MUSIC: SERVING UP THE BLUES

IS THE HOUSE OF BLUES CHAIN PROMOTING AN ORIGINAL AMERICAN ART FORM? OR JUST CASHING IN ON IT?

Eight years ago, Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe, sold his interest in the rock 'n' roll restaurant chain for $107 million, gave most of his money to charity and went to study with a guru in Puttaparthi, India, a remote city that is probably one of the few places on the globe where there isn't a Hard Rock Cafe. Music had become too corporate for Tigrett's liking; rock songs were turning up in cola commercials, beer companies were sponsoring concert tours. Tigrett wanted to get away from it all, find an ashram and meditate--and since he had profited...

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