Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
DAY 14: ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
Elvis is pretty hard to ignore in Memphis, be it his silhouette in our hotel lift to any cover tune blaring out of the bars on Beale St - he's everywhere.
So it was only appropriate we started the day by heading to Sun Studio, where the King was first recorded on vinyl.
On our way to the studio though, we happened to walk past the local baseball park. It was pretty impressive for a minor league club (the Memphis Redbirds). One of the staff encouraged us to wander in for a free look. Josh even scored the home team's cap from the security guard.
Anyway onto Sun Studio. The recording room hasn't changed since it was first used by all the legends (Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis etc etc) back in the mid-late 50's.
Highlight was Josh being plucked from the group to stand on Elvis's 'x' marker and sing into the same mic the King used all those years ago. To say he hammed it up to his audience is an understatement!
From Sun Studio, we jumped on the shuttle to Graceland. I was last here nearly 25 years ago. The mansion itself hasn't changed - you'll see from the photos it's still stuck in the same 70's time warp that existed the day Elvis left the building so to speak.
The surrounding properties on the street named in his honour though are kinda morphing into an Elvis-like Disneyland. Multiple gift shops would occupy more land than Graceland itself, while there is a huge resort being built next door.
It still though can't take away from Graceland itself. Jokes aside (e.g. green carpeted ceilings in the 'jungle room'!), it is really something to see.
Tonight we finished off our Memphis leg with an early dinner at B.B.King's House of Blues. Dinner was good (deep fried of course), the live music was great!
Tomorrow the road trip continues as we make our way south on 'Blues Highway 61'. Next stop: Vicksburg.
- comments