By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.4 - 62.252.128.4) on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 05:59 pm:

go to http://www.bluesharp.org/tour/hastings0450.html

touch the bottom edge of the pic with the cursor and see hastings street as it was before demolition.

hastings street and paradise valley were the entertainment districts of black detroit prior to 1960.

that's john lee hooker btw.

hope you enjoy this as much as i did.

check out his site from our links page.

By Rick B (146.9.229.70 - 146.9.229.70) on Wednesday, November 14, 2001 - 03:30 pm:

Hi David,
People wonder why Detroit has no street of clubs, no musical center. Well the reason why is that the heart was cut out in the late 1950's. An expressway, I-75 was dug just east of Hastings, and Hastings became the southbound service drive. This seemed natural to urban planners of the time because this area was considered ghetto. I walked the full length of (what was ) Hastings this summer, taking pictures all the way. In a way, there was not much to see. Some old fireplugs, a few bricks sticking out of the dirt .... But it was rather poignant just the same. I'm slowly gathering more information and adding it discretely to the stark site that first came online in August. The page that David linked to in the previous message kind of graphically summarizes the entire walk. If you use the >> buttons you can move to the beginning of the walk, or to related walks that I added. You could get anything on Hastings, and I use it as a sort of metaphor that leads everywhere....

By Fury13 (12.2.196.17 - 12.2.196.17) on Wednesday, November 14, 2001 - 04:29 pm:

Hi Rick,

On your website you mention that Oakland Avenue was "sort of an extension of Hastings." I agree.

I know there were some important clubs on Oakland once; too bad that area didn't hang on as a "Hastings North." I feel it should be a historic district.

By acooolcat (211.72.121.66 - 211.72.121.66) on Thursday, November 15, 2001 - 04:40 am:

Oakland - a bar that I usualy go to for a drink and a friendly chat is The Sugar Hill Bar; it's a block north of the Boulevard. The owner, Carrol Evans, has had it for 50 years now and if it were in Chicago or New York it'd be an historic site with a plaque outside. Carrol's a wonderful guy, the jukebox is loaded with good stuff and everyone there is nice and friendly.
The old Phelp's club is just up the road; Can anyone remember going there?
Graham

By Fury13 (12.2.196.17 - 12.2.196.17) on Thursday, November 15, 2001 - 04:02 pm:

I was just in the Sugar Hill Lounge earlier this week -- my first time there. It's a great place. Met Carroll Evans too and talked with him for quite awhile.

By MONTCLAIR (199.182.121.77 - 199.182.121.77) on Sunday, January 27, 2002 - 02:49 am:

HAVE GREAT MEMORIES OF PHELP'S LOUNGE-SAW THE IKE & TINA TURNER REVIEW THERE IN 65 OR 66. CARROLL EVANS WAS A FRIEND OF MY LATE FATHER-AMAZING THAT THE SUGAR HILL IS STILL THERE.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Sunday, January 27, 2002 - 07:28 pm:

we'll do a tribute to phelps lounge towards the end of the year.