EM123 LIFESTYLE [ SECTION E ] Sunday, April 25, 2010

ONLINE POLL You be the Judge, and tell us what they’re Worth Alright, alright, we hear you. We made some changes to our comics’ lineup a few weeks ago, and scores of you have responded that we should not have dropped the long-running comic “Judge Parker.” Did we misjudge the judge’s popularity ? Maybe. We’ll let you decide. Many of you told us that we dropped the wrong soap opera, or continuity, comic strip, meaning comics whose storylines carry over from day to day. “Mary Worth’s Family” would have been the better choice, fans of “Judge Parker” say. So, instead of inviting you, or the vener- able comic strip characters, downtown for a street fight, we’re going to put this to a vote. Go to blog.al.com/bn/comics and tell us who should stay in The Birmingham News comics lineup: “Judge Parker” or “Mary Worth’s Family.” You have until Sun- day, May 2, at 6 p.m. to vote. COMICS

NEWS STAFF/HAL YEAGER SMACKDOWN! Henry “Gip” Gipson, who got his first taste of the blues while growing up in Uniontown, has been playing guitar at his Bessemer juke joint since 1952. “Whether there is anybody there or not, he plugs into an amp, gets a microphone and sings for hours and hours,” blues musician Elliott New says. “He loves the music that much.”

Gip’s Place in Bessemer This joint is one of the last remaining JUDGE PARKER authentic VS. is jumpin’ juke joints MARY WORTH

By BOB CARLTON j News staff writer

n a Saturday night in Besse- Mike Hunley and his wife, Barbara, steel mills around Bessemer, asks for a mer, under a tin-roofed shed sit at a table near the front, sipping their show of hands. at the end of a concrete drive- BYOB whiskey and tequila and listening “How many of y’all this is your first way, two couples shake their to their son, Chris, pound the drums for time out here?” he says. moneymakers to the home- the Bluesmasters. A good third of the 30 or so early ar- grownO sounds of Curtis Files and the The Hunleys live in Helena, and rivals raise their hands, including J.T. Bluesmasters. although he has been here several times Jones, who is in town from Chicago Nobody seems to notice nor care that before, this is her second time at Gip’s. and, at the suggestion of his friend the two women on the dance floor are She could kick herself for not discover- James Whittsett of Midfield, came here white and the two men are black. ing the place earlier. to see what a real juke joint is all about. At Gip’s Place, it doesn’t matter. “The first time I ever came, I danced And Gip’s Place is as real as it gets “We don’t have colors,” Henry “Gip” with some woman I didn’t even know,” Go to these days — a true blues relic with Gipson, the congenial proprietor of this she says. “We just had a great time.” blog.al.com/bn/ off-the-beaten-path blues joint, says. On the stage, Files, a 77-year-old comics to cast “We have people.” blues guitarist who used to work in the See GIP’S Page 8E your vote.

‘Baby-Sitters Club’ returns for a new generation By MONICA HESSE The Washington Post Kristy may have had the “Great Idea,” but she was kind of bossy, right? And Stacey was all “sophisti- cated,” but sometimes her popularity was scary, like she was going to aban- don the club again for her cool friends in New York, which Mary Anne or Mallory never, ever would have done. We are speaking of “The Baby-Sit- ters Club,” the 132-book mondo se- ries chronicling the adventures of

See BOOKS Page 5E NEWS STAFF/JEFF ROBERTS In recent years, a new generation of blues fans has discovered Gip’s Place. On most Saturday nights, it’s shoulder-to-shoulder. “We’ve got musicians who will come and open for free just so they can say they’ve played here,” says Lenny Madden, who books the bands. Kathy Kemp Is on vacation.

11E High Museum car exhibit a gearhead’s dream By CHRIS TUTOR DETAILS News staff writer y What: “Allure of the Automobile” ATLANTA — In 1937 French car de- y signer Georges Paulin penned the Delage Where: High Museum of Art, 1280 D8-120S, a car with streamlined, teardrop Peachtree St. Northeast, Atlanta rear fenders that tapered to a stingray-like y When: Through June 20; museum is closed tail and a split rear window. Twenty years on Mondays. later that car’s memorable rear showed y Admission: $18 for adults, $15 for seniors up again on the 1959 Corvette Stingray SPECIAL and students, $11 for children ages 6-17 and Prototype. 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray prototype. free for 5 and under. Advance reservations The two one-of-a-kind cars both star in are recommended, and tickets are timed. “Allure of the Automobile,” an 18-car ex- Gable. His 1934 Packard Runabout automotive design history with pontoon Audio guide headsets are available for $5 hibit that runs through June 20 at Atlan- Speedster was a gift from his wife at a cost fenders and exposed headlights of Gable’s and provide a great deal of interesting ta’s High Museum of Art. of $7,700 — an enormous amount of American-made Duesenberg giving way information. Patrons begin their tour with a pair of money in the 1930s. canary-yellow cars once owned by Clark From there, visitors progress through See EXHIBIT Page 11E