Beale Street

From the narrow street of Beale St here in Memphis we owe so much. The music of W.C. Handy and other Blues artists have influenced our music today. Much of the sound that we got from Elvis Presley, The King of Rock 'n Roll, can be traced to his influence by Blues.




Blues Music tells so much more than a fictional story or the feelings of a heartbroken lover. The music of the Blues Artists also tell us stories of our lives. Listen to the Memphis Blues, not the ones that REALTORS are writing right now, but the ones that tell the story of an oppressed people and the Mayor of Memphis at that time, E.H. Crump, who controlled a political machine that affected not only local politics but the Governor's Mansion and even sent men to Congress.



The St. Louis Blues tells even more stories. Oh I wish I could be the composer of Blues Music, but needless to say I'm not talented in that way. I would write of the problems we experience in the Real Estate market now.



Beale Street is not the street that Handy and Little Miss Laura (one of the most soulful singers I've ever heard) knew. Today Beale is a fun place to go. Lots of bright lights, no traffic on the street. You have street musicians, but not the Blues Singers that started this time honored tradition.



Is Beale Street worth visitng? You bet. Just keep the historical perspective in consideration when visiting there. It is a wonderful place.