Any night of the week, the sounds of soul can be heard from Bobby C’s Lounge and Grille, located at the 12th and Washington streets stop along the light rail.
Bobby C’s has been serving up food for the soul for the past eight years, offering a menu of Southern comfort foods and an opportunity for people from all over to showcase their talents in weekly open-mic nights. Performances are a mix of jazz, R&B and Motown-style music.
“Open-mic lends itself to performers that really aren’t out there in the mainstream,” owner Joy Clayton said.
She said many of the artists come in because they have never sang with a live band backup, and Bobby C’s gives them this opportunity.
“They get a chance to get up there and express themselves, and show people that they really are talented artists,” Clayton said.
The restaurant is family-owned and operated, and the place is named after Clayton’s husband Bobby.
The dark, ambient and art-filled restaurant maintains a stream of regulars, but it almost closed its doors to them when the light rail laid down its tracks in 2005.
“We were almost put out of business,” Clayton said.
The construction of the light rail deterred traffic, brought in pests and caused electricity problems, resulting in less business, she said.
“It was more of a hassle than anything,” she said. “But we worked our way through it.”
Valley resident Brooklyn Frazier is one of Bobby C’s seasoned performers, and said he comes because of the “African American history” that the restaurant preserves.
“It brings me back to my roots,” Frazier said.
Frazier, 58, has been singing most of his life and said he holds a special place in his heart for Motown music.
“With me, passion is big in music, and the Motown sound is like that,” Frazier said.
The Motown artists of the 1960s are inspiring to Frazier because of the way they achieved the American dream.
“All they had was music at that time,” Frazier said.
Frazier said he only comes to Bobby C’s about every six months, but when he steps onto the stage, the atmosphere is unparalleled to any other performance space.
“Whether you’re a good singer, or you really can’t sing at all, you’re going to get a warm response,” Frazier said.
Christopher Lynn, a bartender at Bobby C’s, said what makes the place different from others is the ambience.
“This is a relaxing place,” he said. “The atmosphere is comfy ... it’s home.”
Reach the reporters at daabram3@asu.edu and ktenagli@asu.edu
