PARADISE VALLEY

“Paradise Valley” is one of Don’s most recognized pieces. In this work of art, Don is paying tribute to Paradise Valley, the business district and entertainment center in Detroit, MI during the 1920’s through 1960’s. Through the use of vibrant colors Don provides a bird’s eye view of the unity, brotherly love, and the respect Detroiter’s had for one another. “Paradise Valley” headlined the front page of the Michigan Chronicle, was showcased in Décor Magazine, and housed at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History located in Detroit, MI. Also this print was one of the bestsellers of the late honorable Coleman A. Young’s, former Detroit Mayor, artifacts.

The strip known as Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, was home to many black-owned businesses such as restaurants, beauty salons, bowling alleys, gambling houses, bars and nightclubs. The strip, in its time, was mobbed with night clubbers waiting outside Sonny Wilson’s, Chesterfield Lounge, Flame, and many other clubs. Well known figures like Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Dinah Washington frequented the area to see popular black artists such as Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, and Ella Fitzgerald perform at the nightclubs. Crime was practically non-existent and policeman assigned to patrol the Valley partied with the night crowd. The area was later destroyed for an urban renewal project. Currently, many redevelopment projects are taking place in Paradise Valley, as Detroit, the Comeback City, is revitalized.