Elvis, Graceland and the Blues

On Saturday 3 November we visited Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. We were there for about 5 hours.
It is very well presented and was quite moving. We were both surprised by our reactions to various displays and insights into Elvis Presley and his life. But he isn't there - that I can assure you!
Did I mention that my birthday is the same as Elvis Presley - not the year!

We had a guided audio tour of the mansion and after that self guided tours of other displays and museums which make up the complex - Elvis' cars and aeroplanes; icon, on tour and comeback exhibits. It was all great.
We have promised we will buy one or two Elvis cd's.

We have lunch at one of the diners in the Graceland complex. I just have to have a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich - Elvis' favourite!

Graceland is a lovely old home and beautifully preserved. Elvis bought the estate in 1957 when he was 22. It was his home until his death in 1977 at the age of 42. It is 35 years since he died.

It attracts more than 700,000 visitors each year.







Since the early 20th century Memphis has been synonymous with music. It is the birthplace of rock n roll, which originated from blues (which springs from the Mississippi Delta). Country music is also a direct descendant of the blues.
Elvis Presley revolutionized popular music by blending the blues he first heard as a youth in Tupelo, Mississippi with country, pop and gospel. Many of the first songs he recorded in Memphis were covers of earlier blues recordings by African -Americans.

Beale Street in downtown Memphis had its heyday in the first half of the 20th century as a commercial centre for the city's African- American community. This historic street has now been restored as the heart of a vibrant entertainment district. Restaurants, nightclubs, saloons and shops line a 4 block stretch. Many nights Beale Street is closed to traffic and people come to listen to the live music that sounds from every saloon, nightclub and bar.

We went into Beale Street at night; took a shuttle from the RV park. As we were waiting for the shuttle we had a sudden torrential downpour, lightning and thunder. It was all over by the time we were dropped off on Beale Street.
And yes - there was music everywhere. It was quite something! It felt more intimate than Nashville at night. We wandered through stores and in and out of the various music places. Neither of us know much about blues. We are in a music store - and are taken under the wing of a lovely man (the owner of the store) who introduces us to a whole new world  - the Blues.
It was fun. We had earphones on and he gave us a taste of several artists. We bought a CD of Furry Lewis - 'Shake 'Em On Down'.  We play it most nights.
 Of course Memphis isn't just about music. The National Civil Rights Museum was once the Lorraine Motel where Dr Martin Luther King,Jr was assassinated on 4 April 1968.

Our son Todd sailed in the Stanley Race this weekend. He was on a yacht called Jazz Player. They came 4th.  We tried to keep track of the progress of the race on the ORCV  Tracker web site but there was a glitch and it looked as if Jazz Player had not left Geelong! Todd sent an SMS to give the results. He was in Stanley (Tasmania)  Said he was playing Elvis on a juke box in a bar!!!  Way to go Todd!