“ELVIS ATE HERE.”

Image 6: Big Cove Bar-BQ 153 Taylor Road • Big Cove, AL 35763 • (256)518-9170

That’s what James Taylor was told when he bought the place.

“I’m the third owner and he apparently had a horse farm not far from here. That was a long time ago. There haven’t been any recent sightings.”

James, a trained chef, was sent to work at a local country club when he decided to get a place of his own. He had enough moving around. It was time to put down roots.

“I grew up in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. I was a senior in high school living three miles from Three Mile Island when it had the near meltdown. My sister was away at college, and my parents were out of town. I was home alone. People were leaving and the National Guard was called in to prevent looting. It was Twilight Zone eerie. I remember hanging out and drinking beer with some of the guardsmen.”

James is a music lover and guitar player. Blues and classic country are his tastes. There is a side patio at the joint where he and other musicians can gig. Jennifer began showing up more and more frequently. She started working at Big Cove and after a couple of years, she and James were married.

“I knew exactly what I was getting into. I married a man and a barbecue joint,” she says from behind the order window.

The only water that I could see in the aptly named “Big Cove” is that tidal wave of urban sprawl coming from Huntsville, just over the mountain pass. Their humble little joint has literally been engulfed by Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken—not to mention many new homes. Business is better than ever, but how much longer can a little country joint survive as its natural habitat is encroached upon?

It makes sense that the Taylors are into preservation. They are very active in The Music Maker’s Relief Foundation, an organization that helps old blues musicians who have fallen on hard times. (Image 7)

Image 7

“That sounds ironic, a blues musician fallen on hard times, but it is a shame to see these wonderful artists in such desperate circumstances. We find them, feed them, get them medical attention and shelter. If they want to, or can, perform, we find them gigs. They are always welcome here,” James says. (Image 8)

Image 8

Daniel, the Taylors’ son, helps out and is also a musician—a drummer. “I want to go into the music business. Maybe start my own label or studio. I don’t want to own this place!”

“He’s still young. He’ll be back in a couple decades,” James adds.