The rich, deep sounds of blues music creep from every club doorway along Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. a tradition that has brought visitors and musicians to the area for more than a century.

This sleepy, hub city of the South, located about three hours from Carbondale, has produced some of the most influential musicians of blues and rock n’ roll. Such greats as B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis began their careers here, and after grabbing national attention, changed the face of music forever.

Although today’s popular music scene has distanced itself from its blues roots, Memphis blues is still very much alive. On any given night clubgoers can be seen jumping between the score of bars into the early morning hours. The two-block area is closed off to traffic and remains open until 5 a.m. only to open again at 10 a.m.

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But the music is not limited to the clubs. The Beale Street area is similar to New Orleans’ French Quarter with street musicians playing more for the love of the music than the dimes and nickels passersby toss in their guitar cases. Even for such stars as B.B. King, club performances in Memphis are more important than national amphitheater concerts.

For more information about Beale Street and Memphis, contact the Memphis Chamber of Commerce at (901) 575-3500 or Memphis Mojo on the Internet at http://www.memphismojo.com