Sunday 15/05/2011
Nice drive from Nashville this morning and on arrival in Memphis the first door we walked through was 706 Union Ave, Memphis! - yes the famous Sun Studio! The same door 18year old Elvis Presley walked through to see Sam Phillips about recording a song for his mum. Sam wasn't at the studio that day but his secretary, Marion Keisker recorded Elvis that day singing his first song "My Happiness". Marion asked Elvis who he sounded like, and his replied has become famous - "I don't sound like nobody." Marion left the recording on Sam's desk, and the rest is history! By 22 Elvis was able to buy Gracelands and he was a legend in Rock n Roll.
The tour of Sun Studio was fantastic! It is only tiny but packed with music history with such legends as BB King, the Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and of course Elvis all recording here. On the tour you hear the voices of the musicians that still haunt the studio as you listen to outtakes from recording sessions and you feel the energy of the music created here. The studio is still a working studio today. It was really interesting and exciting! - especially being able to stand exactly where Elvis stood to record his records! X marks the famous spot!
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| Sun Studio Cafe |
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| Great memorabilia! |
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The Million Dollar Quartet
Famous photo below |
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Jerry Lee Lewis, Karl Perkins, Elvis and Johnny Cash
They got together in th studio and did a jam session and Sam
Phillips illegally recorded it. It was finally released in 2003.
AND the fifth member!!!??? |
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| THE spot and THE microphone! |
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Pete sings on the same spot, with the same microphone as Elvis -
he even has the Elvis moves!!
"I ain't nothin' but a hound dog............." |
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Sam Phillips of Sun Studio who found Elvis.
He later sold his rights to Elvis to RCA Victor, a bigger label, for $35,000 -
a great business move for Sam
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The office of Sun Studio,with its original furniture,where Elvis
walked into and spoke to Marion Keisker
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| Elvis and Marion Keisker |
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| In the recording Studio |
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| Carl Perkins |
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| Roy Orbison |
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The DJ, Eddy Bond, who first played Elvis on the radio
"On July 7, 1954, for the first time in history a song was played on a radio show sung by Elvis, music that had never been heard before. It was the first time anyone had heard the explosion of the sound of rock and roll. People went absolutely wild and the track was played 14 more times that night after countless call in's to the radio show. |
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| Love the toilet seat! |
Next it was off to The Peabody Hotel, in downtown Union Street, for the famous 5pm duck parade. Every day at 11am the Peabody Rolls out the red carpet, and the ducks that live in their own luxury rooftop "palace" ride down the elevator, with the help of their personal assistant, and waddle over to a large fountain in the centre of the floor to the tune of John Phillip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" or King Cotton March". The procession is repeated in reverse, when the ducks retire at the start of cocktail hour at 5pm.
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| Click to enlarge and read how this tradition began |
Loved the ducks parading - something very unique! From The Peabody Hotel we wandered around downtown Memphis to see the sights she had to offer - another very beautiful, interesting and historical city!
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There are other things that are important in Memphis's history -
Cotton has aways ben important to her economy |
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| The Cotton Exchange Building and Museum |
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| Writer's have been inspired here! |
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The lovely tree lined streets and the historic trolley cars
that run around town |
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| Lovely architecture |
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| The Fed-ExForum Basketball Stadium |
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AutoZone Park - the baseball ground.
Just missed being able to go and watch the afternoon game |
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| The famous Orpheum Theatre |
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| Nice Limousine! |
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| Click to enlarge |
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| Some of the stars in the footpath "Walk of Fame" outside the Theatre |
We also strolled along the riverbank to look at the flooded Mississippi. The floods are causing terrible devastation for people here - memories of the Australian floods some months ago! Poor New Orleans is about to be hit -again!
The flooding Mississippi from the Riverfront in Memphis downtown
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The water was originally across the Riverfront road.
It is still 11 feet above its usual height |
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Looking across to the flooded Mud Island
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| The mud and mess left behind! |
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| Looking across the river to West Memphis - very bad over there |
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| All that is showing of Mud Island Point |
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| The paddle boats look like they are moored in the river - the pier is submerged |
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| They are still taking precautions |
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| West Memphis |
We had a great evening enjoying Beale Street with its music and nightlife! Was great we stayed in a hotel in the middle of town just two blocks away from ball and all the action!
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| I think you'll agree this is a very famous street in a very significant city |
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| W C Handy Memorial - father of the Blues |
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Elvis stands proudly in Beale Street -
king of Rock 'n' Roll |
Great sights and sound and atmosphere in Beale Street.........................we had a ball! Just got home before we turned into pumpkins!
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Groups were in the park and on the sidewalk in Beale -
music music everywhere! |
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| and dancing! |
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| The old Daisy theatre - Jazz and Blues venue |
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We dined at Alfred's and sampled the beer
while we listened to the fantastic Memphis Jazz Orchestra -
they play at Alfred's every Sunday night |
Memphis is a good tourist spot as well as famous for Singing. An 18 years old Boy sung a song for its mother and after that make one of the best singer of the whole country.
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