Mississippi Blues Trail Series: Riverside Hotel

The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail series at the fourth marker erected on the trail. The Riverside Hotel, located at 615 Sunflower Avenue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, was originally built as the G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital. In the segregated South, this hospital served black clientele. The hospital gained notoriety when the famous Bessie Smith passed away there following a car accident.

On September 26, 1937, the Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith, was traveling from Memphis to Clarksdale on Highway 61 when she sustained fatal injuries from an automobile accident. An ambulance was summoned to the scene of the accident and took Smith to the Thomas Hospital, where she died. The room she passed away in has remained frozen in time as a tribute to the powerhouse singer.

In 1943, Mrs. Z. L. Ratcliff rented the hospital where she took the eight-room structure and expanded it to approximately 20 rooms. Mrs. Thomas, the widow and then owner of the building, assisted Ratcliff with the renovations. Ratcliff bought the structure in 1957, and the Riverside Hotel was born. The hotel has remained under the operation of the Ratcliff family until a forced closure in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic affected the hotel operations, which were then severely curtailed by damage that occurred in a violent storm when a tree toppled onto the building.

The Riverside Hotel served as a haven for many blues artists in the 1950s and 1960s. The hotel was even listed in The Green Book, a guide for black artists to seek out safe places to stay when they travelled. Interestingly, The Green Book (2018) became an award-winning movie that told the story of this safety network. The hotel hosted a multitude of artists and provided a home for many who stayed there for extended periods of time. Some residents included Sunny Boy Williamson II, Robert Nighthawk, and Ike Turner. In addition, artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Jessie Mae Hemphill considered the Riverside Hotel their home away from home as they travelled throughout the blues circuit playing gigs. One notable blues admirer, John F. Kennedy, Jr., stayed at the Riverside Hotel in 1991.

The Riverside Hotel is often referred to as the place where blues gave birth to rock and roll. “Rocket 88” is considered the first rock and roll song. Ike Turner penned and rehearsed the song in room #7 before recording it at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. And as they say, the rest is history . . .

The Ratcliff sisters have worked diligently to reopen The Riverside Hotel. Originally, the Ratcliff sisters hoped to reopen the hotel in 2024 but were unable to reach that goal due to a lack of funds. The sisters, Zelena Ratcliff and Sonya Gates, stay committed to reopening the venue. They want to provide patrons with the opportunity to stay in the same rooms, sleep in the same beds, and experience firsthand what prior guests experienced while at the Riverside Hotel.

The Riverside Hotel is registered with the African American Historic Preservation Center. As of 2021, it was listed as one of the 11 most endangered historical sites by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Ratcliff sisters continue to be active in their efforts to secure funding and preserve the Riverside Hotel for posterity. They have established a GoFundMe account, allowing anyone who wants to contribute to the preservation efforts to do so.

Click Here for the link to their GoFundMe.

Riverside Hotel marker (backside)

Riverside Hotel

Riverside Hotel “Mississippi Blues Trail”

Riverside Hotel marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Clarksdale, Mississippi (photo by Stephen “Andy” Anderson

Photo above: Bessie Smith; Photo below: Bessie Smith in 1936 (featured in Library of Congress)

Mrs. Z. L. Hill operated the Riverside Hotel from 1944 until her death in 1997, when it was taken over by her son Frank “Rat” Ratliff (photo credit: Frank Ratliff).

An article by Deborah Chatham, photos by Stephen “Andy” Anderson, and page designed & edited by Johnny Cole.

Click Here for Other Articles in our Mississippi Blues Trail Series.

References:
Clarksdale Visitor’s Guide
Mississippi Blues Trail Commission
The Riverside Hotel official website
Wikipedia: Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, Mississippi