Plush and retro swank, Bimbo's was designed for dance music when it was built in the early '50s and it still looks and feels like lounge-singer nirvana. No wonder it's crooner Chris Isaak's favorite hometown club.

Ella's Place
Houston, Texas
The juke joint that time forgot presents real blues for a salt-and-pepper crowd.

Poor David's Pub
Dallas, Texas
This long-standing folkie music hangout specializes in singer-songwriters cut from the same cloth as Guy Clark and acoustic bands like Ralph Stanley.

Preservation Hall
New Orleans, Louisiana
Made to look old when it opened in 1961, Preservation Hall has aged almost as much as the music it honors, New Orleans jazz. If you can't help but request "When the Saints Go Marching In," prepare to cough up a 10 spot.

Cain's Ballroom
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Cain's started rocking when Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys set up shop in the 1930s, and since then, everyone from Hank Thompson to the Sex Pistols has played it.

8. sacred ground
Apollo Theater
New York, New York
The Apollo is where James Brown's show was captured in the best live recording ever made. Amateur Night, a 71-year tradition, is held every Wednesday night at this Harlem hot spot.

Ryman Auditorium
Nashville, Tennessee
The Mother Church of Country Music, this
former tabernacle was once the home of the
Grand Ole Opry. It still books country's top stars, as well as big names in jazz (Diane Reeves), pop (Sheryl Crow), and rock (Elvis Costello). If you fancy yourself a singer, you can make your own recording in Ryman's studios.

Elvis's birthplace
Tupelo, Mississippi
The humble white clapboard shack where it all began.

Surf Ballroom
Clear Lake, Iowa