Top 10 Best Blues ClubsA great Blues club is getting to be a rare treasure. As entertainment economies and tastes ebb and flow, Blues clubs come and go, and these days they are mostly going. A great Blues club first off needs a history of great artists that have paraded through the doors, a Blues Champion owner who loves the groove as much as the musicians, and the kind of crowds where you see lots of people you think you know, even if you've never been there. Here are ten of the country's best Blues clubs. Chicago is a rare city where you can Blues bar-hop. In a town nurtured on small corner bars featuring the Blues, Buddy Guy's place is the top of the town. Legends feature Blues every night with the biggest names in the Blues on weekends. You might even catch Buddy there when he's home. Urban Blues at it finest. You'd probably never consider Lincoln, Nebraska a Blues hotbed, when in fact The legendary Zoo Bar has been hosting the best in the Blues for years. Just off campus, University of Nebraska students have had a special line on the best Blues artists in this cozy little place around the corner from the state capital building. The original B.B. King Blues Club. Fortunately the Memphis club hasn't had to sacrifice the all-Blues lineup to compete locally, as other B.B. King clubs have been forced to diversify their lineup. Located at the head of Beale Street, B.B. Kings hosts slammin' Blues every day and night. Most of the artists are locals but don't let that discourage you, especially in Memphis. Atlanta's Blind Willie's is a Blues club born out of pure love for the music and Georgia's favorite Blues son, Blind Willie McTell. With it's stream of national artists, Blind Willie's would be considered a great club, but add Atlanta's own stable of great Blues artists, Sandra Hall, Sweet Betty, Mudcat, and you have one of the all around best Blues experiences in the South. Des Moines, Iowa would seem to be another lonely Blues outpost. Well thanks to Blues On Grand, it might be an outpost, but it certainly isn't lonely. This tiny place, down Grand Avenue from the state capital, has hosted the best in the Blues and is always the warmest place in town on the coldest nights of the year. Just outside of Pittsburgh, above the river in Blawnox, sits a small un-assuming blue-collar place called Moondog's. You wouldn't think that this little club, with caricatures of favorite artists depicted as dogs on the wall, could be a great blues experience. Fact is Moondog's is beloved by fans and artists for it's warm hospitality and great home cooking. If you're ever down in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, ask around about Skipper's Smokehouse. This funky little place hosts the best in live music with some great pois-on-ality. This unique venue has been Florida's home to the Blues for 20 years. It won the KBA Blues Club of the Year in 2001. It's the club that washed ashore. 2003 KBA Award winning club in Indinapolis, the Slippery Noodle is Indiana's oldest continually operating bar in the original building. The perfect place for the Blues. With a steady stream of great local talent and up-and-coming national artists, the Slippery Noodle has been winning awards for years. Louisville Blues fans have been treated to the best in the Blues for years at Stevie Ray's. They used to have more touring national artists but these days you will find more local and regional acts gracing the stage. Great place to see many newcomers as they make a splash on the Blues scene. This barbecue joint has been a stopover for all the touring Blues bands riding through Minnesota. The people are as friendly as it gets, the food is great, and there has been a steady stream of great Blues along with fine local talent to keep your mojo workin'.
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