Beale Street is the most iconic street in Memphis, TN. Not only does it host a number of shops, cafes, clubs, museums, music studios and other well-known tourist attractions, but it also brims with history as a major landmark for the blues movement. Beale Street has its history dating back to 1841. Conveniently located near the Mississippi River, it became a hub for travelers and traders, and musicians could always find an audience among the crowds coming and going from the port. This led to a particular growth in the African-American community, and blues music started to reign supreme on Beale Street.
Beale Street was created by Robertson Topp, a developer and entrepreneur. Robertson named it after a forgotten military legend, with its original name being Beale Avenue. Its western end primarily housed shops of trade merchants, who traded goods with ships along the Mississippi River, while the eastern part developed as an affluent suburb. In the 1860s, many black traveling musicians began performing on Beale. The first of these to call Beale Street home were the Young Men’s Brass Band, who were formed by Sam Thomas in 1867.
In the 1870s, the population of Memphis was rocked by a series of yellow fever epidemics, leading the city to forfeit its charter in 1879. During this period, Robert Church bought land around Beale Street that would eventually lead to his becoming the first black millionaire from the south. In 1890, Beale Street underwent renovation with the addition of the Grand Opera House, later known as the Orpheum. In 1899, Church paid the city to create Church Park at the corner of 4th and Beale. It became a recreational and cultural center, where blues musicians could gather. A major attraction of the park was an auditorium that could seat 2,000 people.
Today, Beale Street is home to everything from cheap nightclubs to expensive restaurants. However, it has not forgotten its roots. There are a number of vintage attractions that include old theaters, historic houses and retro jazz halls. When it comes to entertainment, there is always cool stuff to see; in terms of relevance, there is just no competing with its history and heritage. You most definitely want to make time in your schedule for a destination like this. Beale Street is quite a significant location in the city’s history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are major tourist attractions in the City of Memphis. Festivals and outdoor concerts frequently bring large crowds to the street and its surrounding areas.
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