MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For more than 40-years Raiford's Hollywood Disco has been the heart and soul of the party in Memphis. It's a family business that's stood the test of time because of the legacy left behind by Robert "Hollywood" Raiford when he passed in 2017.
Like a mirror ball the spins round and round, the legend continues to be remembered year after year. Robert "Hollywood" Raiford may have stopped throwing the party at Raiford's Hollywood Disco when he passed in 2017, but the party never stopped. His daughter, Paula Raiford and club operator says the legacy of love he left behind and his family ensure his colorful and generous spirit lives on.
"I think that spirit is life. I think when they come in here we give them that life back that they either dropped it or left it somewhere, never had it, realized that they needed it," said Paula.
Raiford's Hollywood Disco is the last known authentic discotheque in the United States, but after more than 40 years, the nightclub is so much more than a place to shake your groove thang.
"Me and my family just think that when my dad put in there that people are people like back in the day you just don't get that much anymore. Everybody's equal, the same," said Paula.
What Robert Raiford created was a safe space where all people are welcomed, and the dance floor is an even playing field to let loose and escape the world outside. Paula says once you enter the doors of the disco, you're like family because you're in her house, where the spirit of her dad remains.
Even the Mayor Jim Strickland knew the value Robert Raiford brought the City of Memphis with his vibrant way and more importantly his generous nature. Before her dad died in 2017, city leaders honored Paula's request for a day named in his honor. A daughter's gift to her dad.
"When '19 came, I said I just want to do something special. I just want to let the city to know that I appreciate them and he appreciates them still because he's still not forgotten," said Paula.
So, for Paula, a celebration in honor of the man who brought the party was, naturally, in order. After a small family celebration on the lighted dance floor last year due to COVID, this year's promises to be bigger, but safe.
Everything inside, the dance floor, lights and mirror balls will be brought outside on to the street and what Raiford experience would be complete without the drum set? It will be a lot like the first and only street party in 2019, but add more food, trucks, Hollywood's incredible car collection and much more. If you've never been able to stay up quite late enough for a visit to Raiford's world famous disco, this is a day party with the magic of the night.
"People still in the streets everyday, somebody's got a story to tell me about how he touched them, talked to them. Did something. I mean from the low to the high and so I just wanted to make sure that he's remembered and that he's super loved and I love Memphis for loving us," said Paula.