What Ground Zero Blues Club does

Ground Zero Blues Club is a privately held live music venue, restaurant, and lodging operation located at 0 Blues Alley in Clarksdale, Mississippi, founded in May 2001 by actor Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, and Howard Stovall. The club is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, Howard Stovall, and Eric Meier (who joined the ownership group in 2018 following the 2021 death of co-founder Bill Luckett). Its core offering is live blues music performed four nights per week (Wednesday through Saturday), with cover charges of $10 on Wednesday/Thursday and $15 on Friday/Saturday, complemented by a Mississippi Delta-inspired food menu (entrees $12–$17), a custom-designed merchandise line sold on-site and online, and overnight accommodations through the adjacent Ground Zero Lofts booked via Cloudbeds. The club hosts a weekly Thursday Jam Night open mic and markets through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X, supplemented by earned media coverage in Rolling Stone, CBS's 60 Minutes, Southern Living, and an NBC Today Show interview with Morgan Freeman.

The business operates without proprietary technology infrastructure; the venue relies on standard third-party platforms (Wix for the website, Cloudbeds for lodging reservations) and no disclosed AI, data, or software systems. There are no patents, trademarks, certifications, or regulatory actions disclosed in the source data, and the company maintains no institutional investors or parent entity. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

The revenue model combines four streams: per-head cover charges for live music, in-venue food and beverage sales, branded merchandise sales through an on-site and online shop, and lodging revenue through Ground Zero Lofts. Customer segments are distributed across blues music enthusiasts, Mississippi Delta tourists, and the local Clarksdale community, with no named enterprise accounts and pricing set at per-transaction unit pricing. Distribution is direct: walk-in consumers at the venue plus online merchandise shipping. The most material recent strategic move is the 2026 launch of Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience, an immersive touring concert production released as an album through Decca Records, which extends the Ground Zero brand beyond its single physical venue into national touring and recorded-music distribution.

Name

Ground Zero Blues Club

Legal name

Ground Zero Blues Club

Website

https://groundzerobluesclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ground Zero Blues Club is a privately held live blues music venue, restaurant, and lodging operation in Clarksdale, Mississippi, co-owned by Morgan Freeman, offering four nights per week of live performances, Delta-inspired cuisine, merchandise, and on-site accommodations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD), Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Blues music performances
• Restaurant dining
• Merchandise apparel
• Lodging accommodations

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarksdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Live Music Cover Charges: Entry fees collected at the door for live music performances. Cover charges vary by night: $10 for Wednesday and Thursday, $15 for Friday and Saturday. This is the primary revenue driver for entertainment.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: Restaurant and bar sales including Mississippi Delta-inspired cuisine. Kitchen serves Wednesday through Thursday 5PM-9PM, Friday and Saturday 11AM-10PM. Menu features items like pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, catfish plates, and regional specialties.
3. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, prints, and tumblers sold through the on-site shop and online. All merchandise designed in-house by managers and inspired by the club's culture.
4. Accommodations: Ground Zero Lofts provides overnight stays on Blues Alley for visitors. Rooms can be reserved through their booking platform for blues tourists seeking to stay in Clarksdale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ground Zero Blues Club operates a live music venue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, offering live blues performances four nights per week (Wednesday through Saturday), a full-service restaurant featuring Mississippi Delta-inspired cuisine, branded merchandise (t-shirts, hats, tumblers, prints, sweatshirts), and on-site overnight lodging through Ground Zero Lofts. The venue also runs a weekly Thursday Night Jam Night for open-mic musicians and is associated with the touring Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience concert production.

