Ad: Sonny Blount "Barn Dance," Masonic Temple (1945)
Title
Ad: Sonny Blount "Barn Dance," Masonic Temple (1945)
Description
Newspaper advertisement for Sonny Blount and his Orchestra in a special dance for white visitors to the Colored Masonic Temple. "The most exciting event of the season. Doors open 7:30, dancing at 8 o'clock. Come early, be patriotic, obey the curfew."
On occasions like this, the Masonic Temple -- a center for Black life in segregated Birmingham, and a key venue for top local and national dance bands -- opened its doors to white visitors for a special performance. The curfew indicated in the ad was a nationwide mandate, briefly issued during the Second World War, shutting down all nightlife at midnight.
Less than a year after this performance, bandleader Sonny Blount would leave Birmingham for Chicago, where he would become better known as Sun Ra.
On occasions like this, the Masonic Temple -- a center for Black life in segregated Birmingham, and a key venue for top local and national dance bands -- opened its doors to white visitors for a special performance. The curfew indicated in the ad was a nationwide mandate, briefly issued during the Second World War, shutting down all nightlife at midnight.
Less than a year after this performance, bandleader Sonny Blount would leave Birmingham for Chicago, where he would become better known as Sun Ra.
Original Format
Newspaper clipping
Collection
Citation
“Ad: Sonny Blount "Barn Dance," Masonic Temple (1945),” Southern Music Research Center, accessed July 1, 2024, https://southernmusicresearch.org/items/show/1394.