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March 28, 2020
2020 SFA Spring Symposium, Birmingham ⟶
Oct. 8-10, 2020
2020 SFA Fall Symposium, Oxford
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the SFA
March 28, 2020
2020 SFA Spring Symposium, Birmingham ⟶
Oct. 8-10, 2020
2020 SFA Fall Symposium, Oxford

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region.

< Back to Oral History project: Hot Tamale Trail

ORAL HISTORY

Gentle Lee Rainey

Gentle Lee Rainey was born on Dockery Plantation, a few miles east of Cleveland, Mississippi. Dockery, the one time home of Charlie Patton and Howlin’ Wolf, is widely considered the birthplace of the Blues. For Gentle Lee Rainey, it was the birthplace of the Delta hot tamale. Rainey’s grandfather began making his own version of this Delta delicacy, using corn shucks from the fields, in an effort to earn extra money on the weekends. Eventually, the entire Rainey family learned the art of tamale making. They would peddle their homemade bundles in the nearby town of Ruleville on Saturday nights. Today, Rainey owns and operates Delta Fast Food in Cleveland, where he has served hot tamales and other take-away foods since 1995. He still makes his hot tamales from his grandfather’s recipe, but with a little added spice. Tastes may change, but this version of the Delta tamale has remained remarkably the same.

Date of interview:
2005-06-23 00:00

Interviewer:
Amy Evans

Photographer:

Download Transcript

“

[Making hot tamales] is a family thing that come from my parents, and we started from there and just made some for the house—stuff, you know--people to eat, family folks. I opened my business up and make them and sell them to the public [now]. ~ Gentle Lee Rainey

Other Project Interviews

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XTRAS: Tamales & Music

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XTRAS: Tamale Recipe

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XTRAS: In Memoriam

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XTRAS: Hot Tamales & The Blues

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XTRAS: Hot Tamale Trail Map

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World Championship Hot Tamale Contest

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Stewart’s Quick Mart

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Solly’s Hot Tamales

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Scott’s Hot Tamales

The first time they tried making tamales in their own kitchen, Elizabeth and her husband worked for sixteen hours…

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Reno’s Cafe

Pearl’s tamales are different from most Delta-style tamales. She cooks and serves them in a tomato-based sauce. When…

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Pasquale’s Hot Tamales

A tamale recipe changed hands, and the St. Columbia family began making and selling the portable bundles of meat and…

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Meals on Wheels Hot Tamales and Tacos (stand)

After working at other tamale businesses around the Delta, Lumumba took the best elements from each and created…

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Maria’s Famous Hot Tamales

When he had a product he could stand by, he named his business after his Sicilian wife, Mary, calling his new venture…

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John’s Homestyle Hot Tamales

To make ends meet, he developed his own tamale recipe and set up shop on South Street in Cleveland, Mississippi. John…

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Joe’s Hot Tamale Place A.K.A. The White Front Cafe

A side-job at first, Joe’s Hot Tamale Place, also known as The White Front Café, became so popular that Joe made it a…

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Hot Tamale Heaven (cart)

A Greenville native, Larry Lee worked a passel of odd jobs before turning to hot tamales as his vocation. Now Larry…

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Hicks’ Famous Hot Tamales and More

Eugene Hicks, born in 1944, has been making hot tamales since 1960. Acy Ware, who peddled tamales on the streets of…

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Ground Zero Blues Club

As a native of the Delta, hot tamales were important to her. To meet the needs of Ground Zero, Trish tasted tamales…

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Ervin’s Hot Tamales

Rosetta Ervin’s late husband, Louis Ervin, grew up in Tunica County, Mississippi, and learned about hot tamales from a…

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Doe’s Eat Place

For generations, tamale cravings have been satisfied by coffee cans filled with hot tamales passing out those doors.…

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Bourbon Mall

The Bourbon Mall is a favorite haunt for many. But it’s the hot tamales the really set the place apart. Mark put hot…

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Big Apple Inn

Geno Lee is the fourth-generation owner of the Big Apple Inn. His great-grandfather, Juan “Big John” Mora, who was born…

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An Introduction: Hot Tamales & The Mississippi Delta

Better known for its association with cotton and catfish, the Mississippi Delta has a fascinating relationship with the…

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Airport Grocery

When he opened the restaurant in 1992, Jonathan wanted to honor the Delta hot tamale tradition. His grandfather was a…

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Abe’s Bar-B-Q

Abe’s Bar-B-Q has been in business in the same location since 1937. Pat Davis, Sr. remembers Mexican vendors peddling…

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