Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2020.

Big Ella, Club Paradise, Memphis, Tennessee

Artist Ernest C. Withers (American, 1922-2007)

CultureAmerican

Date1960s, printed ca. 2000

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 18 3/4 × 14 13/16 in. (47.6 × 37.6 cm)
Overall: 20 × 15 15/16 in. (50.8 × 40.5 cm)
Overall, Mat: 26 1/16 × 22 in. (66.2 × 55.9 cm)

Credit LineGifts of Ernest C. Withers and Panopticon Gallery

Object number2000.1.6

Not on view

DescriptionBig Ella, the Memphis Blues Queen, sings on stage with a full band behind her.

Label TextErnest C. Withers American, 1922−2007 Big Ella, Club Paradise, Memphis, Tennessee, 1960s Gelatin silver print (photograph), printed ca. 2000 African American photojournalist Ernest Withers often brought his camera to events at Club Paradise in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. This club was one of the largest in the South where blacks were allowed to perform, including blues singer Ervaella “Big Ella” Tate (here) and Tina Turner (right). By day the Paradise Club hosted community events, including meetings attended by Civil Rights Movement organizers like Coretta Scott King and Fannie Lou Hamer (pictured to the left). Gift of Ernest C. Withers and Panopticon Gallery 2000.1.6 Exhibition History"Pictures Tell the Story," Chrysler Museum of Art, Jan. 28 - May 7, 2000. "Women and the Civil Rights Movement," Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 14 - October 30, 2016. "Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 11, 2020 - January 3, 2021.Published ReferencesErnest C. Withers, with contributions by F. Jack Hurley, Brooks Johnson, and Daniel J. Wolff. PICTURES TELL THE STORY: ERNEST C. WITHERS, REFLECTIONS IN HISTORY. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum of Art. 2000: p. 159.