Originally posted by Art R:

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It seems to me that barbecue has an aspect to it that appeals to a wide variety of people. However, it also seems that it appeals MORE to people who enjoy live music at a juke joint, or hot sweaty blues/jazz in a club and that might explain why the two are often offered in combination. What do you think ties these two great American pastimes together??

Art R

Art,

Think about the what barbecue is like in its non commercial setting. It's like a family picnic in the backyard. There is music playing. There's a lot of joking and talking and socializing going on. The music and the food go naturally together also. Also, black people from Chicago, white people from Houston, Chicago people from Brownsville, Cajun people from Breaux Bridge and a lot of other folks from various other cultures and persuasions all view barbecue as "our" food. Which is not to say that they don't believe other people have barbecue. But these people--most of us I daresay--see the barbecue tradition as being emblematic of who we are. Well, "our" music is also an emblem of who we are and so these things go naturally together.

Lolis