Product overview

Ground Zero Blues Club is a live music venue and entertainment destination in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The core offering is live blues music four nights per week (Wednesday-Saturday) featuring rotating local and touring artists, complemented by food service featuring Mississippi Delta cuisine and branded merchandise. The venue also offers on-site accommodations through Ground Zero Lofts, and hosts weekly Thursday Night Jam Nights for open mic participation. The company is associated with Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience, an immersive touring concert production that blends blues with symphony orchestras.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ground Zero Blues Club Live Music Venue Live blues music venue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, offering performances four nights per week (Wednesday through Saturday) by local and touring blues artists. Family-friendly establishment located in the Mississippi Delta in a repurposed historic building.
• Live Music Events

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Decca RecordsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Decca Records is releasing 'Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience,' an album inspired by Ground Zero Blues Club. The album features collaborations with Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Shemekia Copeland, the Chineke! Orchestra, and Stax Music Academy Choir.
• Eric MeiercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Eric Meier joined as a co-owner in 2018 after meeting the original trio during his 'induction to Delta Blues' in 2017. His love for the blues led him to join the ownership family alongside Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, and Howard Stovall.
• Morgan FreemancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2001Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman is one of the founding co-owners of Ground Zero Blues Club, established in May 2001. Freeman's involvement has been instrumental in establishing the club's brand identity and attracting national attention. He remains an active partner, visiting the club when his schedule allows. Freeman has also launched the 'Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience' project inspired by the club.
• Bill LuckettcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2001Bill Luckett was a founding co-owner of Ground Zero Blues Club alongside Morgan Freeman and Howard Stovall. Bill Luckett passed away on October 28, 2021, leaving behind a legacy as an integral part of the club's founding team.
• Howard StovallcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2001Howard Stovall is a founding co-owner of Ground Zero Blues Club. Stovall focused on building blues tourism and creating a new branch of music tourism in the Delta region. His vision was to create a brand that didn't re-slice the pie but created an entirely new branch of music tourism.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Blue Angel: Small live blues venue and dive bar on Beale Street in Memphis offering nightly blues performances. Comparable in size and authentic-blues-venue positioning, though without the lodging and broader entertainment offering of Ground Zero.
• BB King's Blues Club: Memphis-based live blues music venue and restaurant on Beale Street featuring nightly blues performances, Southern cuisine, and a celebrity-branded identity. Closely comparable in offering (live blues + food) and target market (blues tourists), with an analogous celebrity-foundation brand story.
• Red's Lounge: Long-standing juke joint and live blues venue also located in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Operates as a small, authentic Delta blues bar with nightly live music—the most direct same-city, same-niche competitor to Ground Zero Blues Club.
• Buddy Guy's Legends: Chicago blues club and restaurant owned by blues legend Buddy Guy, offering live blues nightly plus food and bar service. Directly comparable as a celebrity-blues-musician-owned venue with a similar cover-charge-plus-F&B revenue model.
• Blues Hall (Clarksdale): Clarksdale-based live blues venue featuring rotating blues acts, fried chicken and Southern sides, and a community gathering space. Same city and same direct niche, competing for both blues tourists and local patrons.
• Rum Boogie Cafe: Live blues venue and restaurant on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, with nightly performances, Cajun-influenced food menu, and a similar tourism-driven GTM. Comparable as a Mid-South blues venue pairing live music with full food service.
• Kingston Mines: Chicago's oldest and largest live blues club with two stages, nightly blues performances, Southern food, and full bar. Highly comparable as a dedicated blues venue pairing live music with food & beverage for an enthusiast audience.

Broad incumbents

• Hard Rock Cafe: Global chain of music-themed restaurants with on-site memorabilia, live music programming, and merchandise stores. Comparable at the broad concept level (music + food + merchandise as a tourist experience) but vastly larger scale, diversified brands, and a different genre focus.

Peers

• House of Blues:

Others

• Ground Zero Blues Club Lodging (peer reference): Listed for completeness: the on-site lofts at GZBC connect the venue to accommodation-grade lodging. Comparable adjacent lodging concepts in the Clarksdale blues-tourism market include the Shack Up Inn and the Riverside Hotel—Mississippi Delta properties that bundle lodging with blues heritage tourism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GZBCClarksdale
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@groundzerobluesclub3162
• Facebookfacebook.com/GroundZeroBluesClub
• Instagraminstagram.com/gzbluesclub
• TikToktiktok.com/@groundzerobluesclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ground-zero-blues-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ground Zero Blues Club