News from the Music Industry

ATLANTA

THE MUSIC: Hip-hop, rhythm and blues

THE LEGENDS: Hip-hop thrives in Atlanta, with local talent churning out chart toppers. Homegrown musicians and producers include Usher, OutKast, Jermaine Dupri, Monica, TLC and India.Arie. The city is also headquarters for record labels So So Def Recordings, Real Deal Records (owned by Evander Holyfield) and LaFace Records. Vocalists Whitney Houston, Regina Belle and Blu Cantrell reside in Atlanta, and Gladys Knight is a native.

THE SCENE: Apache Cafe (64 Third St., N.W., [404] 876-5436) alternates neosoul and funk grooves with poetry and spoken-word performances. Centennial Olympic Park ([404] 223-4412) offers free or low-cost summer concert series featuring Black artists, Wednesday WindDown and Friday on the Bricks. The Friday series has presented stars like Kanye West and Chingy for a mere $6 admission. Club 112 (2329 Cheshire Bridge Rd., N.E., [404] 261-0155) is a hip-hop dance spot that draws the likes of P. Diddy, who spent childhood summers in nearby Decatur. Vision Nightclub & Lounge (1068 Peachtree St., N.E., [404] 874-4460) features the hottest dance music with at least one night a week devoted to old-school R&B.

WHERE TO STAY: The Renaissance Waverly Hotel, 2450 Galleria Pkwy., (770) 953-4500; doubles start at $219. The Embassy Suites, 267 Marietta St., (800) 362-2779; doubles start at $194.

MEMPHIS

THE MUSIC: Blues, early rhythm and blues

THE LEGENDS: In 1899 Black millionaire Robert Church built an entertainment complex on Beale Street, establishing it as a mecca for Black music. Church’s bandleader, William Christopher “W.C.” Handy, earned the moniker Father of the Blues by penning this gospel-infused music’s first major composition in 1908. More recently, a long roster of R&B superstars such as Otis Redding, the Staple Singers and Isaac Hayes immortalized the Stax record label. Visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (926 E. McLemore Ave., [901] 942-7685) for an immersion into the evolution of R & B and soul music.

THE SCENE: B.B. King’s Blues Club (143 Beale St., [901] 524-5464) transports you to a Mississippi Delta juke joint, complete with down-home soul food and authentic, live blues entertainment.

Rum Boogie Cafe and Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall (182 Beale St., [901] 528-0150) Rum Boogie features old-school STAX and R & B, while Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall has an intimate atmosphere and specializes in Memphis blues. Both Rum Boogie and Mr. Handy’s are housed in the same building.