As I laid awake last nite around 4 AM for some reason I was thinking about chips and researching them. I was hoping to record the process of doing the actual research and then writing a story for the club magazine. I think lots of illegal club chip collectors would be interested in what can be done to get results like Gene does ID'ing chips. That plan went to heck real quick as I will detail below.

I have bought several different chips from a local flea market vendor and most of the T-mold chips were later ID'ed as being from Nashville confirming the vendors claim. But there was one really neat chip on a C&J H&C mold that I bought hoping that it was a Nevada chip even though he claimed it was from Nashville. The blue chip below is from the New Era Club. Really sounds like a Las Vegas club doesn't it? Checking the The Chip Rack and James' book showed that there was no New Era Club in Nevada.

OK so now I wanted to do some local research. My early morning plan was to go to the Nashville Historical Society and look thru their gambling raid files to see if there was any mention of the New Era Club and check the old phone books to see if it existed. Before I went downtown I figured that I would do an internet check just to see if there ever was any mention of this club. BINGO!! There is not one but several mentions of the very popular club especially in the 1960's. Here is an excerpt from one site:

From the 1930s through the early 1960s, Jefferson Street was one of America’s bestknown districts of jazz, blues and rhythm and blues. Famous African-American musicians played regularly in the many clubs — Club Baron, Del Morocco and the New Era Club. Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner and Memphis Slim performed here regularly. Etta James recorded a live album, Etta James Rocks the House, at The New Era Club. Nashville artists, many with hit records, made the district their home.

Kind of funny that my baby daughter is now the bar manager at BB Kings a few blocks away from where the man played years ago. Anyway the address of the New Era Club is 1114 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, TN. I have little doubt that the chip below is from that club. I will be going back to the flea market early in the morning and if you email me at chipnut@comcast.net I MAY be able to get a few more of these chip for $10 each from that vendor. No guarantees.

Now I gotta find another chip to research for my story in the magazine.