Bradfordville Blues Club: The Best Juke Joint for Blues Fans

It’s one of those hidden blues bars USA music fans are so proud of, providing proof that some of the best blues takes place away from the bright lights and the big cities. We’re talking about a piece of living, breathing history, a monument to the blues and the stomping grounds of some of the best blues musicians who ever lived.

Where the Bradfordville Blues Club Story Begins

From Free Slaves to Live Music

You can’t talk about the history of the BBC without talking about the history of blues music. That takes us all the way back to the Civil War and the emancipation of slavery, which allowed freed slaves to gather and celebrate their culture by making music.

The blues heritage USA is known for is a story of African American music history, with blues music and eventually rock ‘n’ roll both growing out of black culture. By the turn of the 20th century, many of the sites that would end up on the Mississippi Blues Trail had already earned their place in history.

One of these was the Red Bird Café, another important piece of juke joint history and one which established Bradfordville as a vital hub for the blues. In 1964, local resident Allen Henry Jr. built the concrete-block building that went on to become the Bradfordville Blues Club and which is still standing there today.

Dave’s C.C. Club (1992 to 2002)

In 1992, David & Elizabeth Claytor brought Bradfordville into the new millennium by transforming the roadside pit stop into a piece of Tallahassee music history. When they took over Bradfordville, they created a blues club Tallahassee museum hybrid, dedicating themselves to preserving the legacy of the blues.

As part of their commitment to celebrating the live blues Tallahassee was known for, they introduced authentic Southern food and changed the name to Dave’s C.C. Club, which was a nod to the all-black C.C. Saints baseball team that had practiced on the field right outside.

Before long, the Florida blues scene was thriving more than ever, with performers like Bobby Rush, Hubert Sumlin, Lazy Lester and David “Honeyboy” Edwards performing at C.C.’s. The combination of Southern hospitality, good food and great music quickly led to word of mouth bringing people from all over the country to Tallahassee. 

Gary and Kim Anton Takeover

How the Club was Reborn

After the Claytors moved on, Gary Anton stepped in to take over from the juke joint owners and to put his own spin on the blues. To begin with, no one was quite sure what to expect, but he quickly showed that he was as dedicated as anyone else when it comes to blues music preservation. For example, many of the tables were decorated with autographed photos of the iconic musicians who’d performed there.

As part of his commitment to the blues, the Gary Anton blues club had a strict policy that many might consider unorthodox. Anton vowed that there would never be a television inside the Bradfordville Blues Club, because that might distract people and take their focus away from the music. 

If people wanted to watch the game, there were plenty of bars that would show it. If they wanted to listen to the blues, the BBC was the only choice.

The (Literal) Fight for Survival

Unfortunately for Gary, it wasn’t all plain sailing from there. However, he wasn’t facing the same live music venues struggle that his competitors were dealing with. Instead, the biggest challenge was in his personal life, with the owner undergoing a liver transplant and losing $11,000 at a time when every cent counted. Blues club survival was on the line.

Other small club problems to consider included the fact that the local population was shifting, and so were their preferences when it came to where they spent their money. During football season, the local crowd tended to stay at home instead of heading out to an independent music venue. Meanwhile, nearby cities were hosting free concerts that seemed a lot more appealing during a cost-of-living crisis.

Eventually, these pressures would lead the club to close for good, although former boss David Claytor brought it back for one night only in January 2026 for the MLK Jr. Blues Festival.

Top Acts to Play the Club

The Biggest Icons to Perform There

Throughout the years, some of the best blues performers in the state have stopped by the Bradfordville Blues Club, including:

• Bobby Rush Blues: A frequent visitor during the 2000s and 2010s
• Bobby "Blue” Bland: Iconic singer of Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City

• Johnny Winter: Rocked the slide guitar on a number of occasions

• Son Seals: Played at the venue in its early history

• Duke Robillard: Brought his band to Tallahassee 

We’re talking about the kinds of blues artists USA fans recognise as being at the forefront of the genre. They’ve returned the favour to the club too by helping to put it on the map, quite literally. Nodding towards how difficult it could be to find, Bobby Rush said, “You know you’re going to have some fun when you can’t find the place.” Ray Scanlon echoed that by saying, “If [somebody goes to the trouble to find it], you know that they know good music when they hear it.”

