MEMPHIS: Home of the Blues
BY CLAY
LARROY
We lead such busy lives working, going to school,
taking children to different activities that often we do not stop and talk to
our children. We usually do not have time to sit around the dinner table and
ask our children what they did today. Family vacations are so important, as it
gives us a way to connect with each other in a stress free relaxed environment.
Families that take vacations together build memories that will last a lifetime.
Family vacations and travel can be a most rewarding experience. When you are ready to plan a vacation contact me!
Memphis
History
Memphis
has a turbulent history but one that has played a significant part in America's
civil rights and musical history.
Native American Indians lived along the Mississippi River for 10,000 years. The first Europeans to arrive were the Spanish in the 1540s, followed by the French and English. There were skirmishes between the Indians and the settlers until Tennessee became a US territory in 1790, and then a state in 1796.
Although the land legally belonged to the Chickasaw Indians, the new settlers eventually took control. In 1818 the Chickasaws have up control of the northern territory, including the land that would become the city of Memphis.
From the outset, Memphis was an important location for trading and travel. Before the Civil War, the economy was cotton-based underpinned by West Africans slaves. The cotton trade tied Memphis to northern industry so many did not wish to secede to the Union at the start of the Civil War. However, the plantation owners were dependent on slave labour, so loyalties were split.
Eventually, Memphis became part of Union territory. After the war, Black Memphians made socio-economic and political progress and black activism continued into the early 20th century. Robert Church founded the NAACP here in 1917. Despite segregation and poverty, Memphis prospered. By the mid-20th century, Memphis became one of the busiest cities in the South, with the world's largest cotton market.
In 1968 Memphis became the focus for the civil rights struggle. Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Martin Luther King to Memphis was subsequently killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in 1968. Riots ensued across America.
In 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum was opened at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated.
Native American Indians lived along the Mississippi River for 10,000 years. The first Europeans to arrive were the Spanish in the 1540s, followed by the French and English. There were skirmishes between the Indians and the settlers until Tennessee became a US territory in 1790, and then a state in 1796.
Although the land legally belonged to the Chickasaw Indians, the new settlers eventually took control. In 1818 the Chickasaws have up control of the northern territory, including the land that would become the city of Memphis.
From the outset, Memphis was an important location for trading and travel. Before the Civil War, the economy was cotton-based underpinned by West Africans slaves. The cotton trade tied Memphis to northern industry so many did not wish to secede to the Union at the start of the Civil War. However, the plantation owners were dependent on slave labour, so loyalties were split.
Eventually, Memphis became part of Union territory. After the war, Black Memphians made socio-economic and political progress and black activism continued into the early 20th century. Robert Church founded the NAACP here in 1917. Despite segregation and poverty, Memphis prospered. By the mid-20th century, Memphis became one of the busiest cities in the South, with the world's largest cotton market.
In 1968 Memphis became the focus for the civil rights struggle. Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Martin Luther King to Memphis was subsequently killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in 1968. Riots ensued across America.
In 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum was opened at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated.
Did you know?
- Memphis was the world's largest mule market in the 1950s.
- The city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile river.
- Elvis Presley's Memphis home, Graceland, is the most visited private home in the US after the White House.
- Memphis was the world's largest mule market in the 1950s.
- The city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile river.
- Elvis Presley's Memphis home, Graceland, is the most visited private home in the US after the White House.
City
Attractions in Memphis
Beale Street
Historically the center
for black music and culture in the city, Beale Street is still the musical
heart of Memphis and worth visiting just for its atmosphere. It is known as the
birthplace of the blues, because it was here that W C Handy wrote Memphis Blues,
so marking the very first time a blues tune had been put onto paper. His house
is now a museum, the W C Handy House Museum, filled with photographs,
memorabilia and some of the original sheet music written by the man who popularized
blues. Beale Street is still the best place in the city for fans to hear live
music, with bars such as B B King's Blues Club. It is also the location of A
Schwab, the oldest shop in the city, which has been run by the Schwab family
since 1876. The general store sells everything from size 74 men's trousers to
various voodoo potions.
Full Gospel Tabernacle Church
The Full Gospel Tabernacle
is the church where the Reverend Al Green preaches on most Sundays. The music
is loud and the Reverend Green's sermons are energetic and uplifting. The
congregation dance (and frequently faint) in the aisles. Although attracting tourists,
these are genuine religious services and should be respected. Sunday services
run 1100-1400.
Graceland
The home of Elvis Presley,
Graceland is the most famous attraction in Memphis. Elvis purchased the mansion
in 1957 and lived there until his death in 1977. His rags to riches story
embodies the American Dream and Graceland has plenty to interest the casual
visitor as well as the devoted fan. A tour of the mansion includes the
gloriously tasteless 'jungle room', with its floor-to-ceiling carpets that
Elvis designed himself. In the Meditation Garden , visitors can see Elvis'
grave, which is always covered with bouquets and wreaths, sent by sobbing and
adoring fans from all over the world. At Graceland Plaza, opposite the mansion,
are a number of exhibitions dedicated to different areas of the singer's life
and obsessions. These include an Automobile Museum, containing his famous pink
Cadillac.
Opening Times
Mon-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1000-1600 (Mar-Oct); daily 1000-1600
(Nov-Feb); no mansion tours Tues (Dec-Feb).
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Established in 1912, the
Brooks holds an astonishing world-class collection of art and often showcases
exhibitions from major museums and private collections around the world. Highly
regarded for its medieval and Renaissance works, the museum also offers tours
and creative workshops