Chitlin’ Circuit Venues: Beyoncé Reference Sparks History Lesson

Even as the T.O.B.A. circuit disbanded, many theaters, including the Douglass Theatre in Macon, Georgia, continued to host African American musicians through the 1960s. Pierce says these Southern venues shaped the doo-wop legacy of the ’50s and ’60s.

“It’s definitely a beacon for driving culture forward, and it’s a place and a venue where ideas are birthed, cultivated and shared,” says Shelton Land, executive director of the Douglass Theatre. “The Douglass played an integral part in that because it was a brick-and-mortar platform for someone to catapult themselves.”

Many of the former Dudley and T.O.B.A. theaters we call the chitlin’ circuit today, such as the Bijou Theater in Nashville, Tennessee, and San Antonio’s the Keyhole Club have been closed for decades. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 destroyed many Black business districts, such as Chattanooga, Tennessee’s the Big 9 district, where these venues were located. A handful of chitlin’ circuit venues remain open and even host live music and events now. As AARP’s music and memory series shows, music plays an important part in brain health. According to a report from the AARP-founded Global Council on Brain Health, music stimulates many areas of the brain, including those responsible for memory, movement and mood. Here are five historic chitlin’ circuit venues where travelers can visit, and, in some instances, catch a live musical performance.

Douglass Theatre in Macon, Georgia, still hosts musical performances, as well as private events.

Courtesy Douglass Theatre

Douglass Theatre, Macon, Georgia

Charles Douglass, the son of a former slave, opened the Douglass Theatre in 1921. Douglass sat on the board of T.O.B.A., and through the circuit, he brought Black performers to his Macon theater. In 1958, the Douglass Theatre began having live talent shows that helped launch the career of singer-songwriter Otis Redding. It also hosted Georgia music icons James Brown and Little Richard in the early 1960s. The theater still hosts musical performances today, as well as private events. Small groups are encouraged to stop by for a tour of the building. Staff ask that groups of more than 10 call in advance to arrange tours. 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Sherman Dudley, who created the Dudley circuit, managed Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater in Washington, D.C. It is now Ben’s Chili Bowl.

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Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater (now Ben’s Chili Bowl) and the Lincoln Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater opened in 1910 at 1213 U St. NW, a business district that would be nicknamed Black Broadway for its many entertainment businesses catering to Black patrons. Three years after it opened, Sherman Dudley, who created the Dudley circuit, bought and managed the theater. In 1958, the building was converted into the popular D.C. restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl, and it is one of the oldest continuously open businesses on U Street’s old Black Broadway. Visitors may not be able to see the original seats and stage of the old theater, but they can get a feel for the early days of African American theater next door, at the Lincoln Theatre.

The Lincoln Theatre opened in 1922 and was lauded in a local newspaper as the nicest theater for Black patrons in the country. Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne all performed at Lincoln Theatre, along with many other prominent African American musicians. In 1983, the theater closed and remained dark for 10 years, but local efforts to restore the building allowed it to reopen in 1994. Now the venue hosts contemporary artists and has taped specials with legendary artists such as Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson. Tickets for events are required to enter the building, which has been renovated to restore its neoclassical architectural details. 1213 and 1215 U St. NW