When I was stationed in the south, I used to go out of my way to find a good ol’ down and dirty back hole blues bar in the local slum. You know, the kind of place the police don’t mess with, there is no crime, people just drinking and having a good time listening to Blues.
Well now I want to take my wife to enjoy some good old southern blues. It has to be a safe place where I do not feel a need to look over my shoulder every ten seconds.
The problem I have had is that I have found more Jazz than Blue’s, and while that could be good, they all seem to have live rock bands instead.
Cool cats like me go to Skipper’s Smokehouse, which is not a 100% pure blues bar but they feature blues artists often, and it’s the supremely mellow scene, i.e. “the kind of place the police don’t mess with, there is no crime, people just drinking and having a good time.”
Thanks for the link, but I just searched the site and there is nothing really coming up. As for blues, it seems more like a blues/rock mix with a whole bunch of white 30-somethings.
Once again, appreciative of the effort. I am basically looking for the old black guy with the cigar and guitar feeling sorry for himself, know what I mean?
We had a miniDopeFest there last winter, you should have come. Although the band that night was Zydeco and I used to mainly go there for Reggae and think of it more as a Reggae place… all things to all people, perhaps? Just thought there might be a good Blues place hidden somewhere that I was not aware of.
Tobacco Road - Miami's Oldest Bar - mentioned by Chela above, seems to be close but maybe a bit like Skipper’s, in that it also has other genres represented.
I’m not sure if this meets your criteria. It’s really “A couple of white guys in a blues band who opened a bar in a strip mall.” But as I was a fan of the Groove Thangs and these guys are the remnants of that band, FYI:
Pretty funny, this is the only place I went to with my wife; someone told me it was a full-fledged blues bar. But the gator nuggets and chicken wings sure were good.
Not at all familiar with the Miami Blues scene, but in consulting The Da Capo Jazz and Blues Lover’s Guide to the US, by Christiane Bird, Tobacco Road is the oldest club. Their current listing wasn’t that impressive to me, though.
Another route you might take is to contact Blue Note Records, the best jazz and blues record store in the area. They would have the skinny on any noteworthy venues and happenings.
I recommend getting the Da Capo book; it’s very well-done, with musical history of each area, listings of clubs (and their atmosphere), record stores and radio stations. Great to have while travelling as a musical guide.
No cinderblock holes-in-the-wall down here, crying shame too. Unless there is one and no one told me? Anyway, best I know of is upscale, Sushi Blues in Hollywood. But even there the lineup is weak, and it’s definitely whitey blues.
Just thought there might be a good Blues place hidden somewhere that I was not aware of.