After an afternoon of roasting in the heat (mid 90s) without air conditioning we decided to head to Beale Street in Memphis and check out the "Home of the Blues". There is three things a person has to experience when in Memphis: Graceland, Memphis BBQ, and Beale Street.
Beale Street is 1.8 miles long and is home to Blues Music and BBQ venues. Lots of history in this neighborhood with its origins dating back to 1841. It originally housed shops of trade merchants, who traded goods with ships along the Mississippi River, while the eastern part developed as an affluent suburb. In the 1860s, many black traveling musicians began performing on Beale. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Memphis Minnie, B. B. King, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon and other blues and jazz legends played on Beale Street and helped develop the style known as Memphis Blues. The neighborhood has had many trials over the years but has finally landed on firm ground and provides a great place for locals and tourists to embrace America's music.
We headed to the Blues City Cafe to have a beer, bite, and listen to Blind Mississippi Morris. He's considered one of the top ten harmonica players in the world, has received the Premier Player Grammy Award twice for Harmonica Player of the Year, and is an authentic blues player. The music was awesome and you could easily tell he was the real deal. We definitely choose the right place.