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Destination: Memphis Music Safari
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In Tennessee's biggest city, you'll find the birthplace of rock 'n' roll and home of the blues
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BY TOM DUNKEL
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The Stax Museum of American Soul, one of the city's many musical shrines.
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"There's something in the air in Memphis," observed the late Carl Perkins, best known for singing the praises of blue suede shoes. "I don't know what it is, but it's magical."
The great rock and roller wasn't referring to this Tennessee city's signature smell of barbecued beef and pork. He was talking about the sounds of country, blues, gospel and jazz that waft through this "capital of the mid-South."
According to the Big Bang Theory of Music, those influences spontaneously combusted in the early 1950s, giving birth to rock 'n' roll. Elvis Presley quickly ascended the celebrity throne, but Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Ike Turner and many others were with him at the creation.
Once you've spent a few days following the musical heritage trail in Memphis, a nagging question may arise: What the heck is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doing in Cleveland?
EASY LISTENING
Musically speaking, Memphis couldn't be more user friendly. A large number of must-see sites are within a radius of about two miles, so it's possible to do a several-day music safari almost entirely on foot. Another element is the juxtaposition of old and new. You can see music history by day, then unwind by listening to new bands jam at night.
An ideal starting point is the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum in the FedEx Forum complex (191 Beale St.; 901-205-2533; memphisrocknsoul.org). A short introductory film provides an excellent overview of the confluence of music and history in Memphis. For instance, cotton was king in these parts. The a cappella work chants that hired hands (and before them, slaves) improvised under the broiling sun evolved into the genre we know today as the blues. Memphian W.C. Handy, the father of the blues, is credited with first transforming those "field hollers" into songs. The exhibits here include wonderful audio clips and historical anecdotes. And as soon as you exit the museum, you can simply cross the street to enter the Gibson Guitar Factory (145 Lt. George W. Lee Ave.; 901-543-0800; gibsonmemphis.com) for a tour of the production line.
SACRED GROUND
"I've had people kiss the ground," says Jamie Scott as she leads a group through the Sun Records recording studio. "Bob Dylan kissed the place where Elvis stood," she adds, pointing to a tape mark on the floor. That's approximately where Elvis was positioned on July 5, 1954 when he cut "That's All Right, Mama," regarded as the song that launched the rock 'n' roll revolution. Sam Phillips, the head of Sun, gave a copy to a local radio deejay, who played it on air a few nights later. Listeners went crazy. The station got so many calls that the deejay played the tune 14 times in the next three hours.
The cramped Sun Studio (706 Union Ave.; 901-521-0664; sunstudio.com) is virtually unchanged since 1954: same linoleum floor, same cheap acoustic tiles on the walls and ceiling. This is where Perkins, Cash and Lewis recorded as well. (Sobriety note: While Jerry Lee nailed "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" the first time, he was so boozed up for "Great Balls of Fire" that he required 48 takes.) The sun hasn't yet set on Sun Studio. Young regional musicians still record here, as do visiting heavyweights such as U2 and Bonnie Raitt.
After your visit to tiny, low-key Sun Studio, move on to the glitzier Stax Museum of American Soul Music (926 E. McLemore Ave.; 901-946-2535; staxmuseum.com). Stax was a label devoted to rhythm and blues, known for its happy-family vibe. Its biracial group of studio musicians relied heavily on horns and backed an all-star cast of soul singers, including Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Ike & Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. The sound produced was more raw than what was coming out of Motown. The net result: 273 Top Ten records and some 800 singles over the years. You'll find plenty of audio and video clips on the self-guided tour, and there's reasonably priced music for sale in the gift shop.
THE SHRINE
A Ford Escort with Maine license plates is parked in the visitors' lot, with the words "Graceland or Bust" scrawled across the rear window. They made it, as do some 600,000 other Elvis fans every year. Graceland (3717 Elvis Presley Blvd.; 901-332-3322; elvis.com), located on a rolling hill about a 15-minute drive from downtown, is still Memphis's number one tourist attraction.
