The Northside Tavern abides.
In Atlanta where development is king and history gets bulldozed, the Northside Tavern is the little gritty blues dive that stays put.
In 1972 the Webb family came into possession of a little neighborhood bar in the westside of Atlanta where steel mill workers and adventurous Georgia Tech students could hang out, shoot pool, plug quarters into the juke box, and find a jar of pickled pig knuckles at the bar.
In 1993, Ellyn Webb took over running the Northside Tavern after her father’s death. According to legend, she debated to either sell it, or turn it into a blues club or strip joint.
With the help of the Atlanta blues community, she chose the crossroads.
Blues, funk, southern rock.
Older Black musicians who had connections to Atlanta’s founding fathers of the blues shared the stage with white musicians, both established and up-and-coming.
Frank Edwards. Beverly Watkins. Eddie Tigner. Albert White. Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck. Donnie McCormick. Sean Costello. Carlos Capote. Oliver Wood. Coy Bowles. Stoney Brooks. Bill Sheffield. Lil Joe Burton. Lola Gulley. David Fisch. Many many others.
The place became a haven for music lovers who didn’t mind — maybe even relished — the crowded sweaty dance floor a few feet away from the stage, the grit, grime and smoke, the bartenders with attitude, the pool players, the well-heeled Buckheaders who wandered into the scrum around midnight.
For 25 years, until her death in 2017, Ellyn was The Blues Matriarch of Atlanta. She nurtured young musicians and looked after the older crowd. She created a space where everyone felt safe.
When commercial real estate developers came roaring down the block of the old industrial neighborhood, cranes looming overhead, turning everything into high-rise glass and steel, she held out.
The Northside Tavern abides.
Northside fans since the late 1990s, we (HJacobsCreative team with consulting producer Terri Capote) look forward to telling Ellyn’s story in our upcoming documentary by talking to the people who knew her best and the musicians who loved her.
Your contributions will help this self-funded project with production and post-production expenses, and help pay musicians for song licensing.
We've conducted over 30 interviews so far. Looking at another 20 or so in the weeks and months ahead.
After post-production in the spring/summer, we plan to have a private premiere for film supporters and musicians in fall 2022.
SUPPORT LEVELS
$25-$100 - Your support is like a good Saturday night at the Northside with drinks and tips. We're happy to recognize your support in the credits.
$100-$500 - Thanks for investing more in the legacy of Ellyn Webb, the Northside, and all the musicians who took the stage. Your contribution allows us to take the film to the next level. We're happy to recognize your support in the credits with Special Thanks.
$1,000 - You have the means to help the film reach an even higher level of production quality, especially in terms of licensing songs from musicians and their families. We're happy to recognize you as an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (up to 3) in the credits.
$5,000 - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (1). In addition to viewing rough cuts and providing feedback at various stages during the production and screening process, we can talk about other ways you'd like to contribute to the film's success.
Hal Jacobs (www.hjacobscreative.com) produces films and short videos that focus on the arts, environment and social justice. His latest film, "Common Good Atlanta: Breaking the Walls of Mass Incarceration," premieres in January 2022. His 2020 film on writer/activist Lillian Smith won “Best Full-Length Documentary” at the 2020 Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival, among other awards. Check out his IMDb page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8740376/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
