Tennessee Touring: The Hall of Fame and Studio B

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) Winding down our adventure in Music City and the home of the Delta Blues, we're left with one must-see from Tim's list, the Country Music Hall of Fame.

We could have also spent the evening out at the Loveless Cafe barn to see the Music City Roots TV show but, at this point, we'd seen eleven acts in different concerts and clubs along the way plus had a CD shoved into our hands as we walked Nashville's streets by a unknown artist trying to get known (turned out to be a compilations of Christmas songs and the singer sounded like an animated chipmunk).

It's Letty's turn to have a bad day with whatever virus we picked up in Tupelo. She bravely soldiers on but you can tell she's not feeling the love today.

Thirty degrees with a snowy rain is not particularly inviting either but at least there is reasonably priced indoor parking half a block from the Hall.

It's warm inside and the Hall has an instutitional smell (like a library or school) that is not sitting well with my sick wife. We get our tickets, enhanced with a tour of RCA's historic Studio B, and head on in.

Another audio tour, another hour or so of helping Tim punch the right numbers to match whatever display he's sitting in front of

It's interesting to a point...you get to see Nudie's sewing machine, Elvis's "solid gold" Cadillac, Webb Pierce's silver dollar and gun car (Buck Owen's had a duplicate of this car, now hanging over the bar at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield), many musical instruments, outfits, and gold records.

My favorite exhibit, though I do not think it's permanent, was the Bakersfield Sound exhibition. Probably because I'm biased towards that city but it weaves a great history of the two men who dominated it...Merle Haggard and Owens...and the intricate, weirdly intersecting family histories they had together.

Other less familiar names like Homer Joy along with notables such as Dwight Yoakam are also put into the context they have with that California oil city.

We check out all the plaques in the actual Hall...a big rotunda at the end of the tour...then head back into the lobby to wait for the bus to take us to Studio B.

A ten minute ride (yes, the buses are wheelchair accessible) and we're at the back door of the famous studio. While it's mostly retired today (Studio A next door is it's current replacement), some artists still like to make special arrangements to use it, such as Marty Stuart on his Ghost Train album.

Elvis recorded over 200 of his songs here, more than any other studio.

The tour starts off in a small lobby and it's significance is explained to us as well as a listing of some of the top artists who have recorded there.  At the end, we are ushered into the studio itself as we hear some more tales...

The lights are different colors so that they could be used to set the mood; Elvis liked to record at three in the morning; the room is perfectly acoustical, there is no echo at all, a special reverb box had to be built into the wall to accomodate those who wanted it.

We're allowed to sit at Elvis' piano...but not play it...and then we're off.

Nice addition to the Elvis Trail but still not as awesome as Sun Studio was back in Memphis.

The bus driver tying Tim down in the bus tells me an elderly gentleman who has just parked nearby is Harrold Bradley. 

Harrold and his brother, Owen, opened up Nashville's first recording studio in 1954, starting the industry that Nashville now thrives on.

My wife wonders what the driver told me, so I tell her. Soon the word spreads to the tour guide who announces it to the bus. A couple of women sitting in front of us excitedly chirp up "finally, we saw someone famous here!"

After hanging with Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Ranger Doug and meeting Leon Rhodes, Anita Stapleton and seeing all the stars at the Opry, I'm thinking "if that's the only famous person you've seen on your trip, you ain't been trying hard enough..."


Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Tennessee Touring: On the Elvis Trail, from End to The End.

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) The 600 pound gorilla in the Memphis, Tennessee tourist agenda is of course, The King.  We've been on the Elvis Trail, starting with his birth in Tupelo, Mississippi; through to his breakthrough with Sam Phillips at Sun Studio; and now to where he lived and ended it all.

Of course, we're talking about his home in south Memphis, Graceland.

Before we left, a friend of mine said he was in Memphis but passed on Graceland because of the cost. It is kind of breathtaking that, even with the AAA discount, it was $99 for the three of us but it really is a once in a lifetime thing, so we'll bite the bullet and take it in.

Note: (prices have almost double...starting at $59 for adults before discount...since our trip - Ed)

We decided to "enhance" our experience even more by moving our last night to the Heartbreak Hotel, a themed lodging across the street adjacent to the visitor's center that is also owned by the same company.

A king suite here was just a few dollars more than the Springhill Suites we were staying at the last few nights but the hotel was a bit run down and looked as it had not been renovated since Elvis' death. The lounge (The Jungle Room) was a bit pathetic and the food choices very uninspiring. 

