Beale Street Music Fest Lineup 2011: Stone Temple Pilots, MGMT, Flaming Lips

Music aficionados, ethnomusicologists and even just camera-toting tourists all know that Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. is a historic breeding ground for American blues. It's where an entire subsection of the genre has been born and raised. But the Beale Street Music Festival has been making the street famous for a broader selection of American music forms in recent years, having hosted everyone from Alice In Chains to Widespread Panic.

This year's Beale Street Music Festival continues to broaden its horizons, with headlining sets by Stone Temple Pilots, MGMT, Flaming Lips and Wilco. But also: John Mellencamp, Ke$ha, Jason Mraz, Cee Lo Green, Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. Also on the bill are hip-hop artists (Ludacris), reggae royalty (Ziggy Marley), metal titans (Godsmack) and legends of rock 'n' roll (Jerry Lee Lewis). And that's just the beginning -- a complete lineup can be viewed at the official website, where you can also peep all the deets.

For those who like irony served with their Memphis BBQ, chew on this: Beale Street Music Festival actually takes place in Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis and not on Beale Street itself. The event is produced by Memphis In May, which presents several other key events in the city during May. This particular event actually begins on April 29 and runs through May 1. Not a bad way to kick off the month of May.