Juke Joint (Author and Artist Series) [Paperback]

Birney Imes (Photographer), Richard Ford (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Author and Artist Series | Publication Date: 1990

In this spectacular album of full-color photographs Birney Imes reveals a previously unexplored domain: the black juke joints of the Mississippi Delta. Imes transforms this phenomenon of Delta cultural life into something rich and strange. Introduced by Richard Ford.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"These photographs explore the wildly expressive interior decor of these bars with their spray-painted walls, hand-lettered signs, plywood floors, and well-kept pool tables." --David Featherstone, The Friends of Photography

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087805846X
• ISBN-13: 978-0878058464
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 11 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock the joint, November 4, 2005

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juke Joint (Author and Artist Series) (Paperback)

Birney Imes has done us all a favor by revealing, with stunning photos, a slice of Southern life not normally exposed. The fifty-eight images show the interiors of several black drinking establishments and what amazed me was the incredible ramshackle nature of these rooms. Everything looks so temporary, walls with exposed brickwork, ceilings that obviously wouldn't support a second floor, doors, tables, seats and bars made from whatever wood was available. The decor and many of the signs seem mostly to be home produced which contrast with the slickly produced commercial work for beer and cigarettes.

Despite the very temporary nature of these joints that the photos reveal I felt they showed something else though, an earthiness and honesty for the customers that is perhaps missing from the typical white bar with its respectable decor and artificial facade. I can just imagine the various bars in Juke Joint coming alive with the sound of raucous blues and relaxing good times, plate thirty-eight shows a hand-made sign in Juicy's Place, Marcella, saying 'BE NICE OR LEAVE'.

Juke Joint is well produced with a large photo per page and generous margins and my only criticism would be that there are not enough exterior photos of these amazing joints. Apart from that I thought this was a fascinating book.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very telling and honest account of the deep south., August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Juke Joint (Author and Artist Series) (Paperback)

The photographer does an excellent job of using his subject to tell his thoughts. By keeping some photographs on a long exposure, he also shows the fleeting nature of these somewhat depressed settings. Also a strong use of color to illustrate the cultural setting and importance despite the deprived economic environment. Of high importance for anyone interested in the deep south and the heritage of the mississippi delta.