I've Got The Blues

Today was Hubby Tony's birthday, so he got to choose  the day's activities.  After a lot of  deliberation, he told me he wanted to go the National Blues Museum, which just opened a couple of months ago.

The museum is located in downtown St. Louis, not too far from the convention center.  We arrived about 12:30.  There was a concert going on  (which was included in the price of our admission), but when the volunteer working outside the room said the band would be taking a break soon we decided to explore the museum first.

The National Blues Museum showcases the history and influence of blues music in America.  According to the museum's website:

"Few forms of American music can claim a history as long, as tradition-rich, and as complex as the Blues. Since its origins in the Deep South long ago, the Blues has been a bedrock for virtually all American popular music of the last hundred-plus years."

The exhibits were in roughly chronological order, but there were also sections organized by geography and genre.  They showed how the blues could be tied into just about every genre of music-- jazz, folk, rock and roll, pop, country, and rap.  The walls were filled with explanations of periods, events, and  people, and large display cases held artifacts.  There were also several interactive exhibits.  My favorites (multiple stations scattered throughout the displays) allowed you to make pieces of music, then compile them into a song in a studio and email it to yourself.  When I got home my album (including the title and blues name I gave myself) was waiting in my inbox.

My "legendary" album.  It would never win an award, but was fun to do.

In between looking at the displays and listening to the concert we spent 2 1/2 hours at the museum. When the band finished up we decided it was time to leave.  However, this won't be our last visit; we had so much fun we decided to purchase a membership, which means we can get free admission for the next year.

Five years ago today: Punny!