$9 Million Sure Can Buy a Heap of Blues : Clubs: The spare-no-expense House of Blues will offer live music nightly starting May 1 on the Sunset Strip.

Near a crossroads in Clarksdale, Miss., where, according to legend, blues singer Robert Johnson gave his soul to the devil to play the blues, stands an old cotton mill. Isaac Tigrett recently bought it and carted off the corrugated metal that covered the structure.

Now that battered metal adorns the exterior of the House of Blues, Tigrett’s new Sunset Strip nightclub, which opened Friday with an invitation-only party featuring a scheduled performance by Aerosmith, one of the club’s investors.

The inaugural celebration continues with invitational fund-raisers featuring such artists as Taj Mahal (tonight) and Etta James (Tuesday). A Magic Johnson Foundation fund-raiser next Saturday will spotlight Elwood Blues (club investor Dan Aykroyd) & the Blues Brothers, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker and others. Although the dingy metal siding is a sharp contrast with the ornate, three-tier temple of blues inside, Tigrett wanted authenticity. He even brought back some Mississippi mud and spread it around the lot.

All that was the easy part. Now Tigrett, who also operates House of Blues clubs in Cambridge, Mass., and New Orleans, has to demonstrate that his $9-million venue is a viable music club in a city whose club creed is “live fast, die young.”

Some promoters and industry veterans think that House of Blues, which will offer live music seven nights a week starting May 1, will find its niche in L.A.’s club scene.

“They’re definitely going to give the Palace a run for their money,” says Tracy Buie, a talent buyer with Avalon Attractions, L.A.’s leading concert promotion firm. “When the Palace opened in ‘83, it had the feeling of something brand new. It was beautifully furnished and it had state-of-the-art lights and sound system. That’s the feel of the House of Blues.”

To be sure, Tigrett, 45, isn’t sparing any expense. The sound system is worth half a million dollars, and the walls are adorned with an exceptional collection of African American, folk and “outsider” art--part of his desire to illustrate the history of the blues.

All the woodwork, from the bars to the doors, is made of antique pieces that Tigrett has collected from around the world. Other pieces, such as the bas-relief plaster faces of blues greats that make up the main room’s ceiling, and the dining room’s 75-foot bar, were created by artists specifically for the club.

The House of Blues can also alter its design to fit the size of the crowd. When the house is packed (capacity is 1,000), the wall behind the second floor’s bar disappears and allows restaurant guests to look directly at the stage. When the crowd is smaller, the wall stays up, creating a feeling of intimacy.

Harold Bronson, managing director of Rhino Records, a Los Angeles-based label with an extensive blues reissue catalogue, is impressed by the club’s attention to detail. “The sensitivity to carry lumber from India and the metal from Mississippi is amazing,” he says. “So much of what he’s doing is in line with Rhino’s philosophy to (inspire) people with the music’s history.”

Despite its name, the club has established a diverse booking policy. Although the acts will be 60% blues artists, Tigrett will also present rap, country, gospel, R&B; and rock, and will also work with outside promoters.

The announced acts so far include ‘70s soul giant Isaac Hayes (May 1), country singer Faith Hill (May 2), Huey Lewis & the News (May 13), jazzman Maynard Ferguson (May 24) and Little Richard (June 21). Pure blues will be represented by such artists as Junior Wells, Little Milton, Koko Taylor, Johnny (Clyde) Copeland, Otis Rush, et al.

“We want to give the complete history here,” says Tigrett. “Rap, for example, is very much contemporary urban blues. Like rap, blues was the bad boys. . . . As long as the music has its roots in blues, you’ll find it here.”

Now that it’s ready to roll, the question remains: In this land of illusion, will the House of Blues prove to be merely another facade, albeit one with sturdy siding?

“How much is spiritual and how much is showmanship really doesn’t matter,” says Rhino’s Bronson. “Because the result is still the same. It’s a premier showcase for blues acts that also manages to expose people to the music’s rich history.”