B.B. King's Blues Club anchors Beale Street's entertainment district with live music every night of the week. Named for Riley B. King — the Memphis-born guitarist who became the most famous blues player of the twentieth century — the club is large, well-run, and manages to be both a tourist destination and a place where the music is treated seriously. The house band is tight; the visiting acts range from local blues players to nationally known performers.
The food (barbecue, fried chicken, the standard Southern bar menu) is decent without being the reason to come. The reason to come is the music, which starts early by Memphis standards and continues late. B.B. King himself performed here regularly until shortly before his death in 2015. The club occupies a prominent building on Beale with a second-floor balcony that overlooks the street, useful for watching the foot traffic on busy weekend nights.