NEWSSTAFF/HALYEAGER SMACKDOWN! Thisjoint isjumpin’media.al.com/birminghamentries/other/Features...
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[ SECTION E ] LIFESTYLE EM123 Sunday, April 25, 2010 ONLINE POLL You be the Judge, and tell us what they’re Worth Alright, alright, we hear you. We made some changes to our comics’ lineup a few weeks ago, and scores of you have responded that we should not have dropped the long-running comic “Judge Parker.” Did we misjudge the judge’s popularity ? Maybe. We’ll let you decide. Many of you told us that we dropped the wrong soap opera, or continuity, comic strip, meaning comics whose storylines carry over from day to day. “Mary Worth’s Family” would have been the better choice, fans of “Judge Parker” say. So, instead of inviting you, or the vener- able comic strip characters, downtown for a street fight, we’re going to put this to a vote. Go to blog.al.com/bn/comics and tell us who should stay in The Birmingham News comics lineup: “Judge Parker” or “Mary Worth’s Family.” You have until Sun- day, May 2, at 6 p.m. to vote. COMICS SMACKDOWN! NEWS STAFF/HAL YEAGER Henry “Gip” Gipson, who got his first taste of the blues while growing up in Uniontown, has been playing guitar at his Bessemer juke joint since 1952. “Whether there is anybody there or not, he plugs into an amp, gets a microphone and sings for hours and hours,” blues musician Elliott New says. “He loves the music that much.” This joint is jumpin’ Gip’s Place in Bessemer is one of the last remaining authentic juke joints JUDGE PARKER VS. MARY WORTH By BOB CARLTON j News staff writer O n a Saturday night in Besse- mer, under a tin-roofed shed at the end of a concrete drive- way, two couples shake their moneymakers to the home- grown sounds of Curtis Files and the Bluesmasters. Nobody seems to notice nor care that the two women on the dance floor are white and the two men are black. At Gip’s Place, it doesn’t matter. “We don’t have colors,” Henry “Gip” Gipson, the congenial proprietor of this off-the-beaten-path blues joint, says. “We have people.” Mike Hunley and his wife, Barbara, sit at a table near the front, sipping their BYOB whiskey and tequila and listening to their son, Chris, pound the drums for the Bluesmasters. The Hunleys live in Helena, and although he has been here several times before, this is her second time at Gip’s. She could kick herself for not discover- ing the place earlier. “The first time I ever came, I danced with some woman I didn’t even know,” she says. “We just had a great time.” On the stage, Files, a 77-year-old blues guitarist who used to work in the steel mills around Bessemer, asks for a show of hands. “How many of y’all this is your first time out here?” he says. A good third of the 30 or so early ar- rivals raise their hands, including J.T. Jones, who is in town from Chicago and, at the suggestion of his friend James Whittsett of Midfield, came here to see what a real juke joint is all about. And Gip’s Place is as real as it gets these days — a true blues relic with See GIP’S Page 8E Go to blog.al.com/bn/ comics to cast your vote. ‘Baby-Sitters Club’ returns for a new generation By MONICA HESSE The Washington Post Kristy may have had the “Great Idea,” but she was kind of bossy, right? And Stacey was all “sophisti- cated,” but sometimes her popularity was scary, like she was going to aban- don the club again for her cool friends in New York, which Mary Anne or Mallory never, ever would have done. We are speaking of “The Baby-Sit- ters Club,” the 132-book mondo se- ries chronicling the adventures of See BOOKS Page 5E NEWS STAFF/JEFF ROBERTS In recent years, a new generation of blues fans has discovered Gip’s Place. On most Saturday nights, it’s shoulder-to-shoulder. “We’ve got musicians who will come and open for free just so they can say they’ve played here,” says Lenny Madden, who books the bands. Kathy Kemp Is on vacation. 11E High Museum car exhibit a gearhead’s dream B By y C CH HR RI IS S T TU UT TO OR R N Ne ew ws s s st ta af ff f w wr ri it te er r A AT TL LA AN NT TA A — — I In n 1 19 93 37 7 F Fr re en nc ch h c ca ar r d de e- - s si ig gn ne er r G Ge eo or rg ge es s P Pa au ul li in n p pe en nn ne ed d t th he e D De el la ag ge e D D8 8- -1 12 20 0S S, , a a c ca ar r w wi it th h s st tr re ea am ml li in ne ed d, , t te ea ar rd dr ro op p r re ea ar r f fe en nd de er rs s t th ha at t t ta ap pe er re ed d t to o a a s st ti in ng gr ra ay y- -l li ik ke e t ta ai il l a an nd d a a s sp pl li it t r re ea ar r w wi in nd do ow w. . 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F Fr ro om m t th he er re e, , v vi is si it to or rs s p pr ro og gr re es ss s t th hr ro ou ug gh h a au ut to om mo ot ti iv ve e d de es si ig gn n h hi is st to or ry y w wi it th h p po on nt to oo on n f fe en nd de er rs s a an nd d e ex xp po os se ed d h he ea ad dl li ig gh ht ts s o of f G Ga ab bl le e’ ’s s A Am me er ri ic ca an n- -m ma ad de e D Du ue es se en nb be er rg g g gi iv vi in ng g w wa ay y S Se ee e E EX XH HI IB BI IT T P Pa ag ge e 1 11 1E E DETAILS y y W Wh ha at t: : “ “A Al ll lu ur re e o of f t th he e A Au ut to om mo ob bi il le e” ” y y W Wh he er re e: : H Hi ig gh h M Mu us se eu um m o of f A Ar rt t, , 1 12 28 80 0 P Pe ea ac ch ht tr re ee e S St t. . N No or rt th he ea as st t, , A At tl la an nt ta a y y W Wh he en n: : T Th hr ro ou ug gh h J Ju un ne e 2 20 0; ; m mu us se eu um m i is s c cl lo os se ed d o on n M Mo on nd da ay ys s. . y y A Ad dm mi is ss si io on n: : $ $1 18 8 f fo or r a ad du ul lt ts s, , $ $1 15 5 f fo or r s se en ni io or rs s a an nd d s st tu ud de en nt ts s, , $ $1 11 1 f fo or r c ch hi il ld dr re en n a ag ge es s 6 6- -1 17 7 a an nd d f fr re ee e f fo or r 5 5 a an nd d u un nd de er r. . A Ad dv va an nc ce e r re es se er rv va at ti io on ns s a ar re e r re ec co om mm me en nd de ed d, , a an nd d t ti ic ck ke et ts s a ar re e t ti im me ed d. . A Au ud di io o g gu ui id de e h he ea ad ds se et ts s a ar re e a av va ai il la ab bl le e f fo or r $ $5 5 a an nd d p pr ro ov vi id de e a a g gr re ea at t d de ea al l o of f i in nt te er re es st ti in ng g i in nf fo or rm ma at ti io on n. . SPECIAL 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray prototype.
