Andrew "Sunbeam" Mitchell (1906-1989) was a Memphis-based businessman. He owned various establishments on the

Chitlin' Circuit The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...

. Mitchell ran nightclubs for 40 years until selling off his holdings in the 1980s. In the 1940s, post-war Memphis became a hot spot for blues music. African American musicians began moving to Memphis, and established entertainers would perform and record here. During segregation, there were few venues where African Americans could perform, and fewer hotels where they could stay. In 1944, Sunbeam Mitchell opened the Mitchell Hotel which lodged well-known musicians, and soon he began operating nightclubs.

Life and career

Born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 6, 1906, Mitchell grew up on Beale Street. His father was a

drayman A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used to transport all kinds of goods. Modern use The word "drayman" is used in U.S. ports as the over the road ...

. Mitchell worked in a factory in Detroit during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1944, Mitchell and his wife Ernestine Mitchell (nee McKinney) leased two floors above Abe Plough's Pantaze Drug Store on Beale Street in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He opened the Mitchell Hotel in 1944, and shortly thereafter created his first nightclub, the Domino Lounge. In the book ''The Chitlin' Circuit'', author Preston Lauterbach wrote, "Sunbeam laid the cornerstone of what came to be known as the Memphis sound." In addition to his nightclubs, hotel, and grill, Mitchell operated Mitchell Amusement Enterprises in the 1950s, booking dates for musicians Little Milton and Lowell Fulson. He later created a record label, Paradise Records. Mitchell also sponsored dances at venues such as

Ellis Auditorium The Ellis Auditorium was a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It hosted local sporting events and concerts. History The auditorium opened in 1924 as a multipurpose concert hall, convention center, and athletic arena. The ...

, where Ray Charles performed in 1961. Mitchell continued running club and other establishments for forty tears. He died in August 1989..

Mitchell Hotel

Musicians who performed at his nightclub weren't allowed to stay at the whites-only hotels, so the Mitchell Hotel opened in 1944 and was billed as "Memphis' Leading Color Hotel." His wife Ernestine, of Ernestine and Hazel's, managed the hotel which had thirty rooms, "gas head and modern baths." Mitchell Hotel attracted famous musicians on the

such as

Nat "King" Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Count Bassie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, and

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

. Mitchell and his wife Ernestine, earned a reputation among traveling musicians for their generosity. They often provided struggling musicians with food and shelter. In a 1981 interview with the '' Memphis Press-Scimitar'', Mitchell stated, "All of them knew they could come to Memphis and be taken care of in those days."

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

stayed at the Mitchell Hotel for weeks when he didn't have any money. B.B. King said, "Anytime you didn't have any money, or anything, you could always go get a room and a bowl of chili." Singer Johnny Ace was a frequent resident. When he died in 1954, the Mitchells were left with his clothes and belongings.

Club Handy

In 1945, Mitchel opened the Domino Lounge at 195 Hernando Street. After a few years he changed the name to Club Handy. the venue was named for

W.C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

, "the father of the blues." It was located on the second-floor lounge of his hotel. At Club Handy, Mitchell employed dancing girls called the Mitchellettes and a house band. The house band for Club Handy was led by Bill Harvey. Little Junior Parker, Bobby Bland, and B.B. King performed regularly at Club Handy. Elvis Presley saw Lowell fulsom perform at Club Handy in 1954. Acts such as the Five Royales, Jimmy McCracklin, Arthur Prysock stopped in for one-nighters in the late 1950s. The Ike & Tina Turner Revue performed at Club Handy in the 1960s. Photographer

Ernest Withers Ernest C. Withers (August 7, 1922 – October 15, 2007) was an African-American photojournalist. He documented over 60 years of African-American history in the segregated Southern United States, with iconic images of the Montgomery bus boyco ...

took some of his iconic images of Memphis nightlife at Club Handy.

Club Ebony

Club Handy was originally a roller skating rink called The Hippodrome. In 1955, Mitchell purchased the venue and renamed it Club Ebony, an R&B club located at 500 Beale Street. The club was later owned by Johnnie Currie and renamed The Hippodrome again.

Club Paradise

Mitchell operated Club Paradise from 1962 until 1985, which was the largest nightclub in Memphis. The 3,200-seat capacity venue was located at 645 E. Georgia Avenue. Bobby "Blue" Bland performed on the opening night, March 21, 1965. In 1966, the Memphis City Commission attempted to purchase the club with federal funds and convert it into a recreation center. Mitchell entered lease-to-own agreement and eventually purchased the venue. In the 1960s and 1970s, soul and funk musicians Funkadelic,

Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...

O.V. Wright Overton Vertis "O. V." Wright (October 9, 1939 – November 16, 1980) was an American singer who is generally regarded as a blues artist by African-American fans in the Deep South; he is also regarded as one of Southern soul's most authoritative ...

, Ike & Tina Turner and the Delfonics performed at Club Paradise. Mitchell also rented the club out to fraternities. In 2016, Club Paradise reopened as a community center, the Paradise Entertainment Center.{{Cite web, last=Donahue, first=Michael, date=January 14, 2016, title=Classic venue Club Paradise to re-open as Paradise Entertainment Center, url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/entertainment/music/Classic-venue-Club-Paradise-to-re-open-at-Paradise-Entertainment-Center-365307561.html, access-date=2020-06-12, website=The Commercial Appeal, language=en

References

External links

The Historic Hippodrome
1906 births 1989 deaths People from Memphis, Tennessee Culture of Memphis, Tennessee African-American businesspeople African-American company founders American company founders 20th-century African-American people