Delta Blues Museum will unveil a new exhibit this week, just in time for summer visitors: “Margaret’s Blue Diamond Lounge” focuses on the New World District juke joint in downtown Clarksdale and its legendary house band led by Arthneice “Gas Man” Jones.
As featured in the 1991 documentary, Juke Joint Saturday Night, Margaret’s house band–The Stone Gas Band–earned critical praise and a large following in the 1990s. The Museum’s exhibit highlights Margaret, her clientele and the music and magic made within the walls of the club.
The opening reception is free and open to the public and will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 5 – 7 PM at the Museum. Immediately following the reception, Ground Zero Blues Club will host The Stone Gas Band for a night of blues favorites from Margaret’s–cover charge is $10 per person.
The exhibit was made possible through a grant from the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA); the opening reception is being sponsored by MDNHA and Friends of Delta Blues Museum.
OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, MAY 22nd
Delta Blues Museum Gallery
5pm – 7 pm
sponsored by MDNHA & Friends of Delta Blues Museum
**free and open to the public**
About Delta Blues Museum
Established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees and re-organized as a stand-alone museum in 1999, the Delta Blues Museum is Mississippi’s first music museum. A 2013 recipient of the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services–the nation’s highest honor for museum and library service to the community–and a 2014 recipient of the National Arts & Humanities’ Youth Program Award, the Delta Blues Museum is dedicated to creating a welcoming place where visitors find meaning, value and perspective by exploring the history and heritage of the unique American musical art form, the Blues. The Museum is also recognized as a Great River Road Interpretive Center. For more information on events or programs, please call (662) 627-6820, or visit the Museum web site at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.
