Best Blues Club

BLIND WILLIE’S has been a dependable destination for local and national blues acts since 1986. That’s three decades spent slinging out every style of blues music to dedicated audiences that expect a rollicking good time. Little has changed over the years: The T-shirts, menu, furnishings, sound, the bands, and even the reasonable cover charges are all about the same as the last time you were there. But you don’t go to a place like Willie’s looking for the shiny and new. You go for the friendly faces and to drink a few cold ones. Blind Willie’s is still one of the only joints to book up-and-coming as well as established talent in the roots field, and supports some of the best local blues artists. The monthly calendar boasts regular performances by such long-standing blues fixtures as “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin, Watermelon Slim, and Beverly “Guitar” Watkins as well as more contemporary acts like Mudcat, Joe McGuinness, and the Matt Wauchope Trio. Blind Willie’s has earned its stripes as an Atlanta institution and a go-to spot that any lover of the blues can call home. less...

In selecting the city’s best, you always strive to go beyond the obvious. But in this case, the obvious happens to be true: BLIND WILLIE’S drives the blues scene in Atlanta. It’s the club where most of the national acts play when they come to town, and it’s the club where all local blues bands aspire to perform. The club celebrated its 20th year in 2006 and has doggedly stuck to its formula: It brings in national acts early in the week, and books such local acts as Francine Reed and Luther “Houserocker” Johnson on weekends. less...

Other clubs may have luxuries such as nice tables, easily accessible bathrooms, parking spaces and stages that can be seen from everywhere in the room. But NORTHSIDE TAVERN has the personality that makes a soundtrack of your troubles or helps you forget them. The club also pulls in personalities, including the working-class stiffs from the junk yard across the street, starving students from the Tech campus, and even a few spillover hipsters from nearby Compound. less...

Co-founders Eric King and Roger Gregory built BLIND WILLIE’S in 1986 with the generous help of the local blues music community. King’s background includes an immense knowledge of ’60s folk and acoustic music, and the joint was originally envisioned to host a coffeehouse-type environment. It’s blossomed into a major destination for local, national and international blues musicians and fans with a full and pleasingly varied schedule of events featuring live music Monday through Saturday. If the house is a-rockin,’ don’t bother knockin,’ just pay the affordable cover and come on in. less...

Co-founders Eric King and Roger Gregory built BLIND WILLIE’S in 1986 with the generous help of the local blues music community. King’s background includes an immense knowledge of ’60s folk and acoustic music, and the joint was originally envisioned to host a coffeehouse-type environment. It’s blossomed into a major destination for local, national and international blues musicians and fans with a full and pleasingly varied schedule of events featuring live music Monday through Saturday. If the house is a-rockin,’ don’t bother knockin,’ just pay the affordable cover and come on in. less...

Among the bustling hubbub of Va-Ha and its changing array of restaurants, bars and boutiques, one constant remains: BLIND WILLIE’S. A favorite haunt for blues lovers and music fans in general, the club offers a winning combination of booze and Cajun food. The intimate club hosts performances by house band the Shadows, local favorites such as the Breeze Kings, Mudcat and Francine Reed, and national acts like Carey Bell. Smoky and packed with partiers, this joint is almost always jumpin’. “828 N. Highland Ave. 404-873-2583. www.blindwilliesblues.com” less...