Celebrated entrepreneur Sid Booker (L) poses with former Philadelphia police commissioner Sylvester Johnson at one of his legendary annual Shrimp Bar BBQ Pool Parties. Booker died on Jan. 28 after a short illness. He was 87.
Photo courtesy SUN
While Sid Booker was best known for the fried shrimp that made Philadelphians flock to his North Philadelphia establishment, he was more than that.
By Denise Clay-Murray
One thing that Philadelphia has plenty of is memorable characters.
There are people, places and things that would only work here in Philadelphia. No other city has a statue dedicated to a fictional character near its Art Museum. The Phillie Phanatic wouldn’t work anywhere else. Neither would Philly Elmo.
I also don’t think that Sid Booker would have worked anywhere else. While fried shrimp is available just about everywhere, Booker’s Shrimp Corner at Broad and Belfield is considered iconic here in Philadelphia. Most weekends, the intersection the restaurant calls home is so packed that making a left turn onto Belfield Avenue — or Sid Booker Way according to the ceremonial marker — had to be done with care as diners grabbed their orders after either a hard day at work, or a night of hard partying.
Stinger LaPointe, the lounge Booker operated nearby, was also a spot that gave up-and-coming DJs a place to ply their craft and a stop for politicos seeking election to various offices.
“His bar has been a must visit location for elected officials for decades,” Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement. “His support of elected officials is legendary with the election of the first African American Mayor of Philadelphia (Wilson Goode) and the first African American President of the United States (Barack Obama).”
Since many of the people he backed with signs on the side of Stinger LaPointe went on to win their offices, it shows that Booker’s political instincts were as spot-on as his shrimp, according to his daughter Darlene.
“He always said that you could [tell] what they are about when you talk to them,” she said. “He would tell them to try not to make a lot of promises, but to just try to work out what’s best for everybody and what’s better for the people.”
On Jan. 28, Sid Booker died after a brief illness. He was 87.
Belfield Avenue was renamed in his honor by Philadelphia City Council Cindy Bass last October, something that reflected an appreciation of his contributions to not only Philadelphia’s taste buds, but also to his community, his daughter said.
One of those ways was by helping young people realize their educational dreams through college scholarships.
“He was caring, loving, and he always stood on education,” she said. “Because he didn’t have an education, he always wanted the younger people to have one. He would even help people off the record when it came to education.”
While he was best known for his restaurant and political activity, Booker also played a part in Philadelphia’s music scene. He was the manager of the Uptown Theater in North Philadelphia and brought such acts as James Brown and the Jackson Five into the venue to play.
Booker was laid to rest on Friday following a service at the Star of Hope Baptist Church.
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