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The Rhythm Night Club fire took place in Natchez, Mississippi, United States on April 23, 1940 and killed 209 African-American party goers, while severely injuring many others. Natchez is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated city within Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The nightclub, which was once a church and converted blacksmith shop, was located in a one-story frame building on 1 St. A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i Catherine Street, just blocks from the city's business district. A central business district ( CBD) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city It remains the second deadliest fire at a night club in the United States.

The 11:30 p. m. inferno began as members of the local Moneywasters Social Club were enjoying the song "Clarinet Lullaby" performed by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians orchestra from Chicago. Walter Barnes (July 8 1905 Vicksburg Mississippi - April 23 1940 Natchez Mississippi) was an American Jazz clarinetist saxophonist and bandleader Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Starting in front of the main entrance door of the building, the fire quickly engulfed the structure in flames due to the decorative Spanish moss that was draped over the rafters. Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides) closely resembles its namesake ( Usnea, or beard lichen Due to the dry conditions, flammable methane gas was generated from the moss, resulting in the torching of the structure within an hour. Methane is a Chemical compound with the molecular formula. It is the simplest Alkane, and the principal component of Natural gas.

With windows boarded up to prevent outsiders from viewing or listening to the music, more than 300 people struggled to leave after the blaze began. A handful of people left by the door or through the ticket booth, while the remainder of individuals attempted to leave through the back door.

Blinding smoke made movement difficult, with many of the dead either perishing by smoke inhalation or by being crushed by the furious stampede of people trying to escape. Bandleader Barnes and nine members of his band were among the victims, with one of the group's three survivors, drummer Walter Brown, vowing never to play again. At the time of his death, Barnes was considered a strong contemporary of both Duke Ellington and Woody Herman. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. Woodrow Charles Herman ( May 16 1913 &ndash October 29 1987) better known as Woody Herman, was an American Jazz

What was first thought of as an accidental fire set by the careless discarding of a match by two women changed quickly the day after the blaze when five African-Americans were arrested after reports they had drunkenly threatened to burn the building down. Charges were later dropped.

Three local funeral homes were inundated with bodies, with many eventually buried in mass graves. A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and Funeral services for the deceased and their families In the aftermath of the tragedy, citizens of Natchez raised more than $5,000 to help the local Red Cross, while new fire laws were established to prevent the overcrowding of buildings. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated

The disaster has been acknowledged with songs such as "Mississippi Fire Blues" and "Natchez Mississippi Blues" by the Lewis Bronzeville Five; "The Natchez Fire" by Gene Gilmore; "We The Cats Shall Hep You" by Cab Calloway; "For You" by Slim Gaillard; "You're A Heavenly Thing" by Cleo Brown; "The Death Of Walter Barnes" by Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston; "The Natchez Burnin" by Howlin' Wolf; "That Night" by Stompy Jones; and "Natchez Fire" by John Lee Hooker. Cabell "Cab" Calloway III ( December 25, 1907 &ndash November 18, 1994) was a famous American Jazz Singer Bulee "Slim" Gaillard ( January 4, 1916 &ndash February 26, 1991) was an American jazz singer songwriter pianist and guitarist Cleo Brown, later Cleo Patra Brown (Dec 8 1909 - Apr 15 1995 was an American Blues and Jazz vocalist and pianist Chester Burnett redirects here For the American football player see Chester Burnett (American football Chester Arthur Burnett ( June 10, 1910 John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer

A memorial marker stands in Natchez's Bluff Park.


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