Cookin’ Blues: Lemon Pound Cake
Cake Walking’ Blues’ Do you know the origins of the Cakewalk? The Cakewalk has its origins on slave plantations before the Civil War, with slaves participating in an elaborate dance with the winner receiving a cake at the end similar to the ring shout, a religious dance ritual from West Africa. During a cakewalk: “couples […]
Cookin’ Blues: Fried Catfish
Catfish Blues Cookin’ with the Blues is a 3-part segment featuring three dishes found in Blues songs and are staples in the American South. The dish is a staple in Southern cooking and is inspired by the artists that sang about them. Catfish thrive in the Mississippi Delta’s soil-rich waters and the channels that branch […]
Welcome to Our Home: The Stix, Baer, and Fuller Building
Sitting on Washington Ave between 6th and 7th Streets, the National Blues Museum resides in what was initially known as the Grand-Leader building, most known today as the Stix, Baer, and Fuller building. Stix, Baer, and Fuller was a department store chain that operated from 1892-1984. In 1906, their department store occupied an entire block […]
Behind the Scenes at the National Blues Museum
The National Blues Museum showcases a contemporary exhibit with many digital interactives, rather than your traditional object-centered history museum. Visitors learn about the Blues’ rich history and explore aspects of Blues music that many people may not know through songs, film, pictures, objects, and digital interactives. The design and development of the Museum from sketches […]
What’s in a Name?: Bo Diddley and His Bo Diddley Beat
Bo Diddley was born Ellas Otha Bates in Mississippi, on December 30, 1928. After his father’s death at just seven years old, Ellas moved up to Chicago with his aunt, who later adopted him, and he took the surname McDaniel. In Chicago, he was introduced to the classical violin by Professor O.W. Frederick at the […]
National Blues Museum History
St. Louis influenced the Blues as it sat right along the Blues Highway, Highway 61. Historically, musicians stopped and performed in St. Louis as they traveled from the South to the big recording labels in Chicago. Songwriters, such as W.C. Handy, were inspired to write based on their experiences in St. Louis and created monumental […]
Stories of the Crossroads: Blues Myths
Did Robert Johnson Really Sell His Soul to the Devil? One night at a Mississippi juke joint in 1930, Son House and Willie Brown played their infamous Delta Blues tunes to a packed house. During the intermission, a young, bright-eyed, 19-year-old Robert Johnson conjured up the courage to take hold of the musician’s instruments and […]
National Blues Museum COVID – 19 Plan
Visitors An inherent risk of exposure to respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. […]