Music Venues in Memphis, TN

http://memphis.citysearch.com/profile/9441087/memphis_tn/rum_boogie_cafe.html
Rum Boogie downtown is a casual spot that has a super regular medley of R&B by the James Govan Band. Aerosmith and Stevie Ray Vaughn have played here and sometimes national bands just happen to drop in because this place is gaining a wide reputation. It's a great place for happy hour drinks and just for chilling with the great music. This is also a hot place for dancing as well! Ambiance is kind of funky, but that's fine for a bar where many of the clientele is "regulars." Needless to say, this is a great place to hang out and listen to great music.

My next pick is B.B Blues Club on Beale. Location is at143 Beale St., Memphis, TN 38103. This is a first-rate blues club, with class acts packing the house every week. Ruby Wilson and Preston Shannon take the lead weekdays, with national acts performing some weekends. Occasionally, King himself steps in and takes the lead. Nights like that are truly one-of-a-kind. Kings is popular with both tourists and locals because they offer authentic blues and rhythm, not just a watered down version. The southern fare on the menu is fairly good, but I'd defer to Rum Boogie for ribs. Kings used to draw a lot of national acts from the Forum but it seems now that the house bands are mostly the regular fare except on some weekends. These two clubs are within walking distance of each other, a plus if you're going downtown for a night out. This website is a good place to begin looking at what his club is all about: http://memphis.bbkingclubs.com/ Below is his personal website for those who are curious about King's history and his numerous awards.
http://www.worldblues.com/bbking/default.asp

The next place I recommend is downtown also, but it is entirely different from Kings and Rum Boogie. Ernestine's and Hazel's actually used to be an old brothel and the building is a pretty dilapidated antiquated clapboard building at the corner of Calhoun and South Main, in the historic district, but it's truly a one of a kind for its incredible juke box and the old south juke joint atmosphere which simply predominates, no matter what people are there. When I say incredible, I mean it. I have never heard a juke box with so many rare and old time selections. It's especially rich on the rhythm and blues and Motown, but also has selections from bands like the "Sons of the Pioneers," and Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald. This is a juke box to Dance to! You might have to elbow around pool cues sometimes, but everyone makes do at E&H's! Live bands also play on Sunday nights. Their food is limited to their famous E&H Soul Burger, which gets great reviews from the patrons. Sometimes they have fried catfish, but that's hit or miss. The burgers are served with sides that are yummy.

The clientele is mostly college kids and downtown locals, but it really doesn't take away one whit from the real authenticity of this place. Sometimes you see a party group, all dressed up to the nines, come stumbling in for late night frolicking. You'll see some street people asleep at the bar. And the local plumbers and electricians tired from working on the renovations around the area. When I say "late" I do mean late. This place stays open until mid-morning and some say you almost need to be a few sheets to the wind to really savor the ambiance - not really. You just have to have that down home But locals love E& H's-especially the downtowners who live in the neighborhood.

My next choice, the Hi-Tone, has only been around since 1998, but it has established itself as the premier venue for live music. It has been voted the #1 place to see live music by the Memphis Flyer poll and it claims to bring in more original live talent than all the other clubs combined. Located at 1913 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 it is conveniently situated right across from beautiful Overton Park in midtown Memphis and is very easy to get to.

Be prepared to encounter some very loud bands and some very young crowds, though. New talent often comes here to get noticed, and the variety of music ranges from funk, to blues, to who knows what. But all the bands are professional and working hard to get themselves heard. http://www.hitonememphis.com/

Another young, fast-moving place is Newby's bar and grill, near the University of Memphis. 539 S. Highland St. Memphis, TN 38111 http://www.newbysmemphis.com/home.php. This is a large bar with a dance area and a very friendly and competent wait staff. The food is absolutely mediocre-just fried bar food with the usual salads, etc. Newby's attracts a little more diverse audience than Hi-Tone, because of two elements. It has been around for a while longer and it has also attracted a local clientele of regulars who give the nightspot a more "neighborhood" feel. But the music is good, and they do feature new bands. I'd say that it is like Hi-Tone, only with a much more laid-back neighborhood atmosphere. At one time they used to have monthly crawfish fries and this 2006 Labor Day weekend they hosted a free barbecue cook off for registrants.
These are the sorts of things that tag a music nightspot as more than that and what I always look for when I go out for some real entertainment. You know the people are genuine and in Newby's case, you can really count on the music and lots of musical fellowship! But beware! The parking at Newby's is bad. Don't count on easing into a parking spot in front on Highland. You will probably have to scout out a nearby side-street or down the way.

I'll leave my selections here, since there are also a lot of venues in East Memphis and the outlying areas. I wanted to concentrate on nightspots in downtown or the center of the city that people would go to over and over for music quality and other attractions. I also wanted to pick places that anyone would want to go to over and over again. These five should give anyone a good start on the best in music venues. My advice is to start with these and you can't go wrong. So get down, loosen up, and you will find more all sorts of other out of the way places by talking to other folks when the music gets loud and funky!