What is a JUKE JOINT?
A juke joint is traditionally an african american dance hall set far back into the woods or swamp to keep it secret. They were very popular in the early 1900s as a place to go dance, hear black artists that you couldn’t hear anywhere else and just let go of the stress of the day. There was ususally some sort of illegal activity going on (drug use or use of bootlegged liquor) so it was important to keep it secret. Later on, the illegal activity slacked off, but the popularity of keeping the place hidden in order to keep from being harrassed by police officers (who were white at the time, not trying to be racial, just stating the facts). I’ve seen some other good answers also, so it seems to come down to what it was in your particular region. I just know about mine.
