Owner Jimmy King says that being located in a metropolitan area in the center of the state far from Riverboat gambling and being an after-hours club insulates him from the casino competition affecting his Delta counterparts. Still, King says if juke joints are to survive, they have to be run for love rather than money. Alford says today's crowds that take in the genuine live blues shows at Smitty's Red Top Lounge aren't from around Clarksdale. I've had a bus load of Belgians, bus load of Scandinavians,'' he said. With limited opportunities for career advancement and an ever-dwindling number of juke joints featuring live music, talented young performers like Shields often leave Mississippi for the promise of the North, just as an entire generation of blues men did in the 1940's and 50's.
Shields currently lives in Pennsylvania.
After a recent show, though, a brawl broke out. It took the Shelby police and nearby Cleveland's force to restore peace and order. Since then, Shelby has imposed a 1 a.m. curfew, hurting the late-night joints' dwindling business even further. E.V. Wright, who runs the Black Castle in Ruleville, Miss., has moved on a step to avoid the scrutiny of small-town officials who frown on the sexy shows. Mississippi blues drummer Sam Carr plays with harmonica legend Frank Frost at Edy Mae's cafe in Helena, Ark. during the weekend of the annual King Biscuit Blues festival held every October.