After receiving my October 25, 2003, issue of The Yazoo
Herald, I feel I can no longer keep quiet about the myth that keeps being
perpetuated in the paper about the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia.
I was born in 1936 and my earliest memories are of' my
mother, Bell Jackson, (Jessie Bell 'Jackson) running that cafe. In fact, my
nephew in St. Louis still has the sign that says, "Bell Jackson's
Cafe." She sold fish and chitterlings along cold pop and beer.
I can remember, being about knee-high to a duck, walking
around with a bottle of beer in my hand. My love of beer continues til this
day. When we got sleepy, she had a cot over behind the counter where we could
sleep until she closed around midnight, and we went home.
Skip James and Jack
Owens (who happens to be my cousin, deceased) never came or played there
but Roscoe Fox (husband of Hattie B. Fox, employee of the Barbour family) did
come every Saturday to collect the money from the juke box and change the
records. Consequently, we had a great collection of Blues records because he gave
us the used ones.
Mr. Hamp Cox, the local lawman came by frequently for a cold
Coca Cola, and beer was regularly delivered by Mr. Moses' beer company. (I
remember going along with my mother to visit Mrs. Josephine Moses, who passed
away not too long ago.)
Mr. Hancock owned the store next to the cafe and Mr. Causey
Fears ran the ice house. I remember "Silas Green from New Orleans"
and "Rabbit Foot" performing in a tent on the grounds where the gin
stood next door. (Still there but defunct.)
My mother ran that cafe until she had some sort of falling
out with the Mutual Aid Society over who owned the building and they allowed
Mrs. Mary and Carey Holmes to take over the building. I didn't know Duck. He
must be one of Mrs. Mary's younger kids, but I was good friends with his older
sisters, Honey T. Bone, Buke and Lula.
I happened to be in Yazoo City Aug. 28 and 29 and stayed at
the Best Western where those kids from New York, who were doing a documentary on
"Main Street USA," were staying. I was also at my lawyer's office on
Main Street as they were interviewing Wardell Leach.
I told them this story and they wanted to know if I would
tell this story on national TV. At the time, I said, "No."
However, I feel I cannot keep quiet any longer while my
mother's memory is being sullied about and she is not given some credit for the
operation of that cafe.
Barbara Jackson Williams Oakland, Calif.

Thanks for posting. As usual, essential reading. What about the myth about the "festivals"? In 2022 they are supposed to be celebrating the 50th Festival.
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