Recently, my wife had a business meeting in Newport (Jackson County) and asked me to come along. Always up for an Arkansas adventure, I agreed, as I knew I could do some sightseeing while she met with clients. Not knowing much about Newport, I called my father who I figured knew some interesting things about the city, as well as possible historical places to visit, since he grew up in nearby Bald Knob (White County). And sure enough, I was right.
Dad told me about a nightclub and music venue in Newport that he and my mother went to while dating in high school called the Silver Moon. He even claimed they saw a young Elvis Presley on the club's stage. However, my mom has since disputed this story, as she insisted, they never saw the young singer from Memphis in Newport or any place for that matter. Regardless, my interest peaked, and I knew I had to learn more about the venue and hopefully locate where it once stood.
The Silver Moon opened for business in 1944, during the height of World War II. During the war, a large military base, the Newport Air Field, was constructed in the city, doubling the town's population. With so many servicemen residing in the area, Newport's business owners used the boom in population as an opportunity to satisfy the need for the new residents' desire for entertainment and recreation.
The original Silver Moon was built by a local businessman with a penchant for gambling named Bob Fortune. According to the book We Wanna Boogie: The Rockabilly Roots of Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, the club first attracted "wild-ass Marines and sailors from Memphis always looking for a fight." For many years, the Silver Moon had a reputation as the kind of place "respectable people," especially women, did not frequent. Fights were the norm at the Silver Moon. In December 1955, U.S. Navy officer and Silver Moon regular, Francis Callis, was shot on Christmas Day.
Despite the violent atmosphere, the nightclub attracted large crowds for many years. The Silver Moon's popularity was due mostly to it hosting such musical acts as Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Wanda Jackson, Glenn Miller, and a host of artists with Arkansas connections such as Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, and Sonny Burgess and the Pacers. And yes, the future "King of Rock and Roll," Elvis Presley also performed on the Silver Moon's legendary stage. During its peak in the late 1950s, the Silver Moon was the most popular nightclub in the Natural State, attracting crowds of over 1,000 people on Friday and Saturday nights.
The building which housed the club was a simple one. It was a long, rectangular-shaped 7,000-square-foot dance hall with rock walls. Bare copper wire hung from its ceiling to conduct sound to the back of the club. The Silver Moon was located north of Newport along Highway 67, away from the center of town and the snooping eyes of local law enforcement. This made the club especially attractive for unsavory characters looking to lay low.
In the mid-1950s, the Silver Moon was purchased by World War II veteran, Don Washam. Along with being a hot spot for rock and roll music, the club was a place where customers could drink and gamble. Beer was sold at the Silver Moon and it was said that any sixteen-year-old with a quarter could get one. However, when it came to gambling at the Silver Moon, that was reserved for customers in an invitation-only back room.
Sadly, all good things must end, and the popularity of the Silver Moon began its decline in the late 1960s. For the most part, local police had turned a blind eye to the gambling that took place inside the club. However, all that changed during Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller's administration as he made cracking down on illegal gambling in Arkansas a top priority. As a result, gambling ceased at the Silver Moon and the days of attracting up-and-coming musical acts did as well. In 1968, Washam sold the venue for just $55,000 to a local farmer, Abe Jones.
The original building that housed the club burned in 1987, and all that remained was its concrete slab. A new version of the Silver Moon called the Silver Moon Banquet Hall, was built on the same lot behind the Silver Moon's original location. The club barely resembled the original Silver Moon, but it did keep the club's name and logo of a silhouette of a wolf howling at the moon painted on its front. On August 24, 2017, a memorial service was held there for Sonny Burgess after his passing. The second incarnation of the Silver Moon closed in March 2021.
So, after some research, I was able to locate the original Silver Moon’s location. Off Highway 67, I found the club’s concrete slab, as well as the building that housed the Silver Moon Banquet Hall. Walking atop the concrete slab, I thought about all the legends that frequented the legendary Silver Moon, including my mom and dad.
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