What the Club Was Like

The Road to the Club

One of the interesting things about the most unique music venue the USA had to offer—at least when it comes to blues music—was the fact that the experience began before you ever arrived there.

That’s because the Bradfordville Blues Club location felt like an open secret, with those who were in the know heading off the beaten path Florida tourists would usually haunt and into the middle of nowhere. On the approach to it, music fans found themselves driving past tiki torches on dirt roads or passing cornfields and moss-draped oaks.

It felt like taking a step back in time to a hidden haunt from an earlier era, a phenomenon that only got more pronounced once you walked through the doors. The atmosphere built up along the journey so that by the time you arrived at the BBC, you were ready for what was to come. 

Inside Bradfordville Blues Club

Now that we’ve arrived, let’s take a look inside to see why the juke joint experience at Bradfordville was so memorable and so popular.

Throughout the years, the various owners got to grips with the psychology of music fans and put what they learned into practice. In the same way that online casinos are carefully designed to create an enjoyable player experience, the BBC’s owners used thoughtful touches to make the live blues bar feel more like home. 

For example, their signature dish of Miss Ernestine catfish felt more like a hearty, home-cooked meal than something you’d normally eat at a bar. Meanwhile, bonfires outside beneath the oaks and the friendly vibes from employees and patrons alike created a culture of camaraderie, which is why there were no fights for over 20 years of operation.

The Club’s Awards and Cultural Significance

Of course, you shouldn’t just take our word for it. Bradfordville Blues Club was an award-winning music venue thanks to the recognition that it received from all sorts of prestigious publications. 

For example, back in 2012, it was named a Top International Venue by Downbeat Magazine blues reviewers, who listed it alongside some of the most well-respected venues in the country. It’s also been included on the Mississippi Blues Trail in recognition of its importance to the blues scene, both locally and throughout the world.

The inside of the BBC was almost a museum, with more than 50 autographed portraits throughout the venue. It’s also mentioned countless times in the Blues Archive Florida database, an important historical record of the trailblazers who made the blues genre what it is today. 

How to Get to Bradfordville Blues Club

As a reminder before we get too far in here, just remember that Bradfordville Blues tickets are a thing of the past because the club is no longer open to the public. At the time of writing, there are no plans for the club to reopen, although that might change if the demand is there.

In its prime, the Bradfordville Blues Club address was: 7152 Moses Lane, Tallahassee, FL 32309, and it could be found just off Exit 203 of the I-10. That meant that it was easy enough to get to, despite the fact that it was a rural venue.

Its reputation for Tallahassee live music mostly came from its Friday and Saturday night shows, with entry usually costing between $15 and $20. For those who couldn’t attend shows in person, watching the live streams on social networking sites like Facebook was the next best thing, with the recordings now acting as the best thing you can hope to get. 

The Moral of the Story

There are many things that we can learn from the Bradfordville Blues Club, but perhaps the most important thing of all is how important it is to support live music. Even at the height of its fame, the BBC often struggled to make enough money to keep its doors open.

It’s a shame, because the blues music experience on offer was unparalleled and it was a living museum of American soul. History wasn’t just made there once; it happened every weekend. When talking about why people should visit blues club venues (and Bradfordville in particular), the iconic Ray Scanlan pointed to the unique vibe by saying, “There is no way you can have a bad gig in here, it’s just one of those places.”

The tiki torches are no longer lit along that dirt road and the concrete building doesn’t echo with the sound of the blues, but the BBC has a huge legacy that deserves to be remembered. And you can do your part to keep the blues alive, too: support independent venues before it’s too late.