PARTY IN THE USA

From honky-tonk to grunge, music mecca awaits

WORDS BY EMILY HUMPHREY

These cities are bursting with fabled venues, buzzing festivals and an array of genres that make for a rich tapestry of music history and culture across the States. Soak up each city’s fascinating legacy and thriving music scene with our round up of the biggest icons across the nation.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Elsewhere in Tennessee, you’ll find the birthplace of rock and roll. In fact, the first rock and roll song – Rocket 88 (Ike Turner and the Delta Cats) – was accidentally recorded here in 1951, when the guitarist’s amp malfunctioned during the recording. Other genres thrive too, like blues, gospel and jazz.

Before this generation had Memphis native Justin Timberlake, the city bred other music legends like B.B. King, Aretha Franklin and, of course, Elvis Presley. Visit Graceland, his former home, and tour Sun Studio, where the King recorded along with greats like Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music boasts over 2,000 items on display to discover the evolution and legacy of the genre. Over on historic Beale Street, the annual International Blues Challenge is a five-day event that showcases the best up-and-comers in blues.

Don’t miss… Walking in Memphis! There’s so much music history to take in on Beale Street – snap a pic under the ‘Home of the Blues’ sign, check out the Brass Notes Walk of Fame along the sidewalk, or pop into BB King’s Blues Club. Fun fact: Elvis bought a number of suits and getups from Lansky Bros. Clothing, still open today at number 126.

A night of country music at the Grand Ole Opry

Lower Broadway area, Nashville

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Nicknamed Music City, many big names got their big break in Nashville, from Johnny Cash and Chet Atkins to Taylor Swift and Patsy Cline. For a taste of the Tennessee capital’s treasured genre, delve into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – here you can organise a guided tour of nearby RCA Studio B, known as the birthplace of the ‘Nashville sound’ that emerged in the 1960s.

Dolly Parton, of course, was discovered on Nashville’s beloved Grand Ole Opry, a variety show still recorded live today. A much-coveted membership in the Opry is quite the honour in country music, with past members including Willie Nelson and Garth Brooks. For decades, the show lived at Ryman Auditorium – this is where Johnny and June first met! – before moving to the Grand Ole Opry House. Both venues are open for tours.

Don’t miss... Discover the Nashville sound. Visit the honky-tonk venues still around in the Broadway district today or catch a gig (or during the day, a backstage tour) at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Originally called Memphis Recording Service, Sun Studio's claim to fame is that it's the birthplace of rock & roll

A visit to Graceland is a must

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

This Southern city is a melting pot of African, American and French cultures and its history, character and proud culinary prowess provide the perfect setting for music, the heart and soul of the Big Easy: blues, jazz and gospel.

You’ll find a raucous nightlife in NOLA – but can it be called nightlife when it’s round the clock? Everyone knows it, New Orleans loves a party: street parades, festivals, street performances and the music clubs on Bourbon Street make for a good time. The ultimate street party is Mardi Gras, with the preceding weeks a seemingly-endless spectacle of parades, masquerade balls, costumes and frivolity.

New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From its origins here spawned numerous other genres, but traditional Dixieland (also called New Orleans jazz) endures today. The jazz funeral is a thing: the life of the departed is honoured through song with a funeral procession and brass band through the streets. As local jazz legend Louis Armstrong, born and raised in New Orleans, said “What we play is life.”

Don’t miss… Founded in 1961 to preserve this beloved genre, Preservation Hall is an intimate, revered jazz establishment, with performances most nights of the year by local master practitioners. Outside of the French Quarter, Frenchman Street is buzzing: try to catch some tunes at storied venues like The Spotted Cat Music Club or Blue Nile.

Designed and painted by artist Richard Wyatt, the Capitol Records building's Jazz Mural has been an icon in Hollywood since 1990

The famous Whisky a Go Go music venue on the Sunset strip

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

It’s not just famous artists that make their home here; the City of Angels is home to a staggering number of record labels, producers and other movers and shakers in the recording industry. The centre of the West Coast music scene, LA is home to celebrated labels like Capitol Records and A&M Records. Hopefuls from all genres head here, searching for their big break.

For a taste of LA nightlife, the Sunset Strip is Check out our home to legendary live music venues like the Roxy, tours here Viper Room and Whisky a Go Go. The century-old Hollywood Bowl is still the premier outdoor music venue, and it seems rather fitting that from this iconic amphitheatre you can see the Hollywood sign in the distance. If you’re not there to watch the artists walk the red carpet at the Grammy Awards, try the next best thing: the GRAMMY Museum is also housed in the Staples Centre downtown, with four floors of interactive exhibitions, including a Michael Jackson tribute.

Don’t miss... Snap a selfie outside Hollywood landmark Capitol Records, then it’s a five-minute stroll to Amoeba Music, one of the largest independent record stores you’ll ever come across. Previously housed on Sunset Boulevard, its new location is equally impressive – a block east of Hollywood Boulevard, a stone’s throw from the Walk of Fame. Browse LP collectibles, pick up some merchandise or you might even catch a live performance in store.

The famous Preservation Hall Jazz Bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans is a must-visit

A band plays jazz melodies on Bourbon Street, a regular NOLA feature

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Seattle was the epicentre of the grunge movement in the early 1990s – we’re talking Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.

But the city’s music scene doesn’t end with grunge. Other big names to emerge from Washington’s capital are equally celebrated, like cultural icon Jimi Hendrix. The Museum of Pop Culture pays homage to the guitar god throughout its exhibits and there are public memorials dotted throughout Seattle, including Jimi Hendrix Park (in walking distance from his childhood home).

Some of Seattle’s better-known live music venues include Columbia City Theater and Cafe Racer. Bumbershoot Festival, held every Labor Day weekend, is now in its fourth decade as one of the country’s biggest music and arts festivals.

Don’t miss… Just under two hours out of the city, Aberdeen’s welcome sign says it all: Come As You Are. Kurt Cobain Memorial Park is at the foot of the Young Street Bridge, one of the Nirvana frontman’s favourite places to hang out – dedicated fans will recognise this bridge as the inspiration for Something in the Way. There are murals, a guitar sculpture, headstone and more.

Live music is a common feature on Sixth St, Austin

Paramount Theater on Congress Avenue

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Everything’s bigger in Texas. Austin boasts the most live music venues per capita in the USA, but forget national domination. The Texan capital’s official slogan is the ‘Live music capital of the world’.

No surprise that the eclectic city plays host to top-notch festivals like creative mecca South By Southwest (SXSW), Levitation (originally known as the Austin Psych Fest), and the Austin City Limits Festival, a two-weekend-long event that attracts huge names.

Part of Austin’s charm is the array of venues; old-fashioned honky-tonk, piano bars, concert halls, clubs and dance halls. Downtown, the seven-block stretch of 6th Street known as Dirty 6th is the epicentre of Austin’s scene, home to icons like the classic Driskill Hotel and local favourite The Parish. Even the airport is a live music venue: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport hires exclusively local musicians in its in-terminal music program.

Don’t miss... Seeing a live act at the historic Paramount Theater is a memorable experience, likewise the hallowed Continental Club, which started in the 50s as a swish dinner club. This local institution, with a small stage and intimate feel, is open every night serving up tunes, from rockabilly to country to blues.

Guitar display at the Seattle Museum of Pop Culture

The Museum of Pop Culture

MAIN IMAGE: Blues clubs on Beale Street, Memphis