National Blues Museum — St. Louis, Missouri

The National Blues Museum opened in April 2016 on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis, in a city that was one of the crucial early centres for the development of the blues. St. Louis was the destination for many musicians migrating north from the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century, and the city's Gaslight Square and other venues nurtured a distinctive urban blues tradition. The museum traces the full arc of blues history from its African roots through its influence on rock and roll, jazz, hip hop, and country.

The museum's interactive exhibits allow visitors to mix their own blues tracks, explore the geography of blues migration, and hear rare recordings. The collection covers artists from Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith through Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, and contemporary blues musicians. St. Louis's own contribution to the form — through artists like Chuck Berry, who grew up in the city, and Ike Turner, who recorded 'Rocket 88' at Sun Studio after growing up in Clarksdale — is given particular emphasis.

The National Blues Museum occupies a modern building in St. Louis's Washington Avenue entertainment district. The museum hosts live performances, educational programmes, and rotating exhibitions alongside its permanent collection. It is one of several music-heritage institutions in St. Louis, a city whose contribution to American music extends well beyond the blues into ragtime, jazz, and rock and roll.