The Bar of the Rising Son

Silver Street drops from the bluff all the way down to the river. Down here, you are officially Under the Hill, and the best thing to do is order a drink at the Under the Hill Saloon. At the moment when the night is perfectly seasoned, John David Montgomery stands on a chair to belt his bring-the-bar-down version of “House of the Rising Sun.” He’s a natural entertainer, the icon of the town’s iconic watering hole. He’s 4-foot-and-change, yet his respected stature lifts him taller than anyone else slugging longnecks. He’ll stroke his billy goat scruff of a beard while pouring rounds for the voracious and varied congregation of blue collars, button-downs, and medical scrubs.

From "The Characters of Natchez" by Tanner Latham for Southern Living, 2007; Photo/Ilustration by TL

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