One of the required stops while on a
visit to Memphis, TN is the famous Beale Street, home of the Memphis
Blues. In the early 1900s Beale Street,
then Beale Ave, was home to many African American clubs, Restaurants and other businesses. From the 1920s through the 1940s the greats
of Jazz and the Blues made Beale Street a regular stop on their national
tours.
By the 1960s, Beale Street had become rundown and many of the stores and clubs began to close. After the declaration of Beale Street as a National Historic Landmark and a congressional resolution naming Beale Street the “Home of the Blues,” the street began to take on new life as a center for entertainment and dining.
One afternoon and evening in 2003, while
on vacation in Memphis, we decided to take in some of the sights and sounds of
the famous blues corridor. As always, I
had my trusty point & shoot camera with me (at that time a Canon Powershot
G2).
A multiband concert was going on in the park late in the afternoon.
Buskers were kickin’ out mean blues along the street.
The clubs were crowded. I managed to get some shots inside the clubs but the high ISO settings caused some serious digital noise.
Of course, in some cases the noise added to the ambiance rather than detracted from it.
Here the noise makes the blues seem to
come to life.
If you like the blues, you must make it
to the “Home of the Blues,” Beale Street in Memphis Tennessee.
© Tim Marks 2009 all rights reserved
