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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