From Reverend Keith A. Gordon,
Your Guide to Blues.
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During the postwar boom years of the blues, Beale Street in Memphis was a customary stop for any touring blues artist. Lined with clubs and a thriving street scene, artists like B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and Roscoe Gordon, among others, all performed, or got their start, in Beale Street clubs. In 1977, an act of Congress officially recognized Beale Street as the "Home of the Blues."

Today, clubs such as B.B. King's Blues Club, The Black Diamond, and Mr. Handy's Blues Hall thrive where local bluesman Furry Lewis once swept the street for the city of Memphis. Each year, the Beale Street Music Festival is held in the 33-acre Tom Lee Park on the banks of the Mississippi River at the end of Beale Street. This year's festival will be held from Friday, May 2nd through Sunday, May 4th as part of the city's "Memphis In May" celebration.

Beale Street Blues

Since its inception in 2000, the Beale Street Music Festival has hosted a diverse range of rock, R&B, Gospel and blues artists on its stage. This year's line-up is no exception, anchored by big name rockers like My Chemical Romance and Santana as well as pop stars like Fergie and Michael McDonald.

For blues fans, the three-day festival also features an impressive line-up of blues and R&B artists. Among this year's Beale Street Music Festival performers you'll find Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, the Black Crowes, and Pinetop Perkins with Hubert Sumlin. Other interesting performers on the festival stage this year:

• Keb' Mo'
• Charlie Musselwhite
• Robert "Wolfman" Belfour
• Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials
• Lurrie Bell
• Kenny Neal
• Richard Johnston
• Magic Slim & the Teardrops
• Nick Moss & the Fliptops

Notable Performers

Guitarist Keb' Mo' often performs in a traditional, country blues style, drawing on bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Son House for inspiration, but he also incorporates elements of folk rock and singer/songwriter lyrical style into his music. His slide guitar skills appeals to blues, rock and jazz fans alike, and Mo' has opened for a wide range of artists in every genre since launching his solo career in the early-1990s.

Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite is one of the undisputed greats in a field that includes giants like Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. Musselwhite's unique harp style is a fusion of country and urban blues, forged by years spent in San Francisco playing alongside talented guitarists like Robben Ford and Harvey Mandel, as well as performing session work with folks like Tracy Nelson, John Hammond, and John Lee Hooker.

Guitarist Buddy Guy has won 23 W.C. Handy Awards, five Grammys, and been inducted into both the Blues and Rock & Roll Hall of Fames. Eric Clapton has called Guy his favorite blues guitarist, and rockers like Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan can be counted among Guy's fans. A flamboyant showman, incendiary guitarist and powerful vocalist, Guy is a favorite performer on the festival circuit.

Although Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin are known for their sideman status playing behind Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, respectively, both bluesmen have forged significant solo careers on their own through the years. Pianist Perkins is a master of the boogie-woogie style while Sumlin's unique, red-hot and scorching six-string style has earned him a loyal audience on both sides of the Atlantic. Both Perkins and Sumlin have recorded frequently over the past 20 years.

The son of Chicago blues Carey Bell, guitarist Lurrie Bell was prompted into playing at a young age. By the time that he was 19, Bell was performing with his father's band, and over the past 30 years the younger Bell has appeared on the elder Bell's recordings along with those of artists like Sunnyland Slim, Eddy Clearwater, and Mississippi Heat, among others. Bell has also recorded a number of critically-acclaimed albums on his own.

Check with the Memphis In May website for more details on the Beale Street Music Festival.