Blues, Beer and Beale Street

I finally found the blues that made this area of the country famous. On Beale Street you are surrounded with music, from the lone guy who's playing his guitar on the corner, to the band who set up in the open pavillion to the three piece group who's playing in the bar.

I first found a piece of curb and watched this band jam away outside. All the players were black except for this scrawny white guy who made his guitar sing.



Then I walked up and down Beale, stopping in another bar for a beer and the best BBQ ribs that just melted off the bone.

When the sun went down is when the place really got lively. The streets were closed off to traffic so I was able to wander from bar to bar with a beer, getting a taste of each musical style along the way.

The best find of the night was at the Blues City Cafe where this amazing three piece band blew me away. If anyone had sold their soul to the devil at the crossroads, it was these people. The guitarist had fingers like lightning, the stand-up base player had a face like plastic that he contorted into ridiculous expressions and even played that monster base riding it like a mechanical bull.



The Dempseys were true entertainers and had command of the crows with the first strum of the guitar. But the most amazing feet was when the guitarist AND the bass player played a double neck guitar at the same time.



Memphis has it going on here. This is a must visit for anyone who travels out this way. I had such a great time here, I didn't want to leave, but I knew if I didn't then I would have had to get a room downtown and I needed to be back on the road to outrun Hurricane Dennis.



Next stop, Nashville.