Photo Of The Week Blues On Grand

Probably one of the most important nights in Des Moines blues history was the reopening of Blues On Grand. The club had been known under many different names. Vicky's Poorhouse was one of the more notorious clubs located in that spot. Vicky was the type of bar owner who if you got out of jail you got a free drink:-) Jimmy Pryor, and Chicago Rick remembered playing at the club back in the bad old days when Vicky owned the club. next door to Vicky's was a county music bar, and another dive was across the street at 15th and Grand Ave. Not exactly an hot spot in Des Moines, but it was about an 1/2 mile south of the fabled Center Street. In the early 90s it became the Grand Ave Lounge, and was home to local blues. Thursday Nights became jam night, and usually brought in the biggest crowd of the week. Eventually Jerry Glenn, former president of the Central Iowa Blues Society bought the place and called it The Grand. Jerry bought in national and regional acts on the weekend, and the blues jam on Thursdays. He experimented with locals during the rest of the week, but crowds were small, except on Thurs-Sat. However, Jerry ran out of money and the club was forced to close. However, another former president of the Central Iowa Blues Society, Jeff "Dr. Doubt" Wagner took over, renamed it Blues On Grand, and the rest is history. I suppose the saying third time is a charm is probably right since Jeff has keep the place rocking ever since. Check out their webpage here.