Don McMinn fronted Rum Boogie Café’s first house band when it
opened in 1985, a time when Beale Street was undergoing major
redevelopment. “Within a year, it was the hottest spot around,” McMinn
says. He played Rum Boogie for nine years, at one point bringing his
sons, Rome and Doug, into the band. “I watched them turn into pretty
good musicians,” he says. “Papa” Don McMinn & Nightrain still
record and tour today, playing Memphis music, a mix of Stax-era R&B
and Delta boogie blues. He’s named the “Pale Prince of Beale” on his
honorary brass note on Beale’s Walk of Fame.
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