Where did musicians play the blues?

The House Party

The house party provided another source of income for musicians and were a primary source of entertainment for working class African Americans. This setting acquired its name from the first and most popular type of house party--a weekend of dancing, drinking and gambling in someone's house. Homeowners did not hold regular parties, but people could usually find a house party somewhere every weekend. Some of the more informal house parties were known as "fish fries," a version of a 1920 rent party where the homeowner would sell food and drinks. Musicians would play for tips and often appeared at the same house whenever the owner hosted a party. For example, Gary Davis played at Wednesday night prayer meetings in homes.

The second type of house party functioned similarly to a bar and were also called "juke joints." These parties happened every weekend at the same house and were managed by bootleggers, who used them to sell illegal alcohol and concessions at a profit. Unlike at the informal house parties, musicians received a set fee for playing from early evening until about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. Blues pianists who could not find work at theaters often performed at these house parties.

Musicians also performed in theaters. At the suggestion of John Merrick, founder of North Carolina Mutual, F.K. Watkins of Atlanta opened the Wonderland, a thriving theater-vaudeville business in Durham that employed several blues pianists. Some blues musicians received payment for specific performances; others worked on contract.

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