Iconic Delta juke joint owner 'Po' Monkey' has died

Katie Eubanks, The Clarion-Ledger

Willie Seaberry, owner of Po' Monkey's juke joint in Bolivar County, has died.

Bolivar County deputy coroners Ted Ray and Murry Roark found Seaberry Thursday night in his back bedroom at the lounge, where it appears he had a heart attack earlier this week, Roark said.

"He was supposed to open up last night. People were concerned and went there and opened the door and found him in the bed. He'd been there since Tuesday. Apparently sometime during the day Tuesday, he went back in his bedroom and went to sleep and didn't wake back up."

Po' Monkey's is located just west of the town of Merigold. The lounge got its name from Seaberry's nickname, which is Po' Monkey.

The Po' Monkey's page on the Mississippi Blues Trail website said the following about the historic rural venue: "(Po' Monkey's) played an integral role in the development of the blues, offering a distinctly secular space for people to socialize, dance, and forget their everyday troubles. While many such jukes once dotted the cotton fields of the Delta countryside, Po’ Monkey’s was one of the relatively few to survive into the 21st century. Initially frequented by locals, Po’ Monkey’s became a destination point for blues tourists from around the world during the 1990s."