It is true, Nashville and Memphis secure a lot of love. But they are not the only mellifluent cities worth exalting. In fact, St. Louis (founded by the French in 1764 as a sanctuary) is everything you want. An alluring place deeply respectful of its musical heritage, and now with some very fresh blood taking its music scene into the future.

I mean, Mark Twain even said, “The first time I ever saw St. Louis, I could have bought it for six million dollars, and it was the mistake of my life that I did not do it.” I can’t speak for Twain, but I can speak for myself, and I thank that Mississippi River that made for an easy migration of blues musicians, who integrated into the already popular ragtime genre that was prevalent all over town, quietly drifting up from New Orleans to make home in St. Louis. Because today the city is on fire.