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Want to know where BB King will pop up next or where to go
for the best in New Orleans jazz? Try our online venue guide.
This is not a complete list of Blues Highway venues; for
that you'll need to buy 'The Blues Highway: New Orleans to
Chicago' here.
If you are a Roots of Rhythm client you are welcome to use
this list but you will also be given complete details prior
to your departure along with relevant listings and recommendations
for your travel dates.
New
Orleans
Baton
Rouge
Lafayette
Mississippi
Delta
Memphis
Nashville
St
Louis
Davenport
(Quad Cities)
Chicago
Donna's Bar and Grill (504-596 6914), 800 North Rampart
The focal point for the New Orleans brass band revival
www.donnasbarandgrill.com
Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge (504-947 1078), 500 North
Claiborne
K-Doe proclaimed himself the 'Emperor of the Universe' when,
in 1961, his giant R&B hit Mother in Law climbed to the
top of the charts
www.k-doe.com
Funky Butt at Congo Square (504-558 0872), 714 North Rampart
Small, candlelit and crowded it attracts a vigorous crowd
www.funkybutt.com
Le Bon Temps Roule (504-895 8117), 4801 Magazine Street
Packed Uptown neighborhood joint popular with students
www.lebontempsroule.com
Lion's Den (04-822 4693), 2655 Gravier Street
Owned by Irma Thomas, New Orleans' great soul star
Mid-City Rock 'N' Bowl (504-482 3133), 4133 South Carrollton
Now legendary hybrid between a bowling alley and a lively
music venue specializing in blues, jazz and zydeco
www.rockandbowl.com
Palm Court Jazz Café (504-525 0200), 1204 Decatur
Street
Owned and managed by the eccentric Nina Buck whose husband,
George, founded the Jazzology record label
www.palmcourtjazzcafe.com
Pete Fountain's (504-523 4374), Hilton Riverside Hotel at
2 Poydras Street
Clarinettist Fountain first made his name as a jazzman in
the fifties. He's now found another niche as purveyor of expensive
jazz to crowds of 500 in this business hotel
Preservation Hall (504-523 8939), 726 St Peter's Street
Squeeze into a tight room to catch a glimpse of traditional
jazzmen plying their trade
www.preservationhall.com
Snug Harbor (504-949 0696), 626 Frenchman Street
Stylish, friendly and lines up some of the best modern musicians
New Orleans has to offer. Ellis Marsalis regularly plays two
Friday night sets
www.snugjazz.com
Tipitina's (504-895 8477), 501 Napoleon
This barn-like club was set up for New Orleans piano legend
Professor Longhair whose 1953 hit gave the club its name
www.tipitinas.com
M's Fine and Mellow Cafe (225-387 3663), 143 Third Street.
A great club in downtown Baton Rouge run by the enigmatic
'M'
www.mscafe.net
Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall (225-387 9715), 244 Lafayette
Street
The new home of Baton Rouge blues legend Tabby Thomas and
his house band
El Sid O's (337-235 0647), 1523 Martin Luther King Drive
at St Antoine Street
Sid runs a great joint where you'll be welcomed enthusiastically
and encouraged to dance zydeco - the music here is always
fantastic
http://elsidos.crazygator.com
Hamiltons, 1808 Verot School Road
Zydeco institution with wild music most weekends
Mulate's (337-332 4648), 325 Mills Avenue in Breaux Bridge
One of the three main restaurant-dancehalls in the Lafayette
area
Prejean's (337-896 3247), 3480 Hwy 167 North
The other well-known Cajun restaurant to feature live music
every night
www.prejeans.com
Randol's (337-981 7080), 2320 Kaliste Saloom
A bigger and more lively Cajun dancehall and restaurant with
live music every night
www.randols.com
Airport Grocery (662-843 4817), Highway 8 West towards Rosedale,
Cleveland
The late harmonica legend Willie Foster's 1999 album for Mempho
Records was recorded here live
Club Ebony, 404 Hanna Avenue, Indianola
BB King plays here - in his home-town - once a year when he
heads into Mississippi for the Medgar Evers Homecoming concert
Queen of Hearts (601-352 5730), 2243 Martin Luther King Jr
Drive, Jackson
Rough juke-joint with intermittent blues often from local
guitar man King Edward. The barbecue's pretty good too
Reds, Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue,
Clarksdale
If a film crew chose to mock up a traditional Delta juke-joint,
this is how it would look if they got it right
Subway Lounge (601-352 6812), 619 West Pearl Street, Jackson
At weekends a wild house band belts out powerful, bawdy blues
to whoops of delight from the densely-packed crowd. It's electric
For Memphis listings try www.gomemphis.com
produced by the local newspaper, the Commercial Appeal.
