Madison Nite Spot
The Madison Nite Spot was a night club, dance hall and juke joint at 200 Woodward Avenue, off Bessemer Super Highway, from the 1940s to the 1960s. It was owned and managed by Dewey Monroe.
The Madison Night Stop was a regular stop on the "Chitlin' Circuit" and catered mainly to African American audiences. Notable acts that performed at the Madison Night Spot have included Bobby "Blue" Bland, James Brown, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Erskine Hawkins, Howlin' Wolf, Louis Jordan, Little Richard, Joe Tex and O. V. Wright. Local performers that frequented the Nite Spot included Montrose Baker, Jesse Blackmon, Jimmy Chappell, and, later, The Premiers.
Because of the scarcity of motels open to Black touring performers, the venue operated a guest house for overnight stays.
The building burned to the ground in 1967.
References
- Windham, Ben (May 13, 2001) "Southern Lights: Super Highway no more." The Tuscaloosa News
- Adams, Frank 'Doc' & Burgin Mathews (2012) Doc: The Story of a Birmingham Jazz Man. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press ISBN 9780817317805
- Millard, Andre (2017) Magic City Nights: Birmingham's Rock 'n' Roll Years. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press ISBN 9780819576972