Eva Lindsey witnessed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Austin native contributed to a tremendous number of efforts over the years, an eyewitness to history in the making, and best known today as the beloved grand dame of the Victory Grill. Small wonder she is being honored at the Grill on Saturday night.
When Johnny Holmes opened it in 1945, it was an icehouse known as the Victory Café. Holmes built it into the place in Central Texas for young bluesmen and women to try their luck on. And try they did, from touring acts such as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue to the weekly amateur nights that attracted Bobby Blue Bland, the Victory Grill became a fixture of the Chitlin Circuit. Austin musicians such as Blues Boy Hubbard & the Jets and Jean & the Rollettes further solidified its reputation playing weekly shows that made the Eastside of the 50s and 60s the place to be.
Eva Lindsey remembers its halcyon era and how it connected Austin’s blues and soul players with the rest of the world. With mother lion fierceness, she protects and nurtures the club and the many ways it serves the community. Whether it’s up-and-coming rappers or a veteran like San Antonio saxman Spot Barnett, Lindsey is beloved, the heartbeart of the East Austin blues community.
The Eva June Lindsey Roast Tribute & Birthday Celebration is a benefit hosted by the Victory Grill Foundation and takes place Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 7pm. I doubt if there will be much roasting, but the tributes could go on for years.
This article appears in December 11 • 2009.