Each year, music lovers from around the world venture to Memphis (post Covid- 19 that is), to take in the city’s world-renowned music scene, before road tripping further south to visit the famous blue markers that from part of the iconic Mississippi Blues Trail.
The makers that make up the Blues Trail, have been put in place to celebrate the birthplaces of many legendary blues musicians, or locations that have influenced their music, in any given era. So, whether you’re a huge fan of blues music or lover of music of all kinds, visiting Memphis and the locations that surround it, is certainly worth putting on your future bucket list.
Although we aren’t able to visit right now, below is a guide to some of the places of great musical significance both in and around Memphis, as well as those with blues markers – sure to inspire those at home to visit, when the time is right to travel again:
- Memphis is hailed as the birthplace of blues, soul and rock n’ roll. The iconic Beale Street is a significant location in the history of blues music, and filled with clubs and bars that are teeming with delta blues, jazz and rock n’ roll music. A blues marker can be found on 421 S. Main St, to celebrate the Blues Foundation based in Memphis. Other locations steeped in music history within the southern city are the Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and the acclaimed Sun Studio, where many famous blues and rock n’ roll musicians such as B.B King, Sleepy John Estes, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash recorded.
- Clarksdale, MS is recognised for its delta blues roots and is a 90-minute drive from Memphis. At what forms the beginning of the Blues Trail, here you will find one of the state’s oldest music museums and famous landmarks, the Delta Blues Museum. If you stick around after dark, Clarksdale comes alive with the sound of the blues, so be sure to stop in and visit Red’s Lounge, one of Clarkdale’s best juke joints. Ground Zero Blues Club is also a must-visit – owned by famous actor (and Memphis born) Morgan Freeman.
- Cleveland, MS is certainly a small town with big vibes, and located a 90-minute drive from Memphis. Here, you’ll find markers located at the Grammy Museum – the only Grammy Museum outside of Los Angeles – which is fitting as more Grammy winners have come from Mississippi than anywhere else. Whilst in town, experience railroad history at the Martin & Sue King Railroad Museum, as well as Dockery Farms, an old cotton plantation widely regarded as the place where delta blues music was born.
- Indianola MS is renowned for its music roots and the musicians who called it home – one being American singer-songwriter B.B King, where a memorial now lays in honour of his life. Located a 2-hour, 30 minute drive from Memphis, markers have been placed at what is now called B.B King’s favourite corner, on Second Street and Church Street. Whilst in Indianola, visit the B.B King Museum and Delta Interpretive Centre, which is a must for visitors wanting to explore Kings’ life and career, as well as hear stories of the Delta – its history, music and social mores.
Finish off by venturing further than the sounds of the blues, and immerse yourself in the rhythms of rock n’ roll, by visiting the small town of Tupelo, MS. This town is undoubtedly most famous for being the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
With so much music history drenched both in and around Memphis, it is definitely somewhere for music lovers to consider visiting for when the time is right to travel again.
For further information about Memphis and all this city has to offer, visit: https://www.
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