Best Blues Club  Miss Ann's Playpen  For years, Dowling Street
was Houston's home of the blues. Lightnin' Hopkins and company
plied their trade at any number of bars along the strip, which
was once the main artery of black Houston south of Buffalo
Bayou. But by the '70s, Dowling was in the doldrums. Several
years ago, Miss Ann's proprietor Bobby Lewis set out to change
all that. Now Miss Ann's Playpen has brought the blues back to
where it's always been, and Lewis sees to it that it is
presented the way it should be. The Blue Monday jams have
already become a fixture on the city's music map, and the star-
studded affairs have been known to feature everyone from up-and-
coming acts to legends like Joe Hughes, Sherman Robertson and
I.J. Gosey. Lewis keeps the sound level low enough to allow
conversation and occasional audience participation, the beer is
cold and cheap, and the soul food buffet offers up comfort food
de luxe. Hey, hey, the blues are back on Dowling Street, and
it's all right!  My Voice Nation Help