The Plantation Inn

The Plantation Inn. Sounds from the Soil and Soul. In 1943, Morris Berger opened his legendary Plantation Inn nightclub on this site in a former West Memphis gambling hall. Billed as having the largest dance floor in the South, it became an electrifying live-music destination for the region until it was demolished in 1966. The P.I., as it became known, was also a hub for after-hours jam sessions featuring performers from the Memphis hotel scene and Beale Street clubs., Many of the Plantation Inn musicians played a crucial role in the development of the “Memphis sound.” The Phineas (Finas) Newborn, Sr. Orchestra, which played at the P.I., launched Phineas, Jr. and Calvin Newborn to remarkable music careers which included backing BB King on “Three O'Clock Blues" in 1953 and touring with Ike Turner to promote his hit “Rocket 88.” Phineas Jr. became an international jazz sensation and is celebrated among peers as one of the best jazz pianists of all time. Calvin, known as “Flyin' Calvin” for his energetic performance style, went on to tour with Count Basie and Howlin' Wolf and record independently., Plantation Inn trumpeter and band leader Willie Mitchell achieved international acclaim as a performer and producer at Hi Records and was recognized with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008. Floyd Newman got his start as a band leader at the P.I. and recorded with a pantheon of Stax Records artists including Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Sam and Dave. Newman brought the young pianist from his P.I. band, the legendary Isaac Hayes, to Stax with him. Hayes eventually won three Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame., Morris Berger's Plantation Inn created an environment where urban audiences and emerging musicians could experience the music of the Delta. The P.I. played a key role in shaping American music as it moved up the Mississippi River, through West Memphis, and out across the country.,

The Plantation Inn, West Memphis, Arkansas – the PI – was the birthplace of the “Memphis sound” – Phineas Newborn, Sr., Willie Mitchell, Ben Branch and the Largos, Blind Oscar, Gilbert Caples, Big Bell, Guitar Friday, the incomparable Wild Charlie Turner. Stax and Hi Records took it to the world but white boys took it across the river. We were all there, underage and overwhelmed – Wayne Jackson, Packy Axton, Charlie Freeman, Steve Cropper, Ronnie “Angel” Stoots. We copied the music. No Memphis band worthy of the name didn't play the Del Rios' “Stormy Weather.” When Raymond, the bouncer, wouldn't let me in, I lay in the back seat of my old Buick in the parking lott with my head in an ice sack listening to the magic sound … music of the night. – Jim Dickinson, Musician/Producer

[Captions (left to right)] , Willie Mitchell . Morris Berger, Clemmye Berger, Jimmy Dorsey, Brenda Berger, and Louis Jack Berger at the Plantation Inn . Floyd Newman Plantation Inn Band . “Flying” Calvin Newborn, The Trail. The music of the Arkansas Delta is the music of America. With roots in gospel or “church music,” the blues, jazz, country, and rock n' roll flowed from the rich, fertile landscape bordering the lower Mississippi River and spread out across the country and the world. Follow the Arkansas Delta Music Trail to experience the sounds that shaped the land, its people, and the nation.