The Days Inn

This is a piece of blues history.  Gainesville, Florida meant alot to Muddy Waters.  I've been staying here in between gigs on my south east tour.  In around 1977 Muddy Waters met his soon to be wife at this motel, the Days Inn on Newberry Street in Gainesville, Florida.  He called her "Sunshine".  Her name was Marva Jean Brooks.  Muddy had a gig in Gainesville and he invited her to the gig.  This is the motel the band stayed at.  She worked there as a housekeeper.  She was 19 years old and it was love at first sight.  Muddy had a rule, "you can’t have more than 100 years in the bed" and he sure nuff was playing by that rule.  The hotel has changed hands over the years and the front facade has changed.  The woman at the desk told me they knew nothing about this fact of blues history. She pointed out the part of hotel that has remained pretty much the same, hence this photo. I was not in Muddy’s band at the time I knew Muddy’s first wife Geneva.  I got this information from Blues pianist Jim Makaba who attended college in Gainesville with his and Muddy’s friend harp player, Joe Berson who Muddy mentioned in a song on his record Deep Down in Florida.  In 1979 Muddy and Marva were married and Eric Clapton was the best man at the wedding.