The Blues Here Are Red-Hot

B.B. King’s has a ways to go before it catches Starbucks and McDonalds in the Most Ubiquitous Chain category. There is the original venue in Memphis and the closer one at the CityWalk in Universal City. That’s it, two locations. The local version, which opened in 1994, is a happening blues club with entertainment seven nights a week featuring touring national acts plus lots of local talent.

Naming the place after King, a partial owner of the club, didn’t hurt as far as name recognition goes. One of the most famous living musicians, the seventysomething “King of the Blues” has won eight Grammys and released more than 50 albums. The venue’s motto says it all: “The Master Blaster of the Blues . . . after him, there ain’t no more.”

King himself isn’t sitting at home counting his dough and watching Oprah, either. He still plays more than 250 times a year, a schedule that would give most rock stars the blues.

Originally, the “B.B.” in King’s name stood for “Blues Boy,” but at this place, a case could be made for “Big Bucks” or “Big Beats.” As to the former, this is a moneymaking operation. The first thing you see inside is the gift shop featuring all things B.B.: T-shirts, jackets, hats, cups--and who could live without a pair of B.B. King socks? As to the latter--and this is important--the sound at this venue is perfect.

Past the gift shop lies a bar Jenny Craig could be proud of, long and skinny. It’s also three levels tall, able to hold 600 people. The venue is clearly a shrine to the bluesman and to the blues. There’s King memorabilia everywhere, from guitars to jackets to proclamations and gold records. The walls on the top two floors feature pictures of Big Mama Thornton, Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, Rufus Thomas, Isaac Hayes and more.

But the focus at B.B. King’s is the music. While the bands are playing on the stage, they appear at the same time on the TV above and behind them, as if they were on DiamondVision at Dodger Stadium. One recent evening, the music was provided by Magic Slim and the Teardrops. He wasn’t slim, but he was magic, and one out of two ain’t bad.

There’s a hardwood dance floor right in front of the stage in case the music gets too good to sit through. Both balconies offer great views of the stage and also have safety nets in case those above have too much fun and have the misfortune to share their blues by tumbling over the side.

Because of its proximity to Hollywood and the record industry, B.B. King’s has been known to attract famous rock stars. Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt and Hayes are just a few of the impromptu players. And what’s a guest player without a guest audience? Famous visitors have included Tom Cruise, Magic Johnson and Cybill Shepherd.

In addition to all this action on the stage and the dance floor, the kitchen is also busy at B.B. King’s. The menu features Southern cuisine, unhealthy perhaps, but delicious, including Mississippi catfish, Tennessee Bourbon Pecan Pie, Fried Dill Pickles and perhaps the best way to stain a pair of B.B. King socks, Beale Street Baby Back Ribs.

Of course, reality is a far cry from a marvelous story, and everything is not blue skies and green lights; even bluesmen see red. The most annoying thing about going to B.B. King’s is paying seven bucks to park, which is probably more than it costs to drive there in the first place.

Also, more than 60% of the 9 million annual visitors who rubberneck their way around the Universal Studios’ theme park and CityWalk are out-of-the-area tourists, so on weekends, one must constantly dodge all the people from Iowa who are busy mistaking one another for movie stars. Maybe that’s why there’s the blues.

BE THERE

B.B. King’s at Universal CityWalk at Universal City, Lankershim Boulevard at the 101 Freeway. Blues Underground plays blues tonight; Cafe R&B; plays blues Fri.; the King Brothers play blues Sat.; Funk Attack plays dance music Sun.; B.B. King’s Blues Jam plays blues Mon.; X-Band plays blues Tues.; Blowin’ Smoke plays R&B; music Wed. Cover varies. (818) 622-5464.