The term "juke joint" brings to mind a smoky bar with bluesy music, dancing to a jazz combo, aromas of comfort food wafting out from the kitchen and a fun, relaxed celebratory atmosphere. Historically, juke joints were found in rural areas of the Southern U.S. Juke joints were a place for the locals to unwind after work and on the weekends.
Juke Joint Music
Shop for CDs of old blues and jazz artists like Etta James, Elvin Bishop, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Dr. John or Robert Johnson and the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band. If you have a younger crowd of friends who aren't familiar with these artists, change it up a bit with Southern rock and blues artists like Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, the Allman Brothers Band and ZZ Top. The idea is to recreate the dark, rhythmic, smoky bar feel with the music. Another option is to hire a live jazz and blues combo.
Refreshments to Satisfy the Palate
The food served in a juke joint would have been Southern style like barbecue ribs or chicken and barbecue pork sandwiches. Vegetables can be green beans (with plenty of onions and bacon), fried potatoes and okra, fried green tomatoes, corn on the cob and pork-and-beans. Consider garnishes of sauteed onions, cole slaw, pickles and sourdough bread with plenty of butter. To wet the whistles of your guests and wash down all this rich food, sweet Southern tea and lemonade are traditional traditional juke joint beverages. Alcoholic beverages should include plenty of cold beer and whatever mixed drinks your guests like.
Transform Your Space
Cover tables with red and white checkered table clothes or something more rural like burlap or any heavy twill. Put votive candles in the center of the tables in short, squatty jars with sand or pebbles in the bottom. Old milk bottles with long stemmed daisies, wildflowers like Queen Anne's lace or red clover, and other flowers you might find growing in a country garden like tea roses, carnations or hibiscus blossoms. If you have lamps in the room where your party guests will be dancing and eating, carefully drape sheer red or lacy scarf-sized pieces of fabric over lamps to add warmth to the lighting. (The fabric shouldn't be too close to the light bulbs, though; this is a fire hazard.)
Dress the Part
If you want to fully set the mood, you can invite your guests to dress in characteristic juke joint attire. For men, this means jeans or work chinos with cuffs, suspenders and button-up twill shirts with the sleeves rolled up and a colorful tie to finish off the look. Women should wear flowing floral skirts or wide-legged flowing pants, soft blouses with loose ruffles in bright, rich colors.
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