Broken Rhythm is based on the real events of the 1940 Rhythm Night Club fire, Natchez, MS. On April 23, 1940, Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians Band from Chicago, Illinois played that night - the band everyone wanted to see. It was the hottest and grandest night ever. Approximately over 500 folks packed the building; hundreds more stood outside. And before the night is over, the unimaginable happens.