We arrived in the late afternoon.
I tend not to use these things.
Blues City Cafe is a terrific restaurant on Beale St. We had dinner there and stayed for a show.
The typewritten lyrics to the famous Elvis Presley song. It was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton. This was at the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum
Graceland was the home of Elvis Presley. It has been maintained as a museum where people pay a minimum of $38 to be handed an iPad with headphones. Bring back the tour guides.
This image was made from Elvis's personal security camera.
The collection of Elvis related stuff is pretty staggering. This one amused me.
I realize the designers of the movie poster couldn't put a mask and regulator on Elvis.
Our tour guide at Sun Studio was very good. Even though the studio itself is pretty small, there is a lot of history and good "juju" in the place. The taped "X" spot is where Elvis stood to record his first song in the studio. Sun Studio is considered the birthplace of Rock and Roll.
This was in the front office of the recording studio
The Lorraine Motel is where Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. It is part of the National Civil Rights Museum
This is a sacred space in America. Considering the turmoil happening today, it is important for people to know our history around this subject.
This was part of an exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum. The KKK ain't what it used to be and for this I am very glad.
Part of the Exhibit about James Meredith. In 1962, he became the first African-American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi,[1] after the intervention of the federal government, an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights and apply to the University of Mississippi. His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans.
The Father of the Blues earned that title in 1912 by writing and publishing the first commercially successful blues song, “Memphis Blues.” In 1914, he made his fame — and fortune — writing and publishing “The St. Louis Blues”, which, in the days before hit records, became a million-selling sheet music phenomenon.
Rick Hall, the owner and producer of Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama is responsible for some of the most important rock and soul music created in the history of American music. His desk is pretty much stuck in the 70's. The carpet is very plush.
This sign is true.
This is where the "smoking lounge" is at Fame Studios. It's always interesting to consider who has sat there between takes and what music was created during these breaks.
After the Jack Daniels whiskey is put in barrels, it gets put in one of these buildings for 4 years to mature. These buildings are all over the place.
Taking the tour of Jack Daniels distillery is both an educational and indoctrination experience. If you don't come out the other end fully believing Jack Daniels is the best whiskey ever made, this guy hasn't done his job.
The New York Times wrote about the history of Jack Daniels being taught how to make whiskey from a slave. There is the idea that the African American man in this photo, seated to the right of Jack Daniels, was the son of the slave Nearis Green, who is purported to have taught the young Jack everything he knew about making whiskey
Carl Perkins, famous guitar player and writer of Blue Suede Shoes is a member of The Country Music Hall Of Fame.
This Gibson F5 is a national treasure considering the amount of American Music that has been made with it. Bill Monroe is a Bluegrass giant.
One of Bob Dylan's harmonicas on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This was part of an exhibit about the collaboration between Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan
These are the handwritten lyrics to Dolly Parton's famous song "Jolene"