1/19/2022

After a great evening at the Big Cypress Lounge’s third floor bar, I’ll admit that I woke up a bit hungover this morning. But come on, who wouldn’t want to spend an evening drinking whiskey in this fine establishment? The bartender was a hoot too:

Given the groggy start to the day, I had to wander the Bass Pro Shop in search of breakfast. I found it and on the way I saw the ‘gators. All otherwise seemed to be going well in redneck heaven.

After my sadly disappointing time downtown yesterday, the goal today was to venture out to some of the boroughs of Memphis and explore some sites recommended by blog readers. Largely indoor and historic sites were chosen if only because it was pouring rain here today. Anyways, the reader recommendations proved to yield a far better (and safer) adventure than yesterday, and started off with a bang: a visit to Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate!

For those of you who live under rocks, Elvis carries the title as The King of Rock ’n’ Roll. Though his critics might tear down his early music as being a rip off and appropriation of the African American Blues and Soul that was being created from Chicago to Memphis to New Orleans during the late ’40’s and early ’50’s, few can deny that any other artist in US history has had a bigger impact on music, film, and American culture in general. And for good reason! His intellect, charisma, sense of style, taste, and absolute talent dominated both the stage and the American heart for decades. People also admired his ability to stay humble and dedicated to his family, even as he accumulated an insanely gorgeous estate, massive number of vehicles, a few planes, and a whole lotta fangirls. Walking Graceland, I could tell that Elvis had class above all else, and a sense of art, vivid color, pageantry, hospitality, spirituality, and balance that had me feeling humbled. His estate was like walking through a wonderful dream, painted by someone who was utterly bored of the drab colors, boundaries and doctrines of the modern world:

But perhaps the most interesting part of this 2+ hour tour of his estate and life came at the very end, where a section was devoted to artist donations and tributes stating what Elvis meant to them. From a hat donated by Elton John to suits worn by Buddy Holly and Justin Timberlake to dresses worn by Trisha Yearwood and Dolly Parton, and so, so much more, it was touching to see. Then, there were his awards. Truly, Elvis was the King:

After Graceland, I drove over to Corky’s BBQ for lunch. This place is world famous, and I am so thankful to those who recommended I go here. My mom will be happy to see that the Barefoot Contessa has eaten here. Heck, even Danny DeVito has stopped by! I got some pulled pork which I ate there, and some bbq chicken takeout for my meal tonight.

Feeling stuffed from lunch, I still felt that there was something missing during my time here. I wanted to go a bit off the beaten path, and after doing some research, I found the perfect spot. I would go right to the very location where not just Elvis, but Ike Turner, Jackie Brenston, BB King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and so, so many others found their fame: the legendary Sun Records Recording Studio.

Unlike Graceland, this spot was completely devoid of tourists. In fact, I was the only one who stopped by that afternoon and they were more than happy to give me my own private tour of the studio, where you can still record records to this very day.

Here I heard a different story of Elvis, an Elvis who in the early 1950s was a punk kid living in an apartment down the block and who bugged the studio owner daily for recording time. The owner of the studio, Sam Phillips (or rather his secretary), obliged, but Sam couldn’t stand the kid who sang a bunch of whiny pop songs during a time where Sam was focused on rock and blues. Finally, frustrated, Sam told Elvis to play something good or get out. A desperate teenage Elvis grabbed his guitar, nervously began rocking his hips in the now iconic Elvis fashion, and belted out “That’s All Right.” Stunned, Sam exclaimed, ”Why were you holding back all this time!?” Elvis recorded the song shortly thereafter, they got it to the airwaves, and almost overnight the kid was a star. Oh, random trivia: when the dj at Sun Records didn’t like a new song, he would pull the record right off the record player and smash it on the floor of the studio, hence the term ”smash hit.” Anyways, I got to spend the afternoon basking in the humble studio where Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash, U2 to Tom Petty, BB King to even Jack White’s drummer have recorded over the years. That piece of white tape on the floor in the studio marks the spot where Elvis would habitually sing. My tour guide, Drew, was awesome and more knowledgeable on rock history than my history of rock professor.

At the end of the tour, Drew handed me a memento: a Sun Studio guitar pick. Thus brings an end to my time in Memphis. What an experience! The waters here are deep, and I could have spent my time here in so many ways, but I’m glad with what I got to see. Next stop, Nashville!

Cheers,

-Rob