Taste the Music of the Great River Road

Published on Sep 29, 2009

From northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great River Road follows the Mississippi River through America’s heartland. As it flows southward, the Mississippi River brings together the history, culture, and musical traditions of this unique region that gave birth to blues, jazz, rock ’n roll, bluegrass, and country music.

The Great River Road journeys through Minnesota’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which are the regional epicenter for the performing arts. Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis is home to the Minnesota Orchestra. The building’s open-glass design and unique blue tubes provide acoustical perfection. And in nearby St. Paul, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts offers the sweet sounds of jazz, as well as Broadway musicals and a wide range of local talent.

For a less formal listening environment, take a trip across the Mississippi River and enjoy one of many summer music festivals in Wisconsin. Each July, catch Riverfest in La Crosse. For five days around the Fourth of July, its six stages host more than 200 hours of live entertainment, ranging from country and rock to jazz and blues.

Follow the byway further south to Davenport, Iowa, where you can catch Davenport's Music Experience, a festival that highlights local talent. Nightly concerts feature true American music with a flavor that could only be found along the Mississippi River. Go to three larger festivals held annually in Davenport--the Blues Festival held over Fourth of July weekend; the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival held a few weeks later; and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Riverfront Pops series, one held in mid-August and the other in late November.

If you love music in the outdoors, you won’t want to miss the musical productions held by the Municipal Opera Association ("The MUNY") in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1919, the Municipal Opera Association has been putting on remarkable outdoor performances in the nation’s oldest outdoor theatre. Performances have included popular musicals such as Hairspray, Camelot, and Annie.

Plan a trip along the Great River Road over Memorial Day weekend and stop in Little Rock for Riverfest, the largest festival of performing and visual arts in Arkansas. Past performers have included top-name acts such as Smash Mouth, Lifehouse, LL Cool J, B.B. King, Seether, and Brad Paisley. Be sure to travel across the river to Memphis, Tennessee, and visit Graceland, the former home of rock 'n roll legend Elvis Presley.

Discover the birthplace of the blues in the State of Mississippi. At the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, you’ll learn how the blues were born and how the style eventually spread throughout the nation. Just a short drive away, near the mouth of the Mississippi in Louisiana, you’ll find the culturally and musically fertile New Orleans. The jazz clubs of the French Quarter are world-renowned.

Take a trip along the Great River Road and discover the fascinating roots of American music. No matter where the music takes you, your journey will surely be melodious.

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