Frank "Rat" Ratliff

Frank "Rat" Ratliff, 70, Riverside Hotel

Frank "Rat" Ratliff, owner-proprietor of the historic Riverside Hotel where Bessie Smith died (when the building was a hospital), and where a "Who's Who of blues musicians have stayed and played, including Ike Turner, Robert Nighthawk, Sonny Boy Williamson II, John Lee Hooker, Pop Staples, Sam Cooke, the Original Blind Boys, and many, many others. Blues musicians found lodging-and a home at the Riverside.

Many recent visitors to the Museum have received the full Clarksdale blues experience by lodging at the Riverside, down on Sunflower Avenue, with commentary on all things blues by the welcoming "Rat."