In 1943, Morris Berger opened the Plantation Inn nightclub on this site in a former West Memphis gambling hall. Billed as having the largest dance floor in the South, it became a major live-music destination for the region until it was demolished in 1966. Known as the P.I., it was also a hub for after-hours jam sessions featuring performers from the Memphis hotel scene and Beale Street clubs. Many Plantation Inn musicians played a crucial role in the development of the “Memphis sound.” The Phineas (Finas) Newborn, Sr. Orchestra helped launch Phineas, Jr. and Calvin Newborn into notable music careers, including backing BB King on “Three O'Clock Blues” in 1953 and touring with Ike Turner to promote “Rocket 88.” Phineas Jr. became an international jazz figure, while Calvin toured with Count Basie and Howlin' Wolf and also recorded independently. Trumpeter and band leader Willie Mitchell later gained international acclaim as a performer and producer at Hi Records and received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008. Floyd Newman began as a band leader at the P.I., recorded with Stax Records artists including Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Sam and Dave, and brought the young pianist Isaac Hayes to Stax. Hayes later won three Grammys, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe, and was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Morris Berger's Plantation Inn created an environment where urban audiences and emerging musicians could experience the music of the Delta, and it played a key role in shaping American music as it moved up the Mississippi River, through West Memphis, and across the country.