BB King's Blues Club (901-524 5464), 143 Beale Street
A must-visit joint for blues lovers. Opened in 1991 by the
'Beale Street Blues Boy', BB King's has struck a fine balance;
it's a fun place for the uninitiated with music of a high
enough quality to satisfy any blues fan
Black Diamond (901-521 0800),153 Beale Street
Slightly shabbier set up than BB's; tinsel and fairy lights
decorate the walls and drinkers are wedged in around sparse
wooden tables as they listen to blues performed on a tiny
stage
Blues City Cafe (901-526 3637), 138 Beale Street
A well-known blues showcase for local and national talent
Elvis Presley's Memphis (901-527 6900),126 Beale Street
Located in the former Lansky's clothes store, once patronized
by the King himself, Elvis Presley's Memphis is a large and
polished operation with music most nights
Ernestine's & Hazel's (901-523 9722), 531 Main Street
'Singing round the piano'-style music nights every weekend
Huey's (901-726 4372), 1927 Madison Avenue
The famous Memphis burger bar has Sunday night jazz and blues
Legends, 326 Beale Street
Cavernous and unpretentious blues hall and drinking den
New Daisy Theater (901-525 8979), 330 Beale Street
A 900-seat music hall where BB King made his name
Rum Boogie Cafe (901-528 0150), 182 Beale Street
This is one of the bigger clubs on Beale Street with live
music every night. The Blues Hall 'club within in a club'
inside Rum Boogie is a more hardcore blues stage in the style
of a juke-joint
www.rumboogie.com
Wild Bill's (901-726 5473), 1580 Vollintine
A mighty atmosphere and great music till the small hours on
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Some nights it's blues, other
it's R&B
The Bluebird Cafe (615-383 1461), 4104 Hillsboro Pike Road
This is a well-known arena for new singers and songwriters
to test their work
www.bluebirdcafe.com
Bluegrass Inn (615-726 2799), 418 Broadway
Head here to catch live bluegrass acts nightly till 3am
Legends Corner (615-252 4968), 426 Broadway
Laid-back place and a popular club with live music everyday
www.legendscorner.com
Station Inn (615-255 3307), 402 12th Avenue South
Respected bluegrass hangout for serious devotees
www.stationinn.com
Sutler (615-297 9195), 2608 Franklin Road
Another old-style club in a seemingly odd location. Look for
the 30 Lanes Bowling Alley to find it. There's live music
Monday to Saturday nights
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (615-726 0463), 422 Broadway
Famous in country music circles; Opry stars would drink in
here before shows at the Ryman Auditorium
Wildhorse Saloon (615-902 8200), 120 Second Avenue
A giant, themepark-like bar-restaurant with a country music
motif and regular live performances
www.wildhorsesaloon.com
BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups (314-436 5222), 700 South Broadway
Perhaps the best-respected of Soulard's joints now in its
third reincarnation since 1976
www.bbsjazzbluessouops.com
Blueberry Hill (314-727 0880), 6504 Delmar Avenue
Opened in 1972, Blueberry Hill has gone on to become a must-see
St Louis institution, not least because Chuck Berry plays
here regularly in the 'Duck Room'
www.blueberryhill.com
Broadway Oyster Bar (314-621 8811), 736 South Broadway
Another first-rate blues club. The Oyster Bar has the appearance
of a tidied up Delta juke-joint
www.broadwayoysterbar.com
The 1860s Hard Shell (314-231 1860), 1860 South Ninth Street
Popular St Louis blues joint which attracts some of the best
local acts
Venice Cafe (314-772 5994), 1901 Pestalozzi Street
By far the coolest bar in Soulard. There's music here every
