WHERES THE BEST PLACE TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC OUTSIDE A CHURCH?
Certainly the easiest is Beale Street in Memphis, which has been a wild, wide-open, place ever since the days of “Boss” Crump, the politician who employed WC Handy to write “Memphis Blues”. Like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, it’s a tailor-made tourist trap, but you would have to be very churlish not to enjoy its sleazy charm. Apart from the bars and restaurants, most of which feature live music every night, you can buy voodoo accoutrements at Schwab’s Dry Goods Store (163 Beale, 001 901 523 9782), or consult a psychic. If it’s a Tuesday, you can go to the fights at the Old Daisy Theatre. While good-time blues is more prevalent than soul, there are exceptions. Drawn by the sound of an authentic soul voice amid all the sub-BB Kingisms, I paid $3/£2 to enter the Rum Boogie Cafe (182 Beale St, 001 901 528 0150), where residents James Govan and the Boogie Blues Band were running through their set. Though he looks a little battered, Mr Govan has a great, rasping voice, and the six-piece ban
