Summer Vacation! / by Ron Cowie

One of the very good things about summer is hitting the road and seeing new things. My wife, her dad and I did that very thing. We took a music tour of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and Nashville. A good time was had by all. 

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Hotel Room In Memphis
Hotel Room In Memphis

We arrived in the late afternoon.

 

Ice Bucket Still Life
Ice Bucket Still Life

I tend not to use these things.

Blues City Cafe
Blues City Cafe

Blues City Cafe is a terrific restaurant on Beale St. We had dinner there and stayed for a show.

Original Lyrics to Heartbreak Hotel
Original Lyrics to Heartbreak Hotel

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

Elvis and The Visitors
Elvis and The Visitors

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.

Security Camera At Graceland
Security Camera At Graceland

This image was made from Elvis's personal security camera.

Yiddish Button
Yiddish Button

The collection of Elvis related stuff is pretty staggering. This one amused me.

One of Many Gold Records
One of Many Gold Records
Elvis's Army Jacket
Elvis's Army Jacket
Elvis Drowning With An Air Tank
Elvis Drowning With An Air Tank

I realize the designers of the movie poster couldn't put a mask and regulator on Elvis.

Where Elvis Stood
Where Elvis Stood

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.

Houseplant in Sun Studio
Houseplant in Sun Studio

This was in the front office of the recording studio

Room 506, The Lorraine Motel
Room 506, The Lorraine Motel

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.

Klu Klux Klan Uniform
Klu Klux Klan Uniform

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.

Federal Marshall's Helmet
Federal Marshall's Helmet

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.

W.C. Handy
W.C. Handy

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's Desk
Rick Hall's Desk

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.

Sign at Fame Recording Studio
Sign at Fame Recording Studio

This sign is true.
 

Patio at Fame
Patio at Fame

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.

Barrel House, Jack Daniels Distillery
Barrel House, Jack Daniels Distillery

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.
 

Jack Daniels Tour Guide
Jack Daniels Tour Guide

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.

Photo in Jack Daniels Office
Photo in Jack Daniels Office

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 Perkin's Blue Suede Shoes
Carl Perkin's Blue Suede Shoes

Carl Perkins, famous guitar player and writer of Blue Suede Shoes is a member of The Country Music Hall Of Fame.
 

Bill Monroe's Mandolin
Bill Monroe's Mandolin

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.

Bob Dylan's Harmonica
Bob Dylan's Harmonica

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

Lyrics to Jolene
Lyrics to Jolene

These are the handwritten lyrics to Dolly Parton's famous song "Jolene"