Memphis and the Crossroads

We put the address for Elvis Presley RV Park, Memphis into the GPS and drove out of Nashville on a Sunday morning. We weren’t too far along when we realized we were a bit lost. It was about that time that we were stopped on a country road by the Police.

Perhaps we didn’t mention earlier but this state (Tennessee) is well and truly in the Bible Belt. The churches are many, no make that ridiculously many, every denomination, seemingly large and well attended, and that was the reason why we had been stopped. The local police are required to provide traffic management at the end of church services to allow people to leave and make way for the next congregation to arrive for the next service. This happens at a lot of the churches in the area and we saw at least 3 - 4 churches that big on that day. AMAZING!!

Another thing I should mention about the USA and particularly the south, because it feels so different from home, is that we are treated with respect, courtesy, and good manners all the time. Everyone calls us ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’, they greet you with good morning and good evening on the street and they look you in the eye – even the children say “S’cuse me ma’am”. Attendants ask if we have found everything in the supermarkets, carry your packages, seat you in cafes and restaurants, smile and always try to engage us in conversation. There’s a lot to be said for giving people your undivided attention and time – even if it’s only for a minute or two – very meaningful acknowledgement of the worthiness and value of each individual.

OK – I’m off my bandwagon and back on the road to Memphis – thanks to the very helpful policeman and no thanks to Jill the GPS.

cotton fields
new appreciation of  scripture - 'white unto harvest'

We passed many cotton fields and rice paddocks along the way, replacing the corn in the north, arriving in Memphis just on dusk. As we booked in a siren began to sound in the street. Our campground hosts said, “Oh! That’s just the tornado warning siren. We should be OK here but if it gets too bad, just go to the shower block. That’s what we will be doing.” So, we set up our RV, no awning, just the basics and then looked on the internet to see what the real story was. The sirens continued, and Police and Fire Service also joined in so it sounded like it might be very serious and it was. West Memphis was directly in the path of a Category 3 Tornado – enough to cause serious damage to a motorhome.

So we had some prayer, had some dinner and waited… The rains came bucketing down most of the night, but the winds did not come and by morning, the sky was beautiful clear and blue.

Inside Sun City Studios

Recording Room - Sun City Studios

Our day in Memphis was jam-packed. Firstly, we took a ‘free’ bus to Sun City Studios. You enter what looks like a little café and souvenir store, which doubles as a museum. Of course we took the guided tour where we learnt that Sun City originated when a local DJ realized he was not playing music recorded by black people so he opened the studio with that in mind. Obviously he also took on paid work, which meant that he would record anybody’s music, but gave many black musicians an opportunity to record and so have their music played on radio.

Johno was in his element. It is only a little place but we saw where Elvis Presley recorded his first record as well as many others (Johnny Cash, Roy Orbisson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin’ Wolf) got to start their musical careers. In three small rooms the birth of rock’n’roll / rockabilly began, and even today they are using the same microphones, the same studio, and the same sound booth as when it was first set up way back in the 1950’s. So many musicians and artists that we know and love have recorded in this studio.

From there we headed to the Gibson Guitar Factory. Johno has said he might even buy a guitar. I said he had to promise to learn how to play it and he agreed. But folks, sorry to disappoint you, no guitar was purchasedLL 

They were so expensive but beautiful instruments. The tour was extremely informative. It is a working factory so you could watch them making the guitars as you toured around.   

The Rock & Soul Museum, Memphis was developed by the Smithsonian Institution to present a chronology of the rebellious hearts that shaped what is known as ‘The Memphis Sound” - from the pioneers through all the legends until today. In their quest to identify the roots of American Music, they discovered that all roads led to Memphis and therefore was the place to have such a museum.

The exhibition is introduced by a 15minute film presentation, giving an overview of the development of ‘rock & soul’ and then you are on you own. Armed with headsets and a hand control you proceed at your own pace through the many exhibits - from earliest times of cotton plantations and gospel music to plantation blues to recorded music to Motown. The exhibits were both visually and audibly enlightening, and we loved that music accompanied each one with extended playtime if you chose. It is a very personal way to take a tour and many’s the time, you would be rockin’ away with your music and headset and if you looked up, someone else would be rockin’ away in their own little world. We would just smile, nod and keep on going. It’s the first museum I’ve ever been in where nearly everyone was swaying, tapping a foot, bopping, singing and or dancing. Really funJ

The museum boasts an amazing collection of music memorabilia as well as authentic ‘lifestyle’ displays showing how people lived, what they wore and what they did for entertainment down thru the generations. Several hours was passed in total enjoyment whilst learning. GOOD TIMES  J

Ducks. If you know me well, you would know that I have a special love of all things ducks. They have a significant and special place in my memories of my much loved and often missed mother, and as well - ducks just amuse me! So when, during our travels, we were told about the famous march of The Peabody Hotel Ducks in Memphis, it was another one of those “what the” moments.  On arrival in Memphis, we knew it would be a MUST DO thing and Johno would indulge my ducky inclination.

