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Where to go for real blues

" If you had company coming, where would you take them to hear real Delta blues? "


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>Memphis Mojo

By Heather Gates

In order to find out where to hear really good blues, who better to ask than the people who really know what good blues is.

So we asked several blues aficionados and politicos from around the Mid-South, "If you had company coming, where would you take them to hear real Delta blues?" Some answers were surprising while others were predictable. But all provide a tasty slice of the blues, from the juke joints in Memphis and Mississippi to the lights and glitter of Beale Street. No doubt, wherever you take your company, they'll eat the blues up.

  • For real-deal juke joints, go to Clarksdale - Red's, the River Mount Lounge. There's also Blind Jim's in Oxford; Junior Kimbrough's in Holly Springs. In Memphis, try Green's Lounge or the Map Room. My band plays on Beale Street occasionally. The Black Diamond probably has a more eclectic - a wider range - of music. And if you're looking for a good juke box selection - not a live band - try Earnestine & Hazel's or the CK Coffee Shop, near Union and I-240 (near the Methodist Hospital). Howard Stovall Executive Director, The Blues Foundation Member, Stone Gas Band

  • Any establishment on Beale, especially B.B. King's. Green's Lounge is a good place to go, too. Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton

  • There's Green's Lounge on Saturday nights and Junior Kimbrough's in Holly Springs on Sundays, because it's usually open only on Sunday nights. And, of course, the Center always has a great lineup on weekends. Heather Heilman Free-lanceWriter Bartender at the Center for Southern Folklore

  • I'd take them to the park (Handy Park on Beale). Really, anywhere but Beale (clubs). I mean, why pay 50-60 cents more for a beer? Maybe Green's Lounge. R.L. Burnside plays at Barristers sometimes, so I'd take them there if he was playing. I'd take them to Wild Bill's, too, if only they hadn't gotten in so much trouble. Mark Bell Manager, Sun Studios

  • My first choice is always Beale Street. I love taking the clients there. In fact, a few of the (blues) artists have even ended up in our clients' films! Linn Sitler Executive Director of The Memphis & Shelby Co. Film, Tape and Music Commission

  • Definitely Red's, Rhodes (both in Clarksdale), or to the Dew Drop Inn, in Shelby, Mississippi. If I had a little more time, I'd take them to Monkey's Lounge, in Marigold, Mississippi, or to Club Ebony, or Nelson Street, in Greenville, Mississippi. Or I'd take them to one of the many impromptu fish fries and bar-b-ques that the Delta's famous for - of course, if I knew someone and we were invited. They're outdoors. It's like a party. Those are the best, definitely. John Ruskey Curator, The Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Miss.

  • That depends on the day of the week. Most nights, I'd take them to the Black Diamond, for all-around good blues. On a Friday night, I'd take them to the Map Room. And on a Saturday night, I'd take them to Green's Lounge. Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout