The Indianola, Miss., club was part of the chitlin circuit, where Black performers found refuge during the Jim Crow era. After urgent renovations, it will reopen this week.
The guitarist, who died on Tuesday, could make his instrument slash, burn and sigh. Listen to tracks released from 1966 to 2010 that reveal his range and intensity.
As the founder of the independent label Specialty Records, he helped set the table for the rock ’n’ roll era by signing performers like Little Richard.