February 2020

“ I boarded the plane. Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues. In the middle of the pouring rain (true story). Then I’m walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale.”   – Marc Cohn

Memphis is one of my top 10 favorite towns to visit. Always enjoy going to famous Beale Street and checking out the local music scene there.

Beale Street is the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock n roll.

Read on for more…

It rained a lot for a few days on this trip but on very the last day there was finally some sunny weather and so I headed out to grab dinner and catch a few bands on Beale Street.

I walked up and down the street and checked out the clubs and shops until I heard some really good music coming out of a hole in the wall venue that drew me in and so I went inside to check it out.

The music was coming from Delta Blues band Vince Johnson & Plantation All-Stars playing at the Blues Hall Juke Joint which is part of the Rum Boogie Cafe located next door.

I think this is the best live music recording I’ve done to-date. I start off filming footage from the back of the bar but quickly moved up close to get some cool shots of the the band, guitar solos, and more.  There are four of five songs total, each with amazing guitar, harmonica, vocal and keyboard solos.

Grab a drink and watch the amazing showmanship of these musicians. Total running time a little over 18 minutes. The songs and solos are fantastic, I think you’ll like what you hear and see.

What really blew me away about this band was the older gal who was playing guitar. She shredded on some solos that blew my mind, she was an absolutely amazing super skilled player, everyone in the band was really good.

while on Beale Street I also stopped in at BB Kings Blues Club where I had dinner and watched their house band play. They did some pretty good covers of such songs as Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey, Black Crow’s Hard to Handle and Prince’s Purple Rain.

Check out the video below.

Thanks for checking out my blog stories, photos and videos!

Blues Hall
174 Beale St, Memphis, TN
https://www.facebook.com/blueshall/

BB King Blues Club
143 Beale St, Memphis, TN
https://www.bbkings.com/memphis/