More Southern Souls
You always come back home
“I grew up by the bridge. My dad worked for the railroad. They took the wheels off cabooses, placed them on cement and...
I sang at most of the clubs on The Avenue
"I grew up in the Bottom when Davis Avenue was flourishing with shops. Ella's Barbeque, Best Grill, Babe's Hotdogs...
My mother taught me to keep my head up
"I grew up in Orange Grove, one of the first housing projects in the country. Teachers, nurses, lawyers, and doctors...
Five years of Our Southern Souls
Our Southern Souls started five years ago. The 1,645 interviews have broken down my walls and changed how I see...
On Davis Avenue we could be ourselves
"Things were booming on Davis Avenue. Clothing stores, blue singers, and three movie theaters. There were restaurants,...
I never dreamed that when I rolled him into ER that would be my last time to see him. He didn’t come back to me.
"Onesimus and I rode the same bus and smiled at each other in high school. He played football at Southern Miss. We...
I wanted another generation to understand what Davis Avenue used to be
"I made a two on the ACT. I wanted to be a registered nurse, but I didn't know what I had to make on the test. I...
My brother and I played a duet for Fats Domino
"My grandmother couldn’t read or write when she moved from Wilcox County to Mobile, but she made a living with rental...
I sang five nights a week on The Avenue
"I sang blues and rock ‘n’ roll in some of the clubs on The Avenue. I got my start at the King Club talent shows in...
I want kids to see what they can be when they look at this mural
"My father-in-law bought this building in an auction from UAB. It was a good part of his liquidation business, but it...
I am the only original barber left on The Avenue
"My family was from Rembert’s Hill, close to Union Town. My grandfather farmed cotton and left us 57 acres when he...
We lost the backbone of our family
“My father-in-law Bill Buck passed away in October from COVID. He was 70 years old. He was a great man who taught me a...