On the plus side, they show Elvis movies 24/7 on the TV's here...

(NOTE: The Heartbreak Hotel has since closed and been replaced with a new hotel, The Guesthouse at Graceland - Ed)

After check-in, we head over to the visitor's center, cash in the reservation we bought online, and head outside.  We're across the street from the house so visitors board shuttle buses (which have wheelchair lifts and tie-downs) for the short trip across the street, though the famous music note gates, and up to the front door.

A quick spiel about the history of the house and then you're turned loose inside with your headphones and audio tour. This is always a bit of a pain in the butt for me because Tim can never quite punch in the right code for the proper part of the tour so I'm fixing his errors, trying to get my audio back to match his, and then continue with the tour.

We get by.

You start in the foyer (which is directly under the spot where Elvis died upstairs but they don't tell you that on the tour) and view the living room with its fifteen foot long couch on the right.

Then, it's on to his parents bedroom down the hall, past the staircase (upstairs is strictly off limits), and into the dining room.

A large, dated kitchen is after that. Now, Tim gets to wait upstairs while Letty and I take turns to go down in the basement to see the rec room and bar. Tim watches a video of the same thing in the car port.

Next is the famous Jungle Room with a waterfall, animal skins and theme. It's basically a large family room.

Outside, you go past Lisa Marie's swingset and into the offices of Elvis Enterprises where his dad, Vernon, used to take care of the business side of things.

On the end of this building is an old smokehouse that was converted into a shooting range.

Past the horse pasture is the trophy room where hundreds of gold and platinum records hang on the wall.

More exhibits about Elvis in the Army and his short marriage to Priscilla. 

The last day of his life, he played raquetball in his own personal court where it has now been converted to a large display room showing more gold and platinum records plus a selection of the outfits he wore onstage. 

Outside, by the pool is the final stop on the tour which is also Elvis' final stop...the memorial garden.

Here, he rests eternally next to the graves of his mom, his dad, and his grandmother.

Back on the shuttle, Letty comments that it was smaller than expected. Indeed, the house would just barely qualify as a mansion in some places but it was a different time with different expectations.

It's back to the hotel after touring the planes and the gift shops before heading out for dinner.

Dinner time and the pickin's are slim around Graceland. Instead, a better bet is to head back downtown for some Memphis barbecue. We're heading to Charles Vergo's Rendezvous. Walking by the Peabody Hotel, one of the city's homeless citizens asks where we're from and if we've had dinner yet.

We tell him we're going to the Rendezvous and he directs us to an alley half a block away.  Indeed, this lonely alley is the entrance.

Watch the Video!

Our Dinner at The Rendezvous

The restaurant is mostly downstairs with another room upstairs. Nothing is at the level of the entrance. Fortunately, the hostess sends Bob the busboy to escort us to a nearby elevator where we make the journey through the bowels of the restaurant to our table.

While trying to decide between all the pork ribs, chicken, sausage and such, our server tells us they are having a special.

"You're here during Memphis Dine week. We have a special, two brisket dinners with beer for $20.13."

Sounds good. We order that plus a plate of pork ribs.  The food is indeed special, especially the brisket. It's moist...which is the problem I have with most versions, they're too dry...and have a great smoky flavor. 

I tell Bob I love them and he says he thinks the pork ribs are even better. They are very good, tender, and flavorful but I still have to give the edge to the brisket.

One more night in the disappointing Heartbreak Hotel and our too short time in Memphis is over. In the morning, we'll be heading east on Interstate 40 towards "Music City," Nashville.

We'll see you there.

Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Tennessee Touring: Memphis - Martin and Elvis

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) Previously on our Tennesse tour...Part 1 and Part 2

It's another trolley ride south on Main Street in Memphis Tennessee. After a run at the breakfast bar at the Springhill Suites, we're off to see the National Civil Rights Museum.

Watch the Video!

Built around the Lorraine Motel, a Black-friendly lodging back in the Jim Crow days, the complex includes the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while standing in front of his room, and the building across the street where James Earl Ray stuck his rifle through the bathroom window to get a clear shot.

It's another sad, depressing...but important...stop travelers need to make. After years of oppression, bigotry, and prejudice, Dr. King's efforts at equality led to some remarkable remaking of southern and American society. His death here in Memphis only made the movement stronger.

