Photo by Kevin Walker
Thea Chaplin
stands in front
of his club,
Thea's Rhythm
and Blues. The
club is located
in an increas
ingly popular
section of Lib
erty Street.
Thea's is city's blues headquarters
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
IHE CHRONIC! I
The long hallway that leads to the heart of
Thea's Rhythm and Blues sets the mood for the
live music that the club offers most nights. The
hallway is plastered with framed pictures of
those who made the type of music that Thea's
specializes in great. The eyes of Ella Fitzgerald,
Robert Johnson and Johnny Taylor stare down at
visitors as they make their way into the club,
which has all the tell-tale signs of a traditional
blues club, from dimmed lights to an unassum
ing decor.
"Blues and jazz is the heart and soul of the
music world," Thea Chaplin said. "This is some
thing 1 am trying to keep alive."
Chaplin is quickly approaching his four-year
anniversary as owner of the club. The Asheville
native had owned other clubs in other towns
when he decided to try his luck by opening
Thea's. At the time, he was an innovator: down
town clubs barely existed and none offered live
entertainment other Thea's.
"Most people's lifestyle right now is putting
on a CD and hitting a button and playing music.
Live entertainment is where all the music origi
nated from," Chaplin said.
Musicians from far and nOar have jammed on
the Thea's stage. The club's schedule effortlessly
blends a Variety of R&B genres and a diverse
group of acts that have included local performers
and blues legends such as Shirley King (BB's
daughter) and Clarence Gatemouth Brown.
Thea's even has a popular spoken-word poetry
event,
But even though Thea's is the only place in
the city where the blues still lives, Chaplin is the
first to admit that business has not been through
the roof. He used to open every night but has
Location: 521 N. Liberty Street
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 8 p.m.
to 2 a.m.
Cover: There is a cover charge
(must be 21 years or older; must be 18 or
older on spoken-word nights)
Phone number: 722-4195
o
reduced his schedule to Wednesday through Sat
urday. Chaplin partly blames the club's location.
Thea's is located along d section of Liberty
Street that is still trying to find its character, and
unlike Fourth Street, millions of dollars of city
money is not being invested to help the area cre
ate a niche. But the area is starting to take shape.
A new bicycle shop, which hawks high-end
bikes, has opened aTew buildings down from the
club and soon several swanky, and pricey, lofts
will open above the bike shop.
Chaplin's love of music sustains him during
times when business is light. He wants people to
once again take hold of the blues and protect it
like the jewel that it is, because, as Chaplin said,
"it is dying."
"Keeping live entertainment alive should ...
make people (want to) come out," he said. "If
you love music, if you love a good clean whole
some atmosphere, then this is the place."
Life of Paul Robeson comes to the stage
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Junious Leak brings Paul Robeson to life
in "A Prisoner of Passion: The Paul Robeson
Story."
Written by Phillip Hayes Dean and
direeted by and starring Leak, this musical
biography pays tribute to the famous athlete,
singer actor and civil rights activist who was
a staunch supporter of racial equality.
This son of a former slave, who earned an
undergraduate degree from Rutgers Univer
sity and a law degree from Columbia Uni
versity, became known the world over for his
work on the professional theater circuit. His
performances in "Othello," "Emperqr Jones"
and "All God's ChUlun Got Wings'" gUfncfed
i- tit*.
praise I I
around the
country I
and over- I
Robe- I
son pub- I
his
autobiog
r a p h y ,
"Here I Stand," during the eight years it took
him to resecure his passport, which was
revoked by the United States.
"A Prisoner of Passion" is among the
NBTF Fringe performances, which highlight
the most professional productions from the
academic arena ?
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