The Old Henry Brings Something Unique to Oxford

Oxford’s only dueling piano destination features live music every weekend

The Old Henry, live music venue, bar, and restaurant located on the corner of Jackson Avenue and 10th Street, is certainly one of the most unique spots in downtown Oxford. Besides the location’s storied past, having once been the famous J.R. Cofield’s Studio, where notable Faulkner portraits were taken, along with the upstairs (now Rafter’s Music & Food) formerly being the notorious and colorful Henry Hotel, The Old Henry is one of only two dueling piano bars in the entire mid-South. The other is Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale Street in Memphis.

Formerly The Annex, and then the short-lived Mad Hatter, The Old Henry still maintains the same sort of “Alice in Wonderland, pub-themed vibe,” that many patrons enjoyed about the Mad Hatter, said General Manager Blake Dougherty. While rebranding to The Old Henry, Dougherty said “The new owners wanted to go in a similar direction,” and still maintain the elevated food and drink offerings, as well as its persona as the area’s only dueling piano bar (since the closing of Frank & Marlee’s).

“It was identified as something that didn’t exist in Oxford,” said Dougherty. “The concept is to have a live piano show every Friday and Saturday, and we’ve seen a lot of success with that. We have some talented piano players get up there every weekend.” Shows also have free admission.

Dougherty remarked that the term “dueling pianos” can be a little misleading, because for the most part, the musicians play off of each other as a team. “It’s interesting to see, because the chemistry of the players changes as they rotate,” he said.

One of the mainstays since dueling pianos began early in 2024, is Oxford musician Daniel Roebuck, a.k.a. “Doc Sinclair.” Roebuck is one of five talented players who regularly perform on Fridays and Saturdays, from 8 pm to midnight.

Although he has been playing piano and singing at local venues for several years—and also playing and teaching trumpet professionally—Roebuck was completely new to dueling pianos, and quickly became drawn in by its appeal. “It’s not like just listening to one person play the piano,” said Roebuck. “It’s a very live, interactive, crowd-oriented show—which I love.”

Although he was new to it all, he jumped in with both feet and began reading online forums, trying to draw from the experiences of other dueling pianists. Also, being a lover of comedy and stand-up comedians, Roebuck began thinking of more ways to incorporate comedic timing into his set. “I studied how they structure bits, and how they engage a crowd,” he said.

He also learned the common-sense importance of knowing his audience. “If you have a bunch of older folks, you may play some 70s or 80s rock, and when you have a younger crowd you’re looking more towards the 90s and 2000s,” said Roebuck. He described dueling pianos as “Less creative in the musicality, but more creative in the showmanship aspect of it.”

Also appealing to Roebuck is the improvisational part, which can involve joking with the crowd, giving toasts, as well as catering lyrics to the situation at hand, which can involve making the songs funny or, in some cases, bawdy or raunchy. “That’s the creative side that I really like,” he said.

The unpredictability can have great appeal as well. “You never know what songs you’re gonna play,” said Roebuck. “Somebody could come up and ask for Merle Haggard, then the next request you get could be Frank Sinatra.”

For Roebuck there’s always more to learn, as he finds himself at Silky O’Sullivan’s every time he visits Memphis, as well as Pat O’Brien’s piano bar when in New Orleans. “Even though I play it, I still enjoy going to do it. Maybe because it’s so new I’m not tired of it yet,” he joked. “But I don’t see myself becoming that.”

Another local pianist in the mix is Bill Perry, Jr. from Abbeville, Mississippi, who has been known for fusing jazz and hip-hop in his live performances since the 90s, and often collaborates with his sister Shy Perry. Both are the children of legendary bluesman Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry.

Similar to Roebuck, Perry has been part of the new dueling pianos scene right from the get-go, but also plays with his trio at The Old Henry’s weekly Thursday jazz nights, which run from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

“It’s the first time in a while us piano players got a bar that’s beguiling to us, because up until recently it’s been about guitars,” said Perry. He said that when it comes to acoustic, or one-man shows, most local venues will lean towards guitarists, often because of space restrictions not allowing for large pianos.

“There wasn’t a venue around here that catered to that energy, and now we literally have a piano bar,” Perry said.
Much like Roebuck, Perry, who calls himself “a jazz guy,” has been on a learning curve since becoming part of the dueling pianos community, but feels he brings something different to the table.

He said that while some of the other players, which include Joe “Boogie” Simmons, Adam Levin a.k.a. “Adam Heart,” and Michael “Mac” McIntire, may be more skilled at the popular favorites, he will bring some lesser-known jazz, blues, funk, and soul to the table, but improvise the lyrics to suit the moment, and complement his fellow piano player.

One improvisation in particular Perry enjoys playing, he calls “Zulu King Gumbo,” which works off of an old New Orleans second line standard tune. “I read the room,” said Perry. Also, his goal is to continue developing his own style while still fulfilling the tastes of the audience.

He also remarked that while The Old Henry leans towards an older crowd, which tends to include parents of students, folks from out of town, and local townies, he’s noticed a growing interest for “organic” music from younger people. “Been seeing more live bands around town, and the kids are going crazy about them. It’s not just about the DJ stuff anymore.”

The Old Henry is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 5 pm until, at noon Saturdays, and for brunch on Sundays from 11 am with live music.