Entering through a underground tunnel, you are ushered into a theater for a 10 minute introduction to Dr. King and his legacy that runs on a loop. Once you're done with that, you head upstairs for exhibits and a timeline of the events of that April 4th. At the end of the timeline, you find yourself standing at a reproduction of Ray's bedroom and bathroom.

Only it isn't a reproduction. 

Once you read the signs and get your bearings, you realize that tunnel led you into the old boarding house and you are looking at the actual bedroom and bathroom, sealed in glass, as they were left that day.

After some more exhibits about the investigation, the trial, and other assassinations, you wander back outside and visit the motel itself where you can walk up to room 306, look in, and stand in the spot where Dr. King fell, marked by a wreath.



It's sad but whenever we visit somber monuments like this, we have to focus on the good things that resulted from it.

Another trolley takes us to a happier historic site, the birthplace of rock 'n roll.

It's on the corner of Union and Myrtle, on the western edge of downtown Memphis. This small, brick building holds Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service, also the home of his record label, Sun Studios.

A DJ in the early fifties, Phillips would hire himself out to record things...birthday parties, weddings, funerals...much like videographers do today.  You could also come to his studio and rent time or even cut a quick demo record.

Many Black groups in the day would come in because they new Phillips loved the sound of African American blues. Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston came up from Mississippi to record. One of their amps fell off the car, damaging it a bit, on the way. Recording with the amp gave the guitar a slightly fuzzy sound and guitar distortion was discovered that day.

The song they recorded, "Rocket 88," is considered the first rock 'n roll song.

It wouldn't be long before a local teenage truck driver named Elvis Presley would come in to record and hang around which, eventually, led Sam Phillips to invite him in. Not moved by Presley's slow, melodic gospels songs, a frustrated Phillips called for a break during which Elvis, playing around with his band mates, knocked out a killer version of "That's Alright," which Sam came back in to immediately put to vinyl. 

The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, the studio is still in business. Mostly for tourists during the day and for musicians at night.  The tour itself is half accessible. The first half goes upstairs. Wheelchair users will have to wait in the lounge for that part but are not charged admission.

Upstairs, you get to see that broken guitar amp that Ike Turner used, numerous Elvis memorabilia, and some ancient recording gear.

Downstairs, the second half of the tour is exclusively a one-room shot, but what a room it is. In the studio, outtakes are played from 50's recording sessions, the tour guide points out where Elvis stood when he was recording, the "dollar in the guitar string" trick Johnny Cash used to get his unique sound, how the Million Dollar Quartet came to be, and much more.

A pickup band made up of tourists are put together to re-enact Elvis recording "That's Alright"...Tim got to be the King for that one (see it in the video, above).

At the end, the microphone used by Elvis is brought out and everybody gets their chance to pose with it.

You do really feel the history here, both at Sun Studios and the Lorraine Motel. One is a celebration of uninhibitedness, while the other is more somber but it led to some great and hopeful changes to our nation.

It's been a long day and we've been on our feet for all of it. To get a rest and relax a bit, we head to the Peabody Hotel to sit, have a cup of coffee in the lobby, and check out a real duck dynasty.

In the 1930's, the hotel's manager...after a little imbibing...thought it'd be funny to leave some live ducks in the lobby fountain.  The next morning, probably with a bit of a headache, he thought better of it and went to the lobby to retrieve the ducks.  A crowd had formed and he knew he had a hit on his hands.

A bellman who used to be a circus trainer volunteered to train the birds and, ever since, they have lived on the roof of the hotel. Each morning, they take a private elevator and are marched to the fountain.  At 5:00pm, the duckmaster...with an honored hotel guest...retrieves the fowl, marches them back to the elevator to the tunes of a Souza march, and back to the roof.

This is known as the Peabody March of the Ducks and we're here just in time for it.

If you get a table in the lobby like we did, the staff make sure to keep your view clear. Other, less fortunate visitors have to squeeze in by the elevator behind velvet ropes. Children are allowed to sit in front on the floor. People in wheelchairs, like Tim, are ushered to their own privileged front row viewing area.

It doesn't last long but it's still a hoot to see.

As the ducks go, so do we. Next time, we'll have some great barbecue and continue our journey along the Elvis Trail.

Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved 

On the Elvis Trail: A Day Trip to Tupelo

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) It’s an easy, almost 4 hour flight on Southwest nonstop from LAX to Nashville. Baggage is waiting at the carousel and we actually got the minivan we reserved from Dollar Rent a Car. Tim says it’s one of the easiest travel days we’ve ever had.

He’s right.

It’s a pleasant, 3 hour or so drive from there to Memphis, the first leg of this trip. Downtown is easy to find, as is our hotel…the Springhill Suites…located in the heart of this city.

By the time we unpack, it’s a bit late for dinner as a Justin Timberlake concert has overwhelmed most of the restaurants in the area. We get some serviceable food at the snack bar of the Courtyard hotel next door.

Watch the Video!

In the morning, it’s time for our first adventure. Among other things we want to accomplish during this trip, we want to take the Elvis Trail. Into the van and 100 miles later, we’re in the very pretty town of Tupelo, Mississippi.

First things first…we want to eat.

In downtown, we smell some good smoke and spy a handicapped parking spot in front of an open restaurant.

This building used to be Kermit’s Bakery and in its day, the Presley family would buy birthday cakes here for their not-yet-famous son. Today, it’s Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen.

We grab a table in the middle of the room and the cook comes over to tell us about his braised pork, persimmon burrito and explains that everything they serve comes from local farmers.

Looking at the menu, nothing inspires us as much as the special, so we order two burritos to split between the three of us.

It is very good, with the sweetness of the persimmon setting off the smoky flavor of the pork just so. The owner chats with us, asking us where we’re from. We see the bottles of Sriracha on the shelf and tell him that we live about a mile from that factory.

(Come along on our tour of the Sriracha factory here)

This leads to a chat about the factory’s recent problems with local residents complaining about the smell. Others in the restaurant come up and introduce themselves and start talking. Pretty soon, we’ve met just about everybody in the place.

Tupelo is a very friendly town.

Asked why we’re there, we tell them about the Elvis Trail theme. We’re told to check out the adjacent hardware store, where Gladys Presley bought her son his first guitar, and the Lyric theater around the corner where he played his first show.

Visiting the hardware store and taking a little tour around downtown gets us ready for our next stop, Elvis’ birthplace located in a park on the other side of town.

The chapel, visitor’s center, a church, and a large visitor’s center surround the tiny little house…maybe 500 square feet…that launched Elvis into our world.

We visit the trail markers…Elvis is on both the Country and Blues trails…and even see the outhouse where the future king had his throne.

It’s a neat stop to see where this history took place but I’ll also remember the friendly locals and good food in the pretty town of Elvis’ birth. We’ll also remember the cold that one of those locals passed onto us that would haunt us for the rest of this trip.

Our day trip to Tupelo over, we head back to Memphis to see what we can find there.

Darryl

Copyright 2013 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Tennessee Touring: The Gaylord Expedition and Wrapup

You wouldn't think so, but there's a hotel in Nashville that is a tourist destination unto itself. Really.

It's so popular that other hotels in the area run shuttles to it just so their guests can go and see it for themselves.

The Gaylord Opryland sits on 40 acres of land. Almost 30 of those are covered by the massive building itself. It is the largest non-casino hotel in America outside of Las Vegas. There are just under 3,000 rooms, a navigable indoor river, three massive atriums, the studios of one of the most powerful radio stations in the country (WSM), 17 restaurants and bars, a golf course, and 600,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Musick family decided to tackle the Gaylord one day and, it might not have quite been "a three hour cruise...," it did turn into a three hour adventure just to make it through the incredible amount of lobby and atrium space here during the frigid Thanksgiving week while getting lost at seemingly every turn.

Did they ever make it back out alive? (SPOILER HINT: I am typing this...)

Watch our last Tennessee video as we hunt for food, hack through jungle, brave the frigid wilds of the Cumberland valley, all while trying to find our way through...it's "The Gaylord Expedition."

Watch the Video!

After you've watched that, you may want to browse through the collection of reports and videos that make up our complete, Grand Tennessee Tour, by clicking on the links below...

On the Elvis Trail - Day Trip to Tupelo

Dining and Drinking in Memphis

Memphis - Martin and Elvis

On the Elvis Trail - From End to The End

Welcome to Nashville

Daytrip to Franklin

Nashville - The One With The Music...

Nashville - The Hall of Fame and Studio B

The Cocktail Hour: Beale Street Pub Crawl

...and that's a wrap for the Grand Tennessee Tour. Hope to see you back for our next new adventure soon.

Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved