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about

"The Riverside Hotel" is a song that celebrates the historic Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, MS. In 2021, the hotel was recognized by the National Trust For Historical Preservation as one of the 11 most endangered places in the US

Written by Mick Kolassa, sung by Mick, Erica Brown and Teeny Tucker and produced by Jeff Jensen, the song serves two purposes - To entertain anyone who listens and make them aware of the current plight of the hotel.

With Covid and storm damage, the hotel is in danger of closing. The sisters who own The Riverside, Zelena Ratliff and Sonya Gates, along with special friends, have created a GOFUND ME account to help keep this historic building from closing.

Please check out the 1-sheet for more information on the hotel and the fundraiser. We hope, when you play the song you direct folks to the GOFUND ME page to help keep The Riverside Hotel open. Just tell your listeners to go to "Save Black Family-Owned Historic Blues Hotel" at www.gofundme.com

lyrics

Riverside Hotel

Let me tell about the Riverside Hotel
A place with a story you should all know well
It’s where blues gave birth to rock & roll
There’s a thousand stories waiting to be told
At the Riverside Hotel an old landmark for the blues

First it was a hospital for the blacks in the Delta
Where folks could get care, food and shelter
Miss Bessie passed away there back in 1937
This was her first stop on her way to blues heaven
At the Riverside Hotel an old landmark for the blues

When the hospital closed Miss ZL
Turned it into a Green Book Hotel
All the blues people came there and stayed
And late at night they got together and played
At the Riverside Hotel a landmark for the blues

Imagine the magic that happened there
With future blues legends everywhere
Muddy and the Wolf, John Lee and Sonny Boy
All Filled that place with musical joy
That’s the Riverside Hotel a landmark for the blues
Where the pioneers stayed And made their magic for me and you

Down in the kitchen Ike and his guys
Worked out Rocket 88, a musical surprise
You can stay there today if you come to town
And hear the new blues folks are laying down
At the Riverside Hotel an old landmark for the blues

The Riverside is history, a treasure for us all
We need to be sure that treasure never falls
So I’m standing here, just beamin with pride
Cause I know I’m doing my part to help out the Riverside

Riverside Hotel a landmark for the blues
Where pioneers stayed And made magic for me and you
At the Riverside Hotel an old landmark for the blues
At the Riverside Hotel an old landmark for the blues



All Rights Reserved (BMI)

credits

released April 1, 2022
MUSICIANS
Jeff Jensen: Guitar and Percussion
Rick Steff: Piano
Bill Ruffino: Bass
James Cunningham: Drums
Eric Hughes: Harmonica
Stuart Knowles: Guitar

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about

Mick Kolassa image

Mick Kolassa Memphis, Tennessee

I’m Mick Kolassa, a lifelong musician and hardcore blues fan who, in addition to being an active blues artist, also am head of Endless Blues Records and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation. I live in Memphis but was born in Michigan and lived in Mississippi for nearly 30 years, where I was given the nickname “Michissippi Mick”. ... more

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