The purchase was finalized in the spring of 2006, and Jesse Loya – historic contractor, composer and musician – began the mind-boggling renovation. Despite initial reservations, Kerrie – a singer/musician/history buff with a background in journalism, marketing, and public relations – soon became intrigued. “I started getting the feeling that there might really be something here, that maybe this wasn’t such a dumb idea after all.” The hall was constructed in 1922 by the One Hundred Member Debating Benevolent Association (DBA), a group of free black men who incorporated the group in 1894 – as many had in the post-Civil War South – to organize and increase their standing politically, socially, and economically. After changing hands a few times, by post-World War II the hall became a stop on the chitlin’ circuit – a network of venues where African American entertainers who were not allowed in white clubs could perform. As the rebuilding ensued, the locals started emerging with stories and memories of those glory days, recalling shows by Etta James, Big Joe Turner, Ernie K-Doe, Guitar Slim, Irma Thomas, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke, and more – Little Milton, Bobby Bland, Joe Tex, Carl Gates and the Decks, and Ike and Tina Turner. And still more. Incredibly, The 100 Member DBA was considered a state nonprofit still in good standing, and was restarted as a 501(c)3 nonprofit fund of the Hancock Community Development Foundation. The hall is only one of four stops on the Mississippi Gulf Coast boasting a Blues Trail marker – housed in the original structure, no less. The emotional unveiling took place on June 17, 2011. New Orleans musician, singer and bandleader Deacon John shared his memories of performing there. “He conveyed everything I felt,” says Kerrie. “He said it was like the building came to life. I still get goosebumps from it.”
90 On The Town | March/April 2013
Completed in part with a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and generous support from the Silver Slipper Casino, the documentary – with original soundtrack composed by Jesse Loya – features interviews with musicians, historians, and people like Louise Nash, whose father was an officer of the 100 Men DBA in 1922. “With each interview the story gets more and more compelling,” says Kerrie. “I’m not the only one who feels something. It’s like the building is a living entity, eking out bits of information on its own timeline.” And energizing a new generation of musicians (“It’s an indescribable vibe when the place is full of people,” says Kerrie), with recent