From Illinois to Louisiana, passing through Tennessee and the nonchalant banks of the Mississippi, inspirer of many writers and countless songs, local talents play with fervor and spontaneity in the local juke joints, these clubs created after the ‘abolition of slavery which welcomed the rural black population excluded from bars and lounges reserved for whites. Bluegrass and Cajun, gospel and rockabilly, honky-tonk and western, jazz, zydeco, country, soul… Let the good times roll (“Let the good times roll”), as they say here.
1- Chicago, blues in the veins
The “Windy City” is both an architectural feat (it houses the first skyscrapers in American history and the architectural works of Frank Lloyd Wright), a natural setting between Lake Michigan and gardens, and the cradle of the blues electric. A city full of contrasts, where we like to stroll sumptuous buildings of the Loop, the business district, in fabulous collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. Then we end the day in the jazz and blues bars that liven up the neighborhoods and resonate in the streets. Because the blues is the soul of the city, its heritage since the Great Migration at the beginning of the 20th century. Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Freddie King, John Primer… all have played here. In June, the Chicago Blues Festival celebrates and perpetuates this original genre, from which stem the main musical innovations of the 20th century: jazz, rock and even rap.
2- Saint Louis, in the footsteps of Chuck Berry and Scott Joplin
Head for Saint-Louis and the banks of the Mississippi. This great mythical river was the source of inspiration for many writers, including Mark Twain, and countless songs, deeply rooted in American culture. We go up the royal road of African-Americans fleeing the racism of the South, who came to seek fortune and fame in the industrial metropolises of the North, carrying melancholy airs combining songs from Africa and Indian rhythms. In Saint Louis, to vibrate to the rhythm of blues, soul and R&B music, the old quarter of Soulard and The Beale on Broadway are unmissable, as is Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Berry,one of the fathers of rock’n’roll, enjoyed performing regularly, and the Loop, where ethnic clubs and restaurants share the nightlife. To complete the musical experience, you must visit the home of Scott Joplin, creator of ragtime, and the National Blues Museum.
3- Nashville , the country mecca
Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Johnny Hallyday … The “Music City USA”, nourished by bluegrass, has welcomed icons. Its emblems: the Opryland USA complex which offers in its huge studios a plunge into the syrupy universe of the Old South, the Country Music Hall of Fame®, which traces the genesis of country music, the legendary Grand Ole Opry concert hall, RCA’s Studio B on Music Row, the Ryman Auditorium, the Johnny Cash Museum … After strolling through Riverfront Park or Hillsboro Village, you must visit the Tennessee State Museum to learn more about the history of colonization and civil rights movements. One can even go to see the plantations of the Antebellum era, such as Belle Meade or The Hermitage, the residence of Andrew Jackson, the fifth President of the United States. Then listen to the rising country stars in the honky-tonks bars of Printers Alley or Broadway …
4- Memphis, capitale rock
At the turn of the 20th century, it was on the farms and cotton plantations of the Mississippi Delta, between Memphis and Vicksburg, that the first notes of the “Delta Blues”, illustrated by Charley Patton, erupted. And it was in Memphis, located on the banks of the river, that the blues met country from Nashville and the Appalachians to give birth to the first rock in history with Johnny Rockets. Elvis Presley started his career there at Sun Studio. Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin recorded at Stax Records, another historic label transformed into a museum (we see the reconstruction of the original studio, guitars, stage costumes and Isaac Hayes’ Cadillac). The Rock’n’Soul Museum is another cult address, as is Graceland, a delirious sanctuary for King fans, and Beale Street, dotted with the most famous clubs. Memphis is also a hotbed of the fight against racial segregation. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, now annexed to the magnificent National Museum of Civil Rights. Unmissable.
5- Clarksdale and Indianola, mythical region of the Delta
Following the Mississippi, in the heart of old plantations and old pre-war mansions, we arrive in Clarksdale. It was there, in this sleepy town surrounded by vast cotton fields and desolate plains, that the blues would be born – and also the legendary John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Son House, Ike Turner, among others – and that is held the Juke Joint Music Festival, in the spring. At the intersection of routes 61 and 49, “The Crossroads” where, according to legend, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to receive his talent on the guitar, is a place of pilgrimage for fans of the blues. Unmissable, the Delta Blues Museum looks back on the history of this musical movement and exhibits wax statues of legends like Muddy Waters, who influenced the Rolling Stones and other rockers, and his Muddywood Guitar. Then it’s time to join Indianola to visit the BB (for Blues Boy) King Museum and learn more about the rich cultural heritage of the Delta and one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
6- Lafayette, to the sound of Cajun and Zydeco music
Capital of Cajun country, Lafayette is located in Louisiana, where French Canadians settled in the 18th century. Between historical sites (such as the interesting Vermilionville ecomuseum, which recreates a village of yesteryear), restaurants (to taste delicious okra), excursion in the bayous populated by alligators, the city is full of discoveries. On the music side, zydeco reigns supreme here, mixing Cajun melodies and rhythm’n’blues. To discover Cajun and Creole culture and listen to talented musicians, it is essential to attend a friendly and warm “sleepover” evening or a festival (Mardi Gras in February, the height of the festivities; Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in May; Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival in August; Acadian and Creole festivals in October).
7- New Orleans, at the crossroads of blues and jazz
Bob Dylan likes to say that he doesn’t have any particular roots but that the only place he feels at home is New Orleans. Perhaps because this eminently mixed city is rich in its multiculturalism, mixing Spanish, African, French and Creole cultures. Perhaps because, timeless and festive, the hot nights of jazz clubs vibrate to the sound of the trumpets and clarinets of the immortals Armstrong and Bechet. Perhaps because the wonder is constant, as in the historic district of Vieux Carré, punctuated by the syncopated chords of ragtime, where colonial houses display jagged wrought iron balconies in streets with French names lined with lush oaks. Perhaps because the jubilation is infernal when the voodoo wizards reappear at Carnival time … For all these reasons, certainly.
Our favorite
Music along the water – Autotour – 16 days / 14 nights
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