Today was our final day in Memphis, Tennessee, which also makes it the last day of our trip. We spent our day exploring the music that made Memphis famous, and really shaped the rock, soul, R & B, and country music industries.
When you think of Memphis’s music, several names come to mind- Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the great Johnny Cash. In fact, one day Elvis decided to visit Sun City Records, where Cash, Perkins, and Lewis were all recording. The four had an unscheduled jam session resulting in one song. They were dubbed “The Million Dollar Quartet.”
Graceland, which is where Elvis lived, sits across from our campground. His two planes, the Lisa Marie (named after his daughter) and the Hound Dog 2, are right across the street. We didn’t do the tour of the grounds, but we went in all of the shops.
We also toured the Rock’n’Soul Museum in downtown Memphis. This museum tells the story of how the music came about, and has exhibits displaying some of the big names.
The music started out in the fields where black and white sharecroppers worked together, and sang while they worked. Sometimes, landlords wouldn’t give the workers their pay. When this happened, the workers would move to the city in search of better jobs, and they brought their music with them.
A few of these people went on to become big name producers, and many were singers or band members. All of the members of the Million Dollar Quarter played concerts here at one time or another, because this is where they got their start.
The tour had little devices that told you about each exhibit, if you didn’t want to read everything. There were also songs sung by artists from certain eras of music that you could play. I didn’t listen to much of the audio tour, but I listened to a lot of the music while I read everything… my kind of tour. I might have to download some Elvis when I get home!
When you think of Memphis’s music, several names come to mind- Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the great Johnny Cash. In fact, one day Elvis decided to visit Sun City Records, where Cash, Perkins, and Lewis were all recording. The four had an unscheduled jam session resulting in one song. They were dubbed “The Million Dollar Quartet.”
Graceland, which is where Elvis lived, sits across from our campground. His two planes, the Lisa Marie (named after his daughter) and the Hound Dog 2, are right across the street. We didn’t do the tour of the grounds, but we went in all of the shops.
We also toured the Rock’n’Soul Museum in downtown Memphis. This museum tells the story of how the music came about, and has exhibits displaying some of the big names.
The music started out in the fields where black and white sharecroppers worked together, and sang while they worked. Sometimes, landlords wouldn’t give the workers their pay. When this happened, the workers would move to the city in search of better jobs, and they brought their music with them.
A few of these people went on to become big name producers, and many were singers or band members. All of the members of the Million Dollar Quarter played concerts here at one time or another, because this is where they got their start.
The tour had little devices that told you about each exhibit, if you didn’t want to read everything. There were also songs sung by artists from certain eras of music that you could play. I didn’t listen to much of the audio tour, but I listened to a lot of the music while I read everything… my kind of tour. I might have to download some Elvis when I get home!
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