Transcript of NEWSSTAFF/HALYEAGER SMACKDOWN! Thisjoint isjumpin’media.al.com/birminghamentries/other/Features...
![Page 1: NEWSSTAFF/HALYEAGER SMACKDOWN! Thisjoint isjumpin’media.al.com/birminghamentries/other/Features April A.pdfLIFESTYLE [ SECTION E ] EM123 Sunday, April 25, 2010 ONLINEPOLL YoubetheJudge,](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050314/5f7667842f6d825f3d53f36b/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
[ SECTION E ]LIFESTYLEE M 1 2 3
Sunday, April 25, 2010
ONLINE POLL
You be the Judge,and tell us whatthey’re Worth
Alright, alright, we hear you.Wemade some changes to our comics’
lineup a fewweeks ago, and scores of youhave responded that we should not havedropped the long-running comic “JudgeParker.”
Did wemisjudge the judge’s popularity ?Maybe.We’ll let you decide.
Many of you told us that we droppedthe wrong soap opera, or continuity, comicstrip, meaning comics whose storylinescarry over from day to day. “MaryWorth’sFamily” would have been the betterchoice, fans of “Judge Parker” say.
So, instead of inviting you, or the vener-able comic strip characters, downtown fora street fight, we’re going to put this to avote.
Go to blog.al.com/bn/comics and tellus who should stay in The BirminghamNews comics lineup: “Judge Parker” or“MaryWorth’s Family.” You have until Sun-day, May 2, at 6 p.m. to vote.
COMICSSMACKDOWN!NEWS STAFF/HAL YEAGER
Henry “Gip” Gipson, who got his first taste of the blues while growing up in Uniontown, has been playing guitar at hisBessemer juke joint since 1952. “Whether there is anybody there or not, he plugs into an amp, gets a microphone and singsfor hours and hours,” blues musician Elliott New says. “He loves themusic that much.”
This jointis jumpin’
Gip’s Placein Bessemeris one of thelast remainingauthenticjuke joints
JUDGE PARKERVS.
MARYWORTH
By BOB CARLTON j News staff writer
On a Saturday night in Besse-mer, under a tin-roofed shedat the end of a concrete drive-way, two couples shake theirmoneymakers to the home-
grown sounds of Curtis Files and theBluesmasters.
Nobody seems to notice nor care thatthe two women on the dance floor arewhite and the two men are black.
At Gip’s Place, it doesn’t matter.“We don’t have colors,” Henry “Gip”
Gipson, the congenial proprietor of thisoff-the-beaten-path blues joint, says.“We have people.”
Mike Hunley and his wife, Barbara,sit at a table near the front, sipping theirBYOB whiskey and tequila and listeningto their son, Chris, pound the drums forthe Bluesmasters.
The Hunleys live in Helena, andalthough he has been here several timesbefore, this is her second time at Gip’s.She could kick herself for not discover-ing the place earlier.
“The first time I ever came, I dancedwith some woman I didn’t even know,”she says. “We just had a great time.”
On the stage, Files, a 77-year-oldblues guitarist who used to work in the
steel mills around Bessemer, asks for ashow of hands.
“How many of y’all this is your firsttime out here?” he says.
A good third of the 30 or so early ar-rivals raise their hands, including J.T.Jones, who is in town from Chicagoand, at the suggestion of his friendJames Whittsett of Midfield, came hereto see what a real juke joint is all about.
And Gip’s Place is as real as it getsthese days — a true blues relic with
See GIP’S Page 8E
Go toblog.al.com/bn/comics to castyour vote.
‘Baby-SittersClub’ returns fora new generationBy MONICA HESSEThe Washington Post
Kristy may have had the “GreatIdea,” but she was kind of bossy,right? And Stacey was all “sophisti-cated,” but sometimes her popularitywas scary, like she was going to aban-don the club again for her coolfriends in New York, which MaryAnne or Mallory never, ever wouldhave done.
We are speaking of “The Baby-Sit-ters Club,” the 132-book mondo se-ries chronicling the adventures of
See BOOKS Page 5ENEWS STAFF/JEFF ROBERTS
In recent years, a new generation of blues fans has discovered Gip’s Place. Onmost Saturdaynights, it’s shoulder-to-shoulder. “We’ve got musicians whowill come and open for free just sothey can say they’ve played here,” says LennyMadden, who books the bands. Kathy Kemp
Is on vacation.
11E
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SPECIAL
1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray prototype.
