View source for Gip's Place

[[File:Henry Gipson at Gips Place.jpg|right|thumb|375px|Henry Gipson at Gip's Place. Photo by Lucas Carson Gockel]]
'''Gip's Place''' is a blues joint located in the back yard of [[Gip Gipson]]'s home on [[Avenue C Bessemer|Avenue C]] on [[Paul's Hill]] in [[Bessemer]].

An avid blues fan and part-time musician, in [[1952]] Gipson began hosting barbecues in his back yard for musicians to entertain friends and neighbors. The weekend events grew in popularity and he gradually added a small enclosure with a stage. [[Lenny Madden]] built the garage that later housed Gip's Place. Gipson and [[Jeff Dunaway]] kept up with maintenance and repairs on the juke joint.

Gip's Place became, over the years, a must-stop venue for blues musicians across the Southeast. They cited the "authentic Delta" feel of the little shack that could hold 50 people shoulder-to-shoulder. On summer nights the side-tarps were removed to allow more people to hear the music while gathered in Gipson's back yard.

An early-morning fire on [[July 16]], [[2011]] caused damage to a storage building between Gipson's home and the performing area, destroying several guitars, including one that was a gift from Chuck Berry.

On [[May 4]], [[2013]], [[Bessemer Police Department|Bessemer Police]] temporarily shut down the venue for operating illegally. An agreement with the City of Bessemer was reached allowing Gip's place to remain open.

Gipson worked with manager [[Diane Guyton]] to keep the venue running. After he was hospitalized in June [[2019]] she continued to operate Gip's Place, but a dispute arose between her and Gipson's family. Guyton announced that the [[Alabama Department of Human Resources]] had issued a protective order preventing Gipson from appearing at the venue, and that a final concert would be held on [[August 10]]. Gipson's son [[Keith Gipson]] followed up with a social media post saying that Gip's Place would continue operating, but under different management.

==References==
* Reynolds, Ed (August 7, 2008) "The Juke Joint: An authentic blues experience lies only a few miles west of Birmingham." ''Black & White''
* Carlton, Bob (April 25, 2010) "[http://blog.al.com/bob-carlton/2010/04/for_blues_loves_gips_place_in.html For blues lovers, Gip's Place in Bessemer is the place to be on Saturday nights.]"  {{BN}}
* Tomberlin, Michael (July 16, 2011) "Fire at Gip's Place won't silence hot licks, cool music." {{BN}}
* Stein, Kelsey (May 5, 2013) "Bessemer police shut down backyard blues joint Gip's Place." {{BN}}
* Waites, Lee (May 5, 2013) "[http://birminghammusicnews.blogspot.com/2013/05/bessemer-police-raid-gips-place-shut-it.html Bessemer Police Raid Gip's Place: Shut it Down!]" ''Birmingham Free Press''
* Stuart, Shauna (August 13, 2019) "'We're getting this place back in order:' Next chapter at Gip's will sing the juke joint's gospel." {{BN}}

==External links==
{{Locate | Lat= 33.41004 | lon=-86.92817 | zoom=17 | type=h}}
* [http://www.gipsplace.org Gip's Place] website
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gips-Place/484981204942414#!/Gips-Place-276216082455350/?fref=ts Gip's Place] on Facebook
* "[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7939700 Gip]" (documentary) on IMDB.com

[[Category: Music clubs]]
[[Category: Avenue C Bessemer]]
[[Category: 1952 establishments]]
[[Category: 1952 buildings]]
[[Category: 2013 disestablishments]]
[[Category: Alabama Blues Hall of Fame]]