Inspiring some of the greatest sounds of all time – from hip-hop and R&B to country and jazz – the southern US is dream trip for music fans
- Fly into: Atlanta, Georgia or Nashville, Tennessee
- Stop off in: Memphis, Tennessee
- Fly out of: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Distance covered: 857 miles
- Atlanta: the south’s hip-hop/R&B capital
Stop 1: Atlanta, Georgia
In Baby Driver, the movie’s Ray-Ban-wearing antihero rides around Atlanta listening to scrupulously chosen iPod playlists. It’s a fitting location: the largest city of the southern states would delight any music obsessive. It is south’s hip-hop/R&B capital, where local legends Outkast, TLC, Ludacris and rap stars du jour Migos fight for the title with Coca-Cola and CNN of “Atlanta’s most famous export” stakes. Start your southern music odyssey here and make like an ATL rapper by stocking up on A Ma Maniére’s streetwear.
Of course, Atlanta’s musical legacy stretches much further back; legends such as James Brown, Gladys Knight and Little Richard all grew up near the city. For some reflection on the racial oppression they faced in their early careers, tour Martin Luther King Jr’s childhood home (the activist was born and raised in Atlanta) or visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights, before popping into nearby soul-food restaurant Paschal’s, the sister venue to the former hub for activism of the same name, which hosted stars such as Aretha Franklin and Dizzy Gillespie.
For a chance spotting a more contemporary music icon, Lady Gaga is a fan of the offbeat ecclesiastical-themed bar Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium, which hosts church-organ karaoke.
- Little Five Points, Atlanta’s boho enclave
Try to catch a show in 1920s movie palace Fox Theatre (recent acts have included Bon Iver and Sigur Rós). A short walk away is the Ellis Hotel, whose dog-friendly floor or allergen-free “fresh air” floor provide plenty of (southern) comfort.
Elsewhere, determinedly scruffy Little Five Points is Atlanta’s boho enclave, home to locally cherished Criminal Records and grungy gig venue the Earl. If time permits, hire a car with Avis to visit nearby Athens, the university town that sired REM and the B-52’s, and more recent acts such as Deerhunter and the Black Lips.
- Nashville’s Johnny Cash museum
Stop 2: Nashville, Tennessee
Alternatively, you could start your trip from Nashville, because British Airways is now offering the UK’s first direct flights to the city (otherwise you can drive up from Atlanta). Thanks to country music’s resurgence, the TV show Nashville, and the city’s tech startup scene, Tennessee’s Music City is buzzing – and has never been more accessible.
The perfect primer to Nashville’s boot-tappin’ mayhem is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which exhibits Dolly Parton’s dresses, Elvis’s Cadillac and some well-known blue suede shoes. It also houses legendary letterpress shop Hatch Show Print, which has created concert posters for everybody from Hank Williams to Pearl Jam.
The main strip of Broadway embodies Nashville with all its honky-tonks and three-for-one boot stores. Nestled here is Manuel Cuevas’s shop, the “Rhinestone Rembrandt” behind Elvis’s and Elton’s lamé suits. And check out the Johnny Cash Museum, celebrating the life and music of one of the highest-selling artists of all time – plus there’s a new Patsy Cline Museum upstairs too.
On neon-lit Broadway, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World are packed with tassel-jacketed musicians playing for $1 tips, urging crowds to “holler and swaller” (to shout and drink!).
Away from Broadway, Bluebird Cafe’s Monday open mic nights are justifiably famous (Taylor Swift was discovered here). Less proficient Tammy Wynette-wannabes can haul their battered six-string (or possibly a new one from Gruhn Guitars) to Ryman Auditorium, where amateurs can cut records from $30.
- Third Man Records
This 2,362-seater venue was previously a tabernacle and home to seminal radio show the Grand Ole Opry. Although the Ryman hosts winter performances, the Grand Ole Opry is now broadcast from the Gaylord Opryland Resort, which has nearly 3,000 rooms, plus fits a paddleboat and antebellum mansion under its roof (or for less extravagant digs, try celeb hangout Hutton Hotel).
Not into country? Try the food and wine festival in September, run by Nashville natives Kings of Leon. Vinyl fans can seek solace crate-digging at Jack White’s Third Man Records. Meanwhile, performances in Fond Object record store’s backyard offer possibly the quirkiest gig-going music experience in the US – watching bands play while petting pigs and goats.
- Memphis means Elvis: every year fans hold a candle-lit vigil
Stop 3: Memphis
A three-hour drive away is Memphis, which could equally stake a claim to Nashville’s Music City status. After all, the big bang moments for rock’n’roll and soul happened here – both genres developing from the delta blues, which rumbled through its Beale Street clubs.
Then there’s Elvis. Trace the King’s career by touring Sun Studio – where he recorded his earliest tracks – before catching the free shuttle-bus to Graceland, where he lived until his 1977 death. This must-see mansion is every bit as kitsch as you’d expect: full of gaudy animal prints, green shag-pile carpets and customised private jets.
- The jungle room at Graceland
Rest your head where Elvis signed his record contract (and attended his prom!) – at the Peabody. It’s the grand dame of southern hotels, where every night, ceremoniously led by the “Duckmaster”, the resident ducks waddle from their rooftop penthouse into the hotel lobby fountain.
Memphis music isn’t confined to museum pieces – as BB King’s and Rum Boogie’s live gigs attest. Should you suffer a bourbon-induced foggy head, the uplifting Sunday morning gospel choir led by Reverend Al Green (yes, that one) at Full Gospel Tabernacle Church is the perfect cure.
The spirit of Elvis may be harder to shake off. At the Arcade diner, you can slide into what was his favourite booth, and eat his favourite peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Hardcore Elvis-fanatics can visit his Lansky Bros tailors or spend a night in his teenage bedroom (Lauderdale Courts), which boasts a wall smeared in lipstick kisses.
Stop 4: New Orleans
Stop off at the junction of Highways 61 and 49, outside Clarksdale. It’s where blues hero Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil, marking the moment that the blues was born.
New Orleans, or Nola, celebrates its tricentennial this year, which means the hedonistic city will be partying harder than ever. You can’t walk a block without stumbling into an amazing band or busker – and check out the free afternoon jazz at the New Orleans Jazz Museum housed in the historic Old US Mint.
At night, cram into the tiny Preservation Hall, which epitomises the community driven character of New Orleans. For new jazz talent, there are the cosy clubs of Frenchmen Street, such as the Spotted Cat and Snug Harbor.
- The junction of Highways 61 and 49; New Orleans’ French Quarter
New Orleans’ unique cuisine also celebrates the art of good living. The gumbo buffets cooked by 95-year-old Leah Chase at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant are every bit as good as when Ray Charles wrote songs about the Tremé eatery.
Hotel-wise, the French Quarter is where you want to be. Royal Sonesta and Maison Dupuy are so close to its live music action, you could throw a Mardi Gras necklace from their wrought-iron balconies.
Louis Armstrong Square is a fitting coda to any New Orleans music pilgrimage. It isn’t just the Satchmo statue making it special. Also known as Congo Square, this was where 19th-century slaves assembled to sing songs from Africa that they’d left behind. These percussive rhythms helped create the birth of jazz, and, therefore, nearly every other genre of music that followed.
For more inspiration and to book your trip to the US, visit ba.com/usa
