What is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in downtown Chattanooga was once known as Ninth St.
For decades, nightclubs along that street in what was then a Black neighborhood showcased jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, and soul - a music scene rivaling Beale St. in Memphis and Bourbon St. in New Orleans.
At the end of this month, a new concert series - the Velvet Chair Experience - rekindles that scene.
The first concert - featuring jazz and uptown soul from vocalist Karen Collins - is on Sunday, May 28th starting at 7 PM at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
![Karen Collins](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a5b3e25/2147483647/strip/true/crop/395x415+0+0/resize/880x925!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7e%2Ff7%2F2a5208544cd3b768bc18813ba03a%2Fkaren-collins-b.png)
Velvet Chair Experience
![Velvet Chair Experience poster.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7c2bc32/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x1185+0+0/resize/880x1448!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F87%2F98%2Fffbd1f8f4f3d97b79754a889c43f%2Fvelvet-chair-experience-poster.jpeg)
Velvet Chair Experience