Arcola Cafe

When Birney Imes began working on his juke joint series in 1983, the black honky- tonks that nourished the Mississippi Delta’s rich blues tradition were being replaced by discos. “What attracted me,” Imes says, “was the creativity that went into that special atmosphere. The older places have a timeless quality.” But the roadhouses that once hosted legends Son Thomas and Fred McDowell are going fast: The Arcola Cafe has since burned down. “Juke Joint Photographs” will show at the Benteler-Morgan Galleries in Houston from July 11 through August 15.