W C Dons

W C Dons was a nightclub in Jackson, Mississippi that originally opened in the spring of 1983 and remained open until the mid-nineties. The club re-opened in 2004 on State Street in Jackson and subsequently closed again in 2007. "Dons," as it was known locally, was the third venue in Mississippi to highlight college "Alternative" live music and bands following the openings and closings, sequentially, of The Pyramid Club, then Skidmarks, all in Jackson. Rolling Stone magazine named it as one of its top ten Dive bars in America.
W - We
C - Couldn't
D - Decide
O - On a
N - Name
First Location 1983-199?
Through the 1980s, Don's owner Terry Butler was the one promoter who always wanted to have a club and bring in rock bands no matter what. He was always very supportive of the scene and would pretty much give anyone an opportunity to do anything that might be remotely entertaining. W.C. Don’s was a little bar/club located in a double-wide trailer off of West Street in a seedy part of Jackson. It was small, cramped, hot, and dark, but it was one the only place of its kind in the 1980s that offered alternative and new wave music genres in Jackson. Though it was one of the “top ten dives” in the US as reported by Rolling Stone, major groups played there in the 1980s and early 1990s including Let's Active, Red on Green, The Lyres, Flipper, REM, Widespread Panic, Dash Rip Rock, the Flaming Lips, Ian Hunter with Mick Ronson and Galactic. Local & regional bands that were favorites included Radio London (aka “The Big Picture”), Will & the Bushmen, Jett Screamer, The Rock Project, Used Goods, Beat Temptation & The Windbreakers.
Second Location 2004-2007
In 2004 Terry Butler re-opened W.C. Don's on State Street in Jackson next to Martin's. In the tradition of the original Don's local bands often played the new location. The new location also included touring bands in a variety of genres particularly indie, punk, and garage rock.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu