Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, US that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall, and businessman Eric Meier. Attorney Bill Luckett was also co-owner until his death in 2021.[1] It got its name from Clarksdale being historically referred to as "Ground Zero" for the blues. It opened in May 2001[2] and is located near the Delta Blues Museum. In the style of juke joints, it is in a repurposed, un-remodeled building, vacant for 30 years, that had housed the wholesale Delta Grocery and Cotton Co.[3] Mismatched chairs, Christmas-tree lights, and graffiti greet one everywhere. Blues fans in Clarksdale welcomed it as a place where local musicians have a chance to work regularly.[4]
The menu consists of traditional Southern foods, and the restaurant has live blues music playing Wednesday through Saturday. Super Chikan is a performer. In addition to the food and music, there are seven upstairs apartments that can be rented.
Ground Zero has appeared in many television shows and publications, including: