juke joint
Rural dance hall
A juke joint is a small, informal establishment, especially in the rural American South, where Black patrons gathered to drink, dance, and listen to music—typically blues or jazz played on a jukebox or by live musicians.
These venues flourished from the early twentieth century through the civil rights era, often operating in ramshackle buildings and serving as vital social spaces in segregated communities.
The blues legend got his start playing juke joints across the Mississippi Delta.
Wayside drinking establishment
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
- diveHeadfirst water entry
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
- barroomTavern drinking area
shack · ramshackle · watering hole · hideaway · backwoods · outskirts · rustic · neon sign
Symbol denoting variation
- harmonicaHandheld reed wind instrument
- slide guitarStringed instrument with gliding bar
- Muddy WatersChicago blues founding figure
- B.B. KingBlues guitarist icon
boogie-woogie · shuffle · riff · croon · soulful · melancholy · bluesman · Mississippi
Energetic swing-era partner dance
- lindy hopHarlem-born swing dance style
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- boogieRhythmic blues music
- shuffleRandomize by mixing
two-step · grind · shimmy · partner · sweaty · crowded · floor · Saturday night
Forced separation by group
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- Great MigrationVast collective relocation
- sharecroppersFarmers paying rent in crops
- cotton fieldsFarmland growing fiber crops
Deep South · Prohibition · bootlegging · 1930s · 1940s · African American · rural South · Louisiana
roadhouse
Wayside drinking establishment
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
- diveHeadfirst water entry
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
barroom · shack · ramshackle · watering hole · hideaway · backwoods · outskirts · rustic · neon sign · sawdust floor
delta
Symbol denoting variation
- harmonicaHandheld reed wind instrument
- slide guitarStringed instrument with gliding bar
- Muddy WatersChicago blues founding figure
B.B. King · boogie-woogie · shuffle · riff · croon · soulful · melancholy · bluesman · Mississippi · Chicago blues
jitterbug
Energetic swing-era partner dance
shuffle · two-step · grind · shimmy · partner · sweaty · crowded · floor · Saturday night · cutting loose
segregation
Forced separation by group
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- Great MigrationVast collective relocation
- sharecroppersFarmers paying rent in crops
cotton fields · Deep South · Prohibition · bootlegging · 1930s · 1940s · African American · rural South · Louisiana · Alabama
- BluesB.B. King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, twelve bar blues, delta blues
- venuesarena, auditorium, stadium, performing arts center, theater
- dance venuesdance hall, dance floor, ballroom, disco, nightclub
- Black DiasporaAfrican American, African Americans, African diaspora, African heritage, African roots
- eateriesrestaurant, diner, bistro, cafeteria, pizzeria
- Country Musichonky tonk, Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, CMT, country pop
juke jointconcert hall
Venue for orchestral performances
opera house · Carnegie Hall · Lincoln Center · Royal Albert Hall · grand ballroom
joint, jointly, jointed, disjointed, jukebox, juke, jukes, juking, juked