Ground Zero for the blues
By Cassandra Perry • Delta Democrat Times • June 3, 2001

While lighining danced outside in Clarksdale's night sky, hundreds of party goers were inside the city's new hotspot, Ground Zero, dancing the night away hoping to catch a glimpse of Morgan Freeman and the other celebrities at the bash.

The blues club is the latest venture for Freeman and attorney Bill Luckett. Howard Stovall, the executive director of the Blues Foundation in Memphis, joins the duo in bringing the Delta something it wants; a place to hear the blues.

"This is a venue for the blues," said Freeman, while sitting on a desk in the small office in the of the club. It doesn't matter whether it is traditional blues or new stuff, Freeman just wants a place for blues artists to play and blues fans to hear what they love.

The club is housed in a building in downtown Clarksdale that was built in the early 1900s. Ground Zero has really genuine feel to it with uneven floor boards, Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, blues posters on the walls, vinyl tablecloths and mismatched chairs.

Customers can even say they've had a "hand in the club" by drawing their handprint on the bar, the wall or the floor.

Juke joints and small clubs pepper the Delta landscape, but there has never been a blues club in the Delta with the potential to attract national acts the way Ground Zero is expected to do in the future.

The club was open for business a week prior to the grand opening last Sunday night and Luckett said that it has been packed to almost maximum capacity almost every night.

According to Luckett, Ground Zero is already making a name for itself among foreign travelers who want to hear some authentic blues. The Clarksdale attorney said the club has already been visited by travelers from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada.

One Canadian couple even left a momento at the club in the fom of an Ontario car tag with "D Bluz" printed on it and a Canadian Flag.

"I couldn't be more thrilled with the club," said Stovall who became involved with the blues club last year when he heard that Freeman and Luckett were looking for more projects to get into after the opening of their Clarksdale restaurant, Madidi. Stovall thought he could bring a little expertise to the club because of his position at the Blues Foundation.

"Not too bad for a white boy" is printed on the sticker that adorns Stovall's keyboard which he played Sunday night with the house band, Big "T" and Family, which consists of Terry Williams and his two sons, Terrell and Blackjack. Stovall used to play with a blues band and will sometimes sit in with the house band.

The dance floor at Ground Zero was jumping on Sunday night when Freeman and his wife Myrna made their appearance at the club. Freeman took off his jacket and slid onto the floor, gettin' down for more than half an hour before two more stars were ushered into the club.

After circling Clarksdale for over an hour in a lear jet the Judd sisters finally arrived.

Photographers were scrambling and cameras were flashing to get a shot of country star Wynonna Judd and her movie star little sister Ashley.

When Freeman called the two stars up onto the stage to be introduced, because of lack of steps on one side of the stage the Judds had to be helped up.

"I ain't scared," Wynonna said as she took a giant step onto the stage. Ashley was helped onto the stage and the trio of stars put on their best smiles for the cameras.

At 10 pm sharp, members of the media were ordered to put their cameras and notepads down and party with everyone else.

The house band once again took the stage and the crowd danced and partied all night long.

Freeman compares the blues club to a hit movie. Its hard to tell what is going to be a hit but patrons of Ground Zero think its safe to say that Freeman and his partners have a hit on their hands.

The phrase written on the front door of the club says it all, "Mothers lock up your daughters, we're going to party until the last blues fan faints."