We arrived early (2.30pm) to see the march and already there was standing room only. It was a Monday afternoon and you would think that might mean a smallish crowd but in fact there would have been about 200 people waiting to see the ducks.

It all started a long time ago when someone put ducks in the fountain in the main foyer of the Peabody Hotel as a joke. But the ducks seemed to enjoy themselves and according to folklore they attracted quite a crowd so management decided they should remain part of the foyer for years to come. The ducks are trained and only have a three-month term of employment. They march from the Plantation Roof on the top of the hotel each morning at 11.00am, down the elevator, along the red carpet in the lobby and into the pond around the fountain. At 3.00pm they march back to their ducky suite in the rooftop. By the way, you can google this if you wish and just for the record, the Peabody is very plush, 5 star and has the most beautiful bathrooms – marble, gold and monogrammed handtowels -  very swish, methinks!!

Beale Street - home of the blues - was one of Johno’s must see and experience. This place is like Mecca is to the Moslems for all blues lovers, it’s the origins of blues. There are lots of street performers, buskers and hawkers. The bars, restaurants and barbeques all have stages or performance areas to provide local talent with an outlet to perform, display their merchandise, along with all the touristy stuff as well 

[t-shirts, shot glasses, stubbie holders, etc - so much junk] .

 

We just wandered up and down the street listening to the sounds and taking in vibe and the aromas. There were Hendrix imitators, Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabes, as well as good acoustic blues to make you want to park yourself a while and get into the groove. We found this little bar and ordered barbeque and enjoyed the night chillin’ to some very nice original stuff and some old favourites. BEALE STREET . !!!!!! YEAH – says Johno.

Food – when we were in Nashville we met a guy who told us he and some mates travel to Memphis every year for a barbeque weekend. They eat barbeque breakfast, lunch and dinner for four days – tasting and ranking the food as they go. So we went to investigate ‘barbeque’.

It’s easier to say what it isn’t – it isn’t steaks and snags on the barbie. It’s every type of meat, even alligator (but no lamb) and ribs cooked over flame, smoked, pot-roasted, pressure-cooked and served with ‘special’ sauces  or dry rubs – hot, spicy, smoky, sweet, hickory, whatever!! And it’s really up to the individual what’s the best. Well, that’s my take on it anyway. Some of it was so yum, so was ho hum, My favourites – pulled pork sandwich in Niagara Falls and pork ribs in Memphis.

SO! that was Memphis in a day. We didn’t get to tour Graceland but we did see it lit up at night (very pretty) and truly, there is Elvis memorabilia everywhere so we felt we had seen enough.

Our next stop was Clarksdale, the land where the blues began, where Johno was keen to visit the Delta Blues museum and also to see the crossroads where legend says that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could become a full-time blues musician and a really good one, at that. The Delta Blues Museum has a large collection of Blues artifacts, including musical instruments, recordings, sheet music, posters and a whole lot more and that is where Johno got his next fix on blues history and culture.

Me? I went wandering in Clarksdale and surprise! surprise! I found a coffee shop / gift and jewellery store where I enjoyed a quiet cuppa and cinnamon scroll (baked fresh that morning) and just whiled away an hour or two on my own.

The Crossroads - Clarksdale

Then we were off to find the Crossroads - the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale – for a quick photo (there’s nothing much there really) – and then hit the road again, heading south towards Jackson.

Along the way, we were stopped twice by Police who were conducting random license checks and vehicle inspections. We had noticed that we passed at least two prisons and were told later that there had been some escapees missing – glad we didn’t find them!

We stayed the night at Holmes County State Park where we again met some friendly campers who visited us that evening and followed our journey via the Mac Book and the photo library.  We had a great evening. We had plans to hit the road early next day but I woke up in excruciating pain in my shoulder, arm and hand. There was numbness, swelling and weakness so we prayed and I rested and went to bed for the day. It was no better the next day so we headed to Jackson (thank you Francis for your timely advice) to the university hospital for a check up.

Five hours, $350.00, an ECG, an ultrasound, a BIG needle, and some more heavy drugs for the road and they sent us on our way. The diagnosis was pinched nerve or partial dislocation on the shoulder – nothing confirmed – and the treatment seemed to work (that and prayer) as I gradually improved over the next 24hours.

We drove out of Jackson in the madness of rush–hour traffic and found the very quaint Percy Quin State Park near McComb, Mississippi about an hour south where we stayed the night.

We had a booking in New Orleans for the next four nights and were keen to get there! Stay tuned for the next installment of our exciting adventures in Louisiana.