At Bernell’s, blues and women’s sports share the stage | Entertainment

Jodene Ruiz de Chavez twirled on the small dance floor at Bernell’s on a recent Thursday evening, letting the saxophone and electric guitar carry her away.

“When I hear the blues, it’s almost like it’s in my soul,” she said. “I just can’t help but respond… the beat comes on, and I dance. It’s like it’s calling to me.”

The energy is strong inside Bernell’s, which opened in November with a mission of offering a space in Madison centered around women’s sports. Bernell’s owner, Rita Adair, sought to honor the legacy of her late wife, Bernell Hooker, a longtime women’s sports advocate and collegiate basketball coach.

“It was something she dreamed of and talked about often — having a women’s sports bar,” Adair said. “She passed away with that dream.”

Women’s sports bars have been popping up across the country in recent years, part of what Adair calls a broader movement to elevate women’s athletics and ensure equitable visibility and opportunities. Bernell’s faces a unique balancing act: honoring the building’s deep blues music history while creating a vibrant space for women’s sports fans.

The bar is expanding beyond nightlife with the introduction of soul food and a weekend brunch, with plans to eventually hire a full-time chef. The brunch menu, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, features sausage gravy and biscuits, catfish, and fried chicken and waffles. 

The evening menu includes staples such as hamburgers, chicken wings, jalapeño poppers and onion rings. Bernell’s also hosts a Friday fish fry from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“Right now, Bernell’s has a sense of ‘everybody’s welcome,’” said Beverly Brazzel, a lifelong friend of Adair’s who has been instrumental in the bar’s opening. “It’s women-based, but not a woman’s bar. All sports are welcome. And we focus on the blues, but we play everything.”

Honoring a Madison blues legacy 

Years ago, the building housed the Knuckle Down Saloon, a staple blues venue known for its Thursday night jam sessions. 

Dan Resnick, the current building owner, began frequenting the saloon even before he purchased the property. A neurosurgeon at UW Health, Resnick discovered the joy of playing music there after winning a gift certificate at an auction.

After the pandemic forced the saloon to close, Resnick was determined to keep the blues alive. With help from local musicians, he purchased the building and reopened it as Red Rooster, continuing the jam night tradition until the bar lost its liquor license this past summer. Though he had many offers to rent the property, most wanted to completely transform the space.

That’s when Adair discovered the vacancy. Driving by to confirm the rumor of Red Rooster’s closure, she ran into Resnick during a meeting with someone who wanted to turn the building into a restaurant.

“He said, ‘Promise me one thing — that this will stay blues,’” said Brazzel, Adair’s friend and collaborator. “That’s the only criteria, other than her paying rent every month: it has to stay a blues bar.” 

Adair told him, “I’ll keep the blues,” and he said, “‘Then I’ll keep you.”

Adair and Resnick have since developed a strong partnership in running Bernell’s. 

“Some of our conversations have been emotional and also very fulfilling,” she said. “Both of us feel like we’re in this together.”

Resnick described Adair as “unbelievably dedicated,” noting that while their visions don’t always align perfectly, they share a positive mindset and a mutual understanding that the end result will inevitably be a bit different from what either of them might have imagined individually.

“Rita brings a whole new crowd and a new energy about the place,” Resnick said. ”We’re working out the kinks in terms of business and finances, but I’m optimistic that we can keep this going for quite some time.”

Tim Payne, the former owner of Red Rooster who renovated the bar and its stage after Knuckle Down’s closure, continues to maintain a presence at the venue, with his sound equipment still on stage. He said he supports the new venture and appreciates its commitment to honoring the space’s musical roots while centering women’s sports.

“He’s been very helpful in this transition … he still is,” Adair said. “If you like the blues, you know about this space. It’s the only historical blues venue in Madison…so for me to be able to have the stage and host the blues for the society of people in Madison, I’m pretty proud of that.”

A family of blues lovers

Thursday jam nights kick off with a band playing for an hour, then the floor opens to anyone who wants to join. Musicians sign up on a simple list at the door, split into two columns for name and instrument. The bar also has live blues music on Saturday nights.

Steve Malin, who helped organize jam sessions at Red Rooster and now continues the tradition at Bernell’s, said the bar fills a vital role in Madison’s music scene — providing a space where both longtime blues fans and aspiring musicians can connect and play music together.

“There’s not really another blues jam in town that I can think of,” Malin said. “I used to go to jams in the ’90s at bars that you’ve never even heard of anymore. And we really just want to keep that going. It’s kind of like our turn to keep the momentum going.”

Bob Hjort, a longtime blues enthusiast, described the Madison blues community as family. He has been attending shows with his wife for nearly three decades and has been a regular at the building since it was Knuckle Down.

“It’s social for me,” Hjort said. “I’m addicted to it. I promote it. I tell people, get up and dance. The blues are the best music God made, bar none.”

Much of Bernell’s early stability, Adair said, comes from the loyal blues crowd.

“It’s a community… a very welcoming and loyal community. You know, once you’re part of the group, everyone looks out for each other,” Resnick said.

Navigating competing priorities 

The central challenge for Bernell’s lies in maintaining its multiple identities. Scheduling can be particularly tricky when live bands, often booked months in advance, coincide with important sports events.

There’s no limit to the women’s sports playing on the TVs at Bernell’s — women’s soccer, volleyball and WNBA games among them, including marquee events like the recent NCAA volleyball championship. University of Wisconsin–Madison women’s sports are also a staple. 

While women’s sports anchor the TVs, the bar also shows major men’s games, including Packers games, positioning Bernell’s as both a space where women’s sports are guaranteed and an all-purpose gathering spot for the city’s big sporting moments. 

“It gets complicated, because I can’t jam up every day with music and expect to embrace a sports community,” Adair said, adding that while some patrons enjoy both, some may skip a big game night if music is playing. 

Though some customers have expressed frustration and disappointment over these conflicts, Adair said live music currently draws the strongest crowds. She continues to work to ensure women’s sports remain well represented.

“It takes a lot of planning to balance music, sports and food,” she said. “We hope people can be patient as we figure it all out.”

Despite the challenges, Adair said the bar has seen an overwhelmingly positive response in its first six weeks, with strong energy and a diverse intersection of the Madison community.

 “If you know the blues, you know it’s a powerful genre of music that really leans into the soul of people and human experience,” she said. “And there’s a lot of human experience in women’s sports, in facing the inequity and challenge of being a woman and becoming an athlete. I’m sure there could be a blues song written about it.”