The B.B. King Blues Club & Grill is the "premier live music venue & restaurant in the heart of Times Square," according to its website. The club is owned by the Bensusan Family, known for their Blue Note Jazz Club. For performances, the club boasts a 30-foot stage with eight-foot video screens on either side. Notable performers include B.B. King, Gregg Allman and Friends, Little Richard, Buddy Guy and the Beach Boys. It offers an American Continental menu "with a Southern flair," as well as top-shelf liquor and beers from around the world. On Sunday afternoon, it hosts a soul-food brunch. B.B. King's has a standing room capacity of 1,000 in two spaces: the Showcase Room and Lucille's Grille, a separate restaurant located within the club, named after the B.B. King's guitar. The club is available for special events. In 2006, the Village Voice voted the club the "Best Bigass Supper Club That Rocks."
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 W. 42 St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 917-4144
bbkingblues.com
Terra Blues has been serving up local and national blues in the heart of Greenwich Village for 15 years. Each night begins with an intimate acoustic act that has included artists like HoneyBoy Edwards, Louisiana Red and Hubert Sumli. From Sunday to Thursday, the house band comes on at 10 p.m. and plays shuffle blues, complete with an upright bass. Thursday nights, the club hosts national acts from places like Baton Rouge, Chicago and Austin. Past acts include the likes of Little Milton, Robert Lockwood Jr., Johnny Clyde Copeland, Phillip Walker, the Holmes Brothers and Edgar Winter. Trip Advisor voted it one of New York's 10 best blues and jazz clubs, noting that it "attracts a more well-heeled crowd than most of its counterparts, which is due in part to its romantic, almost adult atmosphere."
Terra Blues
149 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 777-7776
terrablues.com
Founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan, the Blue Note Jazz club features "all the biggest names in Blues, Latin, Brazilian, Fusion, R&B, Soul, Contemporary, Big Band and Popular music," according to NYC.com. It gets its name from a type of note in blues and jazz played at a lower pitch than the major scale, resulting in an expressive, "worried" sound. Located in Greenwich Village and the first in the Blue Note Jazz Club chain, it draws music fans from all over the world. Its Late Night Groove Series features up-and-coming NYC-based acts. It boasts a menu with steak, pasta and fish entrees and a large list of international wines.
Blue Note Jazz Club
131 W. 3rd St.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 475-8592
bluenotejazz.com