Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Adios Memphis!



The reluctance of other people to try something new always amazes me. And with that said our month-long stay in Memphis has come to an end.

Frankly, Memphis has been a city that I had only given passing thought to in the past, but after being there, has certainly impressed me.

If you are a fan of rock and roll music then Memphis is a mecca that we should all visit. The influence of Elvis, both in music and movies, practically speaks for itself, and Memphis is practically a shrine to Elvis, even well outside the confines of the Graceland estate and museums.

Numerous other musicians can trace their roots to Memphis, the blues, and the Sun and Staxx Records systems. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King, W.C. Handy, Rufus Thomas, Ike and Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Delaney and Bonnie, Wilson Pickett, Luther Ingram, Albert King, the Bar-Kays, Booker T. & the MG's (the MG's included Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn, best known to those of us of a certain generation as most of the Blues Brothers Band). Memphis has made an amazing, amazing contribution to American music.

Memphis is hugely influenced by New Orleans, and no place in Memphis celebrates the perpetual party of good music and good times quite like the heart of Beale Street, which reminds a person of Bourbon Street, but without Bourbon's puke in the gutters.

Or Bourbon Street's adult entertainment district, but that's beside the point.

But all good things must come to an end, and San Antonio, Texas is our next stop. The Kampgrounds of America at Graceland (yup, Elvis' very own trailer park) has been our home for a month but it's time to go.

For more info on Memphis, and great places to see and to go to, I encourage you to check out my Memphis articles at the Examiner at http://www.examiner.com/x-14975-San-Antonio-Road-Trip-Travel-Examiner


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