathered by Mr. Seaberry. Most of it was gifted to him by visitors from around the world. (2008)

Seaberry ran Po’ Monkey’s Lounge for more than fifty years, opening his juke joint in the 1960s. A hand-built tenant home located on the plantation where Seaberry worked, Po’ Monkey’s was a place to listen to music and drink beer—a place to relax where everyone was welcomed by Seaberry’s infectious charm.

Mississippi has no ban for smoking in private businesses, and the smell of smoke is as common to Po’ Monkey’s as 32oz beers. (2013)

Becky Triplett lives in nearby Ruleville. She has served time in the state penitentiary, and comes to Po’ Monkey’s to unwind, and “feel like I’m in Hollywood”. (2012)

Po’ Monkey’s Lounge would never pass state codes today, but similar to many historic businesses throughout the South, government officials tend to leave his juke alone. (2011)

In Po’ Monkey’s: Portrait of a Juke Joint, photographer Will Jacks captures the juke joint he spent a decade patronizing. The more than seventy black-and-white photographs featured in this volume reflect ten years of weekly visits to the lounge as a regular—a journal of Jacks’s encounters with other customers, tourists, and Willie Seaberry himself.

An essay by award-winning writer Boyce Upholt on the cultural significance of the lounge accompanies the images. This volume explores the difficulties of preservation, historical context, community relations, and cultural tourism. Now that Seaberry is gone, the uncertainty of the future of his juke joint highlights the need for a historical record.

Prior to 2012 Willie Seaberry had no birth certificate. He’s never needed one, but when he turned 72, he applied for social security, which required proof of his birth. He was never completely sure of his birthday and could be a few years older or younger than his “official” date. (2012)

Willie watches the rain just before a wedding reception party at his juke. (2012)

On a good night, Willie makes well over $1000, on a slow night he’ll make a couple hundred. (2011)

Will Jacks is a photographer, curator, storyteller, and educator of culture and relationships in the Mississippi Delta, the Lower Mississippi River region, and the American South. He teaches photography and documentary courses in the Mississippi Delta.

all images ©Will Jacks

www.whjacks.com

Po’ Monkey’s

Portrait of a Juke Joint

Will Jacks

Essay by Boyce Upholt

University Press of Mississippi

ISBN 978-1-4968-2533-9

73 b&w photographs

Cloth $35.00T

Nancy McCrary

Nancy is the Publisher and Founding Editor of South x Southeast photomagazine. She is also the Director of South x Southeast Workshops, and Director of South x Southeast Photogallery. She resides on her farm in Georgia with 4 hounds where she shoots only pictures.

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Po' Monkey's: Portrait of a Juke Joint by Will Jacks | University Press of Mississippi

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