John's Carpet House

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

It started at the home of drummer John Estes, who built a little wooden shed in his front yard on Detroit's east side and lined it with carpet remnants for warmth and better sound, then invited neighborhood musicians to jam there on weekends. Word spread, and what began as a backyard hangout grew into one of the city's most beloved informal blues gatherings. Estes died in 2006, and a fire later destroyed the shed and the house next to it, so the jam moved across the street to the vacant lots that had opened up along Frederick Street after decades of demolition. Bluesman Harmonica Shah has been a fixture there since the 2000s, and today the sessions are kept going by Albert "Big Pete" Barrow. Every Sunday from spring through fall, musicians set up amps on the grass and hundreds of people bring lawn chairs, coolers and barbecue grills for an afternoon that feels like old Detroit refusing to disappear.

1. Grew out of drummer John Estes's carpet-lined backyard jam shed
2. Moved to vacant lots on Frederick Street after a fire
3. Free Sunday blues jam, spring through fall, since the 1980s–90s
4. Bluesman Harmonica Shah has performed here since the 2000s
5. Can draw crowds of several hundred people