Now that we have addressed the fire as well as the band and band leader who perished in the Natchez Blaze on April 23, 1940, I would like to introduce you to a couple who have worked diligently to preserve the names and history behind the fire. Their names are Monroe and Betty Sago who are the owners and operators of the Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum in Natchez. While making our way to the gulf to spend some time with our family, my wife and I decided to visit the city of Natchez of which we knew nothing about.…

Walter Barnes was an important figure in history for several reasons. • Mr. Barnes was a popular columnist, writing for the Chicago Defender, the national black news of the day. • Walter Barnes & His Royal Creolians became the first black band to broadcast in Chicago, over WHFC. • Barnes’s writings became the guide for traveling black bands in the South, opening a new frontier to the black band business. • Barnes’s greatness as an entertainer stemmed from his ability to exploit his audience’s desires. He became Duke Ellington to the smaller dance halls of the South. • Trapped in…

Man has been subjected to many devastating conditions such as the crash of the Hindenburg, the sinking of the Titanic, the earth quake in Haiti and even more currently, school shootings. Each reserved time in the headlines and each was viewed as a tragic happening but some disasters go unnoticed by the general public for various reasons. The world knows within minutes of a bomb exploding at the end of the Boston Marathon and all of the horrifying details are shown over and over as the news reports keep the story alive for weeks or until another gruesome event takes…