night except Sunday
For Quad Cities music listings, try www.kuniradio.org/musicqc.html
11th Street Bar and Grill (319-322 9047), 2108 East 11th
Street
Cover, rock or blues bands every Friday and Saturday night
The Brick House (319-323 9212), 1334 West Second Street
Presents regular blues to an enthusiastic crowd
The Col (319-322 4431), 1012 West Fourth Street
Another old-style dancehall lit only by chandeliers and a
disco ball
Danceland (319-323 5500), Fourth and Scott Streets
A fine dancehall and capacity for 1000 people
O'Meara's (319-359 7888), 1733 State Street
No-frills Irish bar with an outstanding open mic blues jam
on Tuesday nights
Palace (309-755 2157), 701 15th Avenue
Good Sunday night blues jam session with no cover charge
Rock Island Brewing Company (309-793 1999), 1815 Second Avenue
Open every night till three am with live music on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
B.L.U.E.S (773-528 1012), 2519 North Halsted
The leading North Side blues club which has presented some
of the greatest names in Chicago blues from Sunnyland Slim
to Pinetop Perkins
Blue Chicago (312-661 0100), 736 and 536 North Clark Street
and
Blue Chicago's clubs are moody, atmospheric places but both
are several steps more upscale than South Side clubs and so
both attract plenty of tourists
www.bluechicago.com
Buddy Guy's Legends (312-427 0333), 754 South Wabash
Several shades more sophisticated than most the South Side
blues clubs and the venue of choice for big names - and few
names are bigger than that of the club's owner
www.buddyguys.com
Checkerboard Lounge (773-624 3240), 423 East 43rd Street
Currently one of the best-known South Side blues clubs. Alma's
Soul Food next door will cater for your late-night munchies
www.centerstage.net/music/clubs/checkerboard-lounge.html
Green Mill (773-878 5552), 4802 North Broadway
Legendary Chicago club which oozes thirties elegance, charm
and violence. This was one of Al Capone's favourite hang-outs
www.centerstage.net/music/clubs/green-mill.html
Hideout Inn (773-227 4433), 1354 West Wabansia Avenue
A great club buried in a quiet, blue-collar industrial area.
Exuberant owners Katie and Tim Tutan present blues and alternative
bands to a mixed and friendly crowd
www.hideoutchicago.com
House of Blues (312-923 2000), 329 North Dearborn
This caricature of a blues club seems somehow superfluous
when the real thing is available just a few miles to the south
or west. In fairness, the management here book some great
bands
www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/chicago
Jazz Showcase (312-670-BIRD), 59 West Grand Avenue
Dark and candlelit like a jazz club should be, Jazz Showcase
was opened in 1947
www.jazz-showcase.com
Kingston Mines (773-477 4646), 2548 North Halsted
An enormous blues club with two vast rooms each with its own
stage
www.kingston-mines.com
Lee's Unleaded Blues (773-495 3477), 7401 South Chicago Avenue
Formerly the Queen Bee, this is an equally well-known establishment
www.centerstage.net/music/clubs/less-unleaded.html
Pops for Champagne (773-472 1000), 2934 North Sheffield Street
Smooth-style dinner jazz is played here every night while
discerning listeners indulge in glasses of champagne
www.popschampagne.com
Rosa's (312-342 0452), 3420 West Armitage
Some of Chicago's best blues artists provide music from Tuesdays
to Sundays
www.rosaslounge.com
Velvet Lounge (312-791 9050), 2128 South Indiana
One of the few jazz clubs on the South Side still presenting
regular sessions
www.velvetlounge.com
© Roots of Rhythm Ltd 2001-2004
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