Country and Blues

We heard plenty of country music in Nashville but our preference are the blues, which we got plenty of in Memphis and Clarksdale, MS.

Even though we were in Nashville, we did not attend a bachelorette party or hang with Vanderbilt fraternity boys. That said, we did spend time on Broadway and sampled many honky-tonks (we skipped Kid Rock’s place because he is an asshole). Our favorite place was Robert’s Western World where we saw the trio, Kelly’s Hero; they are more rockabilly than country.

We spent last Friday afternoon at the Country Music Hall of Fame. While we are not country music fans, we really enjoyed the museum. The exhibit we both enjoyed most was on Los Angeles country-folk rock.

Nashville is a boom city. I was here in 2019 for business and everyone we met with then commented on the population growth of the city. The number of tourists Thursday afternoon in the bars on Broadway was overwhelming. I just read that Nashville hotel rates are the highest in the country. Jane has never been here and while she was surprised by the number of people in the music venues at 2pm, she enjoyed the live music (not as much country and the country that we saw, she likes – Cash, Dolly, Patsy, Willie, etc).

Even though Memphis and Nashville are both in Tennessee, they are so different. In the bluntest of terms, Nashville is white and affluent, Memphis is black and struggling.

We arrived in Memphis Saturday afternoon and our first stop was the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum which is connected to the FedEx Forum. We hadn’t previously heard about it and really enjoyed the museum.

In anticipation for this trip, during our last two weeks of travel in Asia, I read King of the Blues by Daniel De Vise. The biography of B.B. King provided me with a good background on the history of blues in Memphis.

After checking into our hotel at the Doubletree Memphis, we went across the street to the Peabody Hotel and watched the ducks do their 5pm march from the lobby to their penthouse accommodations.

We checked out various juke joints and bands on Beale Street. Since the weather was unseasonably cold, we didn’t go to any of the outdoor venues.

A highlight of this trip the National Civil Rights Museum, which is connected to the Lorraine Hotel. The museum ends looking at rooms 306 and 307. MLK stayed in room in 307 and was assassinated in front of room 306. It was a very chilling experience at the end of an exceptional exhibit.

Our next stop was the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. As a fan of many artists that were on the Stax label, it was a joy to visit the place where so much great music was produced.

Before leaving Memphis on Monday, we had one final stop – Sun Studios (we went to Graceland 25 years ago). Again, walking through the studio where rock and roll was started (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins) was an awesome experience.

From Memphis, we drove south on Highway 61 to Clarksdale, MS – the birthplace of the blues. We originally planned to spend two nights in Clarksdale, but after rolling into town and driving around, we made the executive decision to cut our stay to one night.

After checking into the nicest hotel in town, the Hampton Inn, we went to the Delta Blues Museum, which is the world’s first museum devoted to the blues. We spent a couple of hours there and again, the B.B. King biography was a helpful secondary source while viewing the exhibits.

After the museum, we walked around town but to be honest, there were only a couple of places open. When asked by one of the store owners what we were doing in Clarksdale, we told him we were on our way to New Orleans for Jazz Fest. He said that was a common response for this week.

For dinner we went to Abe’s BBQ, which was our best meal since we were in Asheville. Abe’s is located at the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, where legend has it that blues great Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil.

Clarksdale advertises that they have live music 365 days a year. Since it was Monday, two of the more famous blues clubs were closed, so we went to Bluesberry Cafe and we saw a band from Italy, Massimo Bevilacqua and Gloria Turrini. They were actually pretty good and did all but one song in English.

Since another day in Clarksdale would be pointless, we got back on Highway 61 and arrived in Natchez, MS. Since leaving Memphis and driving 300 miles through Mississippi, we finally saw some beauty in the state. Natchez, situated along the Mississippi River, has some beautiful antebellum homes and a nice park above the banks of the river. It also has a craft brewery, Natchez Brewing Company, that we enjoyed last night.

I’ve never been much of a country music fan but I now have a bit more of an appreciation for it. It was great going to four different museums that featured blues and rock and roll.

I finished reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Tuesday night, I strongly recommend this novel by James McBride.

This morning we are on our way to New Orleans for Jazz Fest!!!