Riverside Hotel: Where Blues Gave Birth to “Rock and Roll”
The Riverside Hotel is on the Blues Trail and was the fourth marker to be placed in the state of Mississippi.
The Riverside Hotel, “where blues gave birth to rock and roll” is as close to a home as the wayward spirit of the Delta Blues could ever have.
The original structure served as the G.T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital. On September 26, 1937, legendary blues singer Bessie Smith was taken to the hospital after a car accident outside Clarksdale; the room where she passed on now serves as a shrine to her spirit and the blues, which are one and the same.
In 1943, Mrs. Z.L. Ratliff Hill transformed the hospital into a hotel, extending the building to include 20 guest rooms over two floors. The Riverside Hotel opened for business in 1944. Mrs. Hill purchased the building in 1957 and it has remained in the hands of the Ratliff family to this day.
Z.L. Ratliff Hill, African American Business Woman opened and operated the Riveside Hotel.
According to caretaker Zelena "Zee" Ratliff, "My grandmother had been operating since 1944. She died in the late '90s. That's when my father [Clarksdale legend Frank "Rat" Ratliff] took over the Riverside. He was only four when he walked in the door, so he remembered all the great sounds that came from each room. He is the reason for the renovations done on each room."
As one of the only African American hotels in Jim Crow Mississippi, it was listed in the Greenbook and played host to a Who's Who of blues and R&B legends including Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Sam Cooke whose legendary song, “A Change is Gonna Come” is believed to reference the nearby Sunflower River.” Others, including Ike Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Robert Nighthawk, liked the place so much they moved in.
Frank “Rat” Ratliff was a living historian and story teller.
The hotel played a pivotal role in the development of the Delta Blues sound and—literally—is one of the birthplaces of rock and roll. (Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston wrote and practiced “Rocket 88” in the basement of the hotel between 1949-1950 and today ethnomusicologists credit it as the birth of rock & roll.) "ROCKET 88" The FIRST ROCK N ROLL SONG EVER WAS WRITTEN AND REHEARSED AT THE RIVERSIDE HOTEL by IKE TURNER and JACKIE BRENSTON before being recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. READ MORE….
After the passing of Frank “Rat” Ratliff, his wife Joyce Ratliff and daughter Zelena continued the legacy. They continued to accept and greet guests from all around the world. Guest at the hotel are considered family and the hotel a “home away from home”. The torch of this history is carried on by the granddaughters and daughters, Zelena Ratliff and Sonya Ratliff Gates, Zee is the living embodiment of Southern hospitality and knows the history of the place by heart. She is the heart and soul of the business, while Sonya works to secure funding and resources to preserve the honor and history of their family business.
The Riverside Hotel is the only blues hotel that is still Black-owned in Clarksdale. But the building, which has not been operational since storm damage in April 2020, needs significant rehabilitation. The family is determined to continue to honor the legacy of their family and restore and reopen its doors.
Joyce and Zee continued the legacy and graciously shared the history with guests from around the world.
Sonya Ratliff Gates commented, "Being recognized as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America in 2021 is just the beginning. The halls of the Riverside Hotel hold the African American story and this building must remain here to tell that story to future generations." We are determined to continue the legacy of our parents and keep the history alive.
MPB News Podcast Featuring the Riverside Hotel
Courtesy of Mississippi Public Broadcasting
The Ratliff family is looking for donors and partnerships to ensure that this invaluable history is here for generations to come! Please donate to support its’ preservation.