From the day after Thanksgiving until January 8, it's "Christmas at Graceland." The house is decorated just as it was when Elvis was in the building: a life-size nativity scene and jumbo Santa out front, cheery red drapes on the windows. (Check local listings for other music-related holiday offerings, such as Ballet Memphis's performances of The Nutcracker.)
When you tour Graceland, be prepared for a surprise: The place isn't nearly as tacky as you would expect. Well, the "Jungle Room"—with its shag-carpeted ceiling and hand-carved-wood furniture fit for Tarzan's man cave—is deliciously over the top. But the house is modestly proportioned and looks straight out of mainstream suburbia. Yes, that's pine paneling, folks. And Elvis's pride-and-joy rec room, despite its three TV sets, ranks as nothing special by today's standards.
Tours are self-guided, allowing ample opportunity to linger. The audio-phone commentary is comprehensive and easy to follow. The basic "Mansion Tour" winds through the basement level, first floor (sorry, the upstairs bedrooms remain private) and tree-shaded grounds where The King lies buried. Lots of good factoids are displayed (for example, Elvis only won three Grammy Awards, all for gospel music), along with video clips and memorabilia. Among the displays is a faded petition signed in 1956 by scores of teenagers in Buffalo, NY, begging Elvis to do a concert in their city because he was "the tops, the most, the best!"
Graceland is well worth two hours of your time. You'll be here even longer if you're a deep-end fan and want to hit the satellite tours: Elvis's car museum, his private airplanes, the Elvis in Hollywood Exhibit, the Private Presley Exhibit and so on. If you still need more, you can always drop a few thousand dollars on a concert-quality Elvis jumpsuit at the gift shop.
MEMPHIS LIVE
The lobby bar of the stately Peabody Hotel (149 Union Ave.) is the perfect place for a cocktail-hour drink. Locals call it "Memphis's living room." There's usually a piano man on duty, playing smooth-jazz standards. It was on a sheet of Peabody stationery that Vernon Presley typed a receipt for $4,500 on November 21, 1955: Elvis's bonus for signing with RCA Victor records.
After savoring the Peabody's elegance, walk three blocks south to soak up the gritty atmosphere of Beale Street. For generations, this was the anchor of a vibrant middle-class black community, a refuge during the storm of segregation. As bluesman B.B. King explained, "You could get work on Beale Street. You could get justice on Beale Street."
You also could integrate. The clubs and bars were a social demilitarized zone. A teenage Elvis Presley got shot full o' rhythm and blues hanging around those dark cubbyholes.
Eventually, much of Beale Street fell victim to urban decay. But enough of its beating heart survived to spark a tourism-related revival in the 1980s. Neon lights are now flashing again, and the crowds have returned. The success of born-again Beale Street has inspired a renovation of the Mississippi riverfront that's still in its early stages.
A long stretch of Beale is closed to traffic. Just walk and let the music from the different clubs wash over you. It's like fiddling with a giant radio dial. Check out that bar bouncer playing air guitar. Watch the woman dining outside B.B. King's Blues Club trying to discreetly lick barbecue sauce off her fingers.
Pick any club and step inside. Good music is guaranteed. Silky O'Sullivan's (183 Beale St.; 901-522-9596; silkyosullivans.com) is a sprawling space that often has dueling pianos—and pet goats that drink beer. There's half a pink Cadillac glued to the wall inside the Blues City Café (138 Beale St.; 901-526-3637; bluescitycafe.com), which tends to draw a younger crowd. Rum Boogie Café (182 Beale St.; 901-528-0150; rumboogie.com) is a brick-walled bastion of down-and-dirty blues where audience participation is encouraged. As the lead singer of the seven-piece Plantation All Stars gently reminded a late-night crowd, "Y'all gotta help me out. Don't sit there looking at me like I'm a monkey in a fish tank."
