Tuxedo Junction

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Tuxedo Junction, located in Ensley at the crossing of the Wylam and Pratt City streetcar lines, and also at Ensley Avenue and 20th Street, was a social hub for Birmingham's black community in the 1920s and 30s.

The area, known for its juke joints, dance halls and jam sessions, was immortalized by Alabama jazz great Erskine Hawkins in his classic song, "Tuxedo Junction," recorded by many other artists, from Glenn Miller to the Manhattan Transfer:

Way down south in Birmingham

I mean south in Alabam'

There's a place where people go

To dance the night away.

The annual Function in the Junction festival celebrates the musical and social heritage of the legendary intersection.

References

• Rohar, Donald E. (Spring 2005) "Tuxedo Junction: 'Where the Town Folks Meet'." Alabama Heritage.