The convergence of music and gaming is becoming more evident in today’s world, with artists like Post Malone partnering with gaming brands such as Hardrock Bet, highlighting a modern collaboration between two seemingly different industries. But for me, the intersection of music and gambling is far more than a marketing partnership—it’s part of my heritage, deeply rooted in my personal story, and shaped by the Mississippi Delta Blues culture.
My love and knowledge of gambling began in the Mississippi Delta, a place known for its rich history of blues, juke joints, and promises of better days ahead. The Harlem Inn, my grandfather Hezekiah Patton Sr.’s creation, was at the heart of this scene. Opened in 1939 and known as “The Showplace of the South,” it wasn’t just a venue for legendary performances by artists like Ike and Tina Turner, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters—it was a cultural cornerstone that gave hope, life, and music to the town of Winstonville (Chambers & Wyandotte).
But there was more to the Harlem Inn than music. It was where my grandfather taught the late Blues Legend Bobby “Blue” Bland how to shoot dice and laid a generational relationship with 3X Grammy Blues Legend Bobby Rush along with being a platform to anchor his career. In the back room of the Harlem Inn, my grandfather ran one of the biggest underground gambling games in the region—cards and dice games that became legendary in their own right. This wasn’t just a game; it was a way of life, a tradition that continued through my family excluding my aunts, Vivian Patton-Taylor and Ruth Ann Patton-Turner.
My grandfather ran the games from 1939 to his untimely passing in 1968, then my grandmother, Ruby Stein Perry-Patton, passed the keys to my uncles Charles and Robert Patton, and later to my uncle Will Patton and my father, Hezekiah Patton Jr., who ran the games until the club was tragically burned down on the eve of its 50th anniversary (Concert Headliner EU “Da Butt” #1 Billboard R&B Single) by arson from competing establishments in Clarksdale—the same town where Robert Johnson famously made his deal with the Devil at “The Crossroads” to become the greatest guitar player.
I remember how these influences shaped my childhood. One summer, while pitching pennies under the shed in the baseball park in Mound Bayou, I got caught by Officer Nathaniel “Duty” Jones and was taken to my mom’s (Brenda Bell-Brook’s) office with a pocket full of pennies. That moment, like so many others, was a reflection of the larger connection between music and gambling that was part of my family and my community.
This heritage, the blues, and the underground games, were about more than just entertainment. They were about culture, the bonds formed between people, and the moments that mattered. Whether it was a dice game in the back room of The Harlem Inn or a musician testing new songs in front of an honest crowd, these were shared experiences that brought people together.
In today’s world, the partnership between music and gaming may look different, with big names and corporate deals, but at its core, it’s still about the same thing: culture. It’s about the people you’re with, the things you love, and the moments you share. From the Mississippi Delta to the modern gaming stage, music and gaming go hand in hand because both are about creating memories that echo far beyond the moment.