OUTER LIMITS
There's another world of music pulsating a few miles from Beale Street, in the city's residential neighborhoods. You'll find no better guide than Tad Pierson, who leads small music tours in a 1955 cream-colored Cadillac (americandreamsafari.com; 901-527-8870; from $125, maximum five people). The car has 400,000 miles on the replacement engine, so it tends to shake, rattle and roll, but it sets the proper mood. Pierson's three-hour "Greatest Hits" tour cruises by Elvis's old high school and other landmarks; there are also listening excursions to gospel churches and blues clubs.
Pierson is on a first-name basis with small club owners and musicians who traffic in down-home, juke-joint blues at places like Wild Bill's (1580 Vollintine Ave.; 901-726-5473), CC Blues Club (1427 Thomas St.; 901-526-5566) and Club Superior (1459 Elvis Presley Blvd.; no phone), all places not found on any tourist map. "I dig the music," says Pierson. "I'm eager to go into little clubs. Quiet bottle of beer, music till three in the morning."
FINAL NOTE
Back in the day, Stax Records had no air conditioning, so some of the musicians used to head to the nearby Lorraine Motel to use its swimming pool. Wilson Pickett and session guitarist Steve Cropper wrote "In the Midnight Hour" there in the spring of 1965. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony outside Room 306.
The Lorraine Motel now houses the National Civil Rights Museum (450 Mulberry St.; 901-521-9699; civilrightsmuseum.org; $13). It belongs on any Memphis travel itinerary, as a powerful reminder of why people sing the blues.
EAT
ALCENIA'S
Family-run breakfast/lunch spot with
Southern-style home cooking and
free hugs from B.J., the proprietress.
317 N. Main St.; 901-523-0200; lunch
for two, $25*
DYER'S BURGERS
A greasy-spoon institution. Customers
take pictures of each other eating their
first Dyer burgers. 205 Beale St.;
901-527-3937; lunch for two, $15
AUTOMATIC SLIM'S TONGA CLUB
Caribbean cuisine with a Southwestern
touch and funky decor. 83 S. Second St.;
901-525-7948; dinner for two, $80
RENDEZVOUS
Back-alley restaurant serving up dry
barbecue ribs for 62 years. No complaints
yet. 52 S. Second St.; 901-523-2746;
dinner for two, $45 (no desserts on menu)
PIG ON BEALE
Trophy-winning newcomer to the
barbecue wars, serving wet and dry ribs.
167 Beale St.; 901-529-1544; dinner for
two, $50
*Prices cover a meal for two, not including
drinks, tax or tip.
SHOP
A. SCHWAB
The old-time general store that time
forgot, purveyor of kitsch and bib overalls.
163 Beale St.; 901-523-9782
TATER REDS
Imagine a general store on acid:
everything from vintage rock posters
to plastic skulls with snakeskin finish,
plus Elvis Pez dispensers. 153 Beale St.;
901-578-7234
SAMUEL NATHAN GALLERIES
Collectibles of every stripe: bronze
sculptures, silk carpets, ivory carvings,
diamonds. Peabody Hotel arcade;
901-543-0830; thesamuelnathangalleries.com
ELVIS THREADS
Of Graceland's on-site shops (Elvis Kids,
Elvis Forever, Elvis in Hollywood and
more), this is the only one selling
custom-made, concert-replica jumpsuits.
The white "Aloha" number goes for $3,300,
cape included.
STAY
THE PEABODY MEMPHIS
The grande dame of Memphis hotels has
464 tastefully appointed rooms. It's only
three blocks from the heart of Beale
Street, but far enough that the music
won't keep you up at night. 149 Union
Ave.; 800-732-2639;
peabodymemphis.com; doubles from $219
SLEEP INN AT COURT SQUARE
Virtually ringside to the Beale Street music
scene. 40 N. Front St.; 901-522-9700;
sleepinn.com; doubles from $105
TALBOT HEIRS GUEST HOUSE
A small hotel with a heavy dose of charm,
just a block and a half from Beale Street.
99 S. 2nd St.; 800-955-3956; talbothouse.com;
doubles from $155
INN AT HUNT PHELAN
An Antebellum mansion with 10 elegant
guest rooms. 533 Beale St.; 901-525-8225;
huntphelan.com; doubles from $129
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
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Photo: Esto Photography
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