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Chitlin' Circuit


The "Chitlin Circuit" is the collective name given to performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper midwest areas of the United States that were safe and acceptable for African American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform in during the era of racial segregation in the United States (from at least the early 19th century through the 1960s).

In the 21st century, the term is applied to the venues, especially in the South, where contemporary African-American blues singers such as Bobby Rush, Denise LaSalle, and O.B. Buchana continue to appear regularly. The name derives from the soul food item chitterlings (stewed pig intestines); it is also a play on the term "Borscht Belt", which referred to particular resort venues (primarily in New York State's Catskill Mountains) that were popular with Jewish performers and audiences during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Noted theaters and night clubs on the Chitlin' Circuit included the Royal Peacock in Atlanta; the Carver Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama; the Cotton Club, Smalls Paradise and the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City; Robert's Show Lounge, Club DeLisa and the Regal Theatre in Chicago; the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.; the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia; the Royal Theatre in Baltimore; the Fox Theatre in Detroit; the Victory Grill in Austin, Texas; the Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond, Virginia; the Ritz Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida; Club Eaton in historic Eatonville, Florida; Abe's 506 Club in Pensacola, Florida's Historic Belmont-DeVilliers Neighborhood, the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Red Bird Cafe in Frenchtown, Tallahassee, Florida, Club Cherry in Lebanon, Kentucky, The Madam C. J. Walker Theatre on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis. Smaller venues included Carr's and Sparrow's Beach in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and Rosedale Beach in Millsboro, Delaware.


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