🚀 go-pugleaf

The most recent (and closest to correct) answer to the question of the
origin of the Red Hot and Blue BBQ chain came from Brian Wommack:

  "Actually, Red Hot and Blue started in DC area by some Tennessee Hill
  staffers who missed the 'que from back home.  It's gradually expanding
  beyond the D.C. area."


BZZT!  Nice try, but no.

I'm really surprised that the dc.dining crowd doesn't have some political
types who would remember.

Red Hot & Blue was founded by Lee Atwater, Ronald Reagan's eccentric PR
guru, George Bush's campaign manager, and former chairman of the Republican
National Committee.  Perhaps you remember him as the brains behind the
"Willy Horton" spot, or for making the Pledge of Allegiance a campaign
issue.  Here's a little reminder of what he was like:

      http://www.pbs.org/newshour/convention96/retro/atwater.html

Atwater played blues guitar, and loved BBQ.  He founded RH&B while he was
working in the White House.  He also recorded a record (with B.B. King, no
less) on record producer and unsuccessful Republican politician Mike Curb's
record label called "Red Hot and Blue."

Here's a picture of him playing guitar with Sam (of Sam & Dave)

  http://www.clark.net/pub/artrocit/sam1.htm

He ended up dying young of a brain tumor in 1991. He had deathbed
conversion, going so far as to call Dukakis to apologize.  He said publicly
hewas sorry about all the dirty, nasty, underhanded, unfair and downright
racist things that he did, but that fortunately Jesus forgives him and he's
going to heaven:

  http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0319_Lee_Atwaters_change.html

According the the Anapolis Capital, they now have "locations in Arlington,
Va., Washington, D.C., Frederick, Gaithersburg, Laurel and soon in
Baltimore, this chain also has expanded to the south, and even invaded the
traditional bastion of Carolina barbecue -- Raleigh."

In my opinion, the BBQ is decent, although not great.  It's OK if you are in
the mood for ribs and the legacy of the man doesn't ruin your appetite.

Larry

-- 
Larry Hunter
hunter@intr.net
fax: (301) 527-8645
pgp public key from http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bal/pks-toplev.html