Queen Janet

Queen Emeritus Janet Meyner

MEMPHIS BLUES QUEENS

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My name is Queen Janet (also known as Queen Bambi…another story), mother of two beautiful daughters, grandmother of two precious grandsons, wife of a wonderful husband, and Queen Emeritus of the fabulous Memphis Blues Queens. Why Queen Emeritus? You see, I am the former Boss Queen of the Margarita Queens. When Boss Queen Vickie started the Memphis Blues Queens in 2003, we knew being a Memphis Blues Queen was our destiny!

It all started back in the Summer of 2000 as a group of us Queens-To-Be were sunbathin’ on a yacht at Pickwick Lake, doin’ the things that Queens do - eatin’ jello shooters and drinkin’ margaritas and lollin’ in the sun - and Queen Jules was readin’ The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne. The more she read, the more she laughed and I just had to know what was so funny! As she read me the part about how tan fat looks better than white fat (like a fried pork chop), I knew right then and there that I just had to buy me that book and read it. As quickly as I could get off that yacht and get to a book store, I got me that book and could not put it down until I finished readin’ it! I have never laughed so much! After readin’ The SPQ Book of Love, I knew my destiny was to be a Queen!

The very next March (it was 2001), seven of us girlfriends went to Jackson for our very first St. Paddy’s Day Parade. We were absolutely AMAZED at what we saw! Of course, the REAL Sweet Potato Queens were THE main attraction of the parade (just as the book said they were) and the seven of us girls marched behind Jill Conner Browne and the Sweet Potato Queens’ float in the Million Queen March for our very first time.

We had no idea how much fun we were goin’ to have and were certainly not prepared for what all we saw! We all thought we would be so cute in our black pants, white blouses, pink feather boas, itsy bitsy tiaras with pink marabou, pink socks, pink bracelets, pink sunglasses, pink purses, etc. And we had no idea how many people would be linin’ the streets of Jackson just waitin’ to wave and to catch beads from the Queens! The absolute highlight of the weekend was when I got to hold the bathroom door for HRH Jill at Hal’s and Mal’s after the parade! And it gets even better……HRH Jill personally autographed my own copy of The SPQ Book of Love and said, “To The Best Door Holder In The World!” OH MY….we had the time of our life that weekend and came back to Memphis just knowin’ that we would spend the rest of our St. Paddy’s Days in Jackson, Mississippi at the parade! But we needed a name for our group of Queens….so…..since we LOVE margaritas and drink margaritas together at El Porton every Friday night (and even more often, if possible), we proclaimed ourselves the Margarita Queens and our motto was….Take life with a grain of salt!

I will never forget the Friday night that Boss Queen Vickie joined us to drink margaritas for the very first time. Not only was she destined to be a Queen…she was destined to be a BOSS QUEEN! Nobody can use glitter glue like she can….I mean, NONE can compare! Give her a tube of glitter glue and she can make ANYTHING sparkle! Boss Queen destiny quickly became a reality for Vickie, and the Memphis Blues Queens were born in the Summer of 2003.

I cannot put into words how marvelous it is to be a Memphis Blues Queen. I cherish the friendships of each one of my Queenly Sisters. We’re like a family. We laugh together, cry together, drink together, eat together, celebrate together, experience life together. Queen Luce and Queen Jules and I have been friends for over 20 years! Queen Vanna and I were in the same 4^th grade class together (and were reunited as Memphis Blues Queens)! I am so thankful for each and every one of my Queenly Sisters! Truly, it was our destiny to be MBQ’s.

Thank you, Jill Conner Browne, for givin’ us permission to put on a wig, a tiara, a boa, sparkly outfits and jewels and be a Queen! I think the best part of parade weekend is the Sunday Brunch when HRH Jill speaks. Every year, I laugh and I cry while she’s talkin’ to us. She tells us that life can be hard, but we girlfriends must stick together, lift each other up, and HAVE FUN! We’re NEVER too old to HAVE FUN!

On April 21, 2005, I went to get a haircut (and to cover the small amount of gray hair that’s in my naturally blonde hair, of course) and little did I know that on that very day, my future husband would walk into that salon and say, “Where’s my Queen?” Four weeks later, we were engaged and three weeks after that, we were married! And he definitely treats me like a Queen! He’s my Knight in Shining Armor!

So life just keeps on gettin’ better and better when you’re a Queen! You, too, can be a Queen! What are you waitin’ for? Grab yourself a tiara and a feather boa and declare yourself a Queen! Go ahead, do it…it’ll put a smile on your face and a song in your heart and your life will NEVER be the same again!