Some cities are famous for their unique cultural contributions: Philly and cheesesteak. New Orleans and jazz. Arlington and…the blues. Yup, developers in Arlington want to turn some vacant land by the Rangers ballpark into a $300 million paean to Texas blues.
The complex, which right now is just a a sketch and a figment of developers’ imaginations, would feature high-price condos – you know, the kind of luxury pads where Lightnin’ Hopkins and Blind Lemon Jefferson lived and learned the meaning of the blues.
Involved in the planning is Howard Scott, a founding member of War. (When people think “Texas blues,” they think “Low Rider.”) Scott and his friends say the Texas Blues Museum will include holographic images of Lone Star blues legends, because in order to truly appreciate someone like Leadbelly, you need to be face-to-face with a creepy floating phantasm. It’s like you can almost touch the poverty! -- Craig Malisow
