Sunbeam Mitchell

Andrew "Sunbeam" Mitchell (November 6, 1906 – August 22, 1989) was an American Memphis-based businessman. He operated the Mitchell Hotel which lodged well-known musicians, and soon he began operating nightclubs on the Chitlin' Circuit such as the Club Handy, Club Ebony, and the Club Paradise. Mitchell ran nightclubs for 40 years until selling off his holdings in the 1980s.

In the book The Chitlin' Circuit, author Preston Lauterbach wrote, "Sunbeam laid the cornerstone of what came to be known as the Memphis sound."

Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on November 6, 1906, Mitchell grew up on Beale Street. His father was a drayman for W. B. Mallory and Sons on Front Street. His mother took care of Mitchell's brother and two sisters at home. As the oldest, Mitchell had to drop out of the first grade and help his father work. In the 1940s, post-war Memphis became a hot spot for blues music. African American musicians began moving to Memphis, and established entertainers would perform and record here. During segregation, there were few venues where African Americans could perform, and fewer hotels where they could stay.

In 1946, Mitchell and his wife Ernestine Mitchell (née McKinney) leased two floors above Abe Plough's Pantaze Drug Store on Beale Street at Hernando. His wife Ernestine managed the hotel which had thirty rooms, "gas head and modern baths." R&B Singer Johnny Ace was a frequent resident. When he died in 1954, the Mitchells were left with his clothes and belongings.

In October 1957, the Mitchell Hotel was damaged in a fire. Water poured into the burning building caused damage to Gottman's Department Store below the hotel at 205 Beale Street. It also caused minimal damage to the storage room of the Pantaze Drug Store No. 2. Mitchell purchased the venue and reopened it as the Club Ebony in 1955. The Club Ebony remained open until 1960, and then it reopened as the Hippodrome under new ownership in 1961.

In 1958, Mitchell re-opened the Domino Lounge as the Club Handy. The club was named in honor of W.C. Handy. He also owned Mitchell's Girl and Earnest's Grill.

In addition to his nightclubs, hotel, and grills, Mitchell operated Mitchell Amusement Enterprises in the 1950s, booking dates for musicians Little Milton and Lowell Fulson. Mitchell also sponsored local concerts at venues such as the Ellis Auditorium, where Ray Charles performed in 1961 and 1966. He also sponsored an Ike & Tina Turner concert at the New Daisy Theatre in 1963.

In 1965, Mitchell opened the Club Paradise, which he operated until he sold it in 1985.

Mitchell died at the age of 83 after an apparent heart attack on August 22, 1989. His widow, Ernestine Mitchell, died from heart failure at age 80 on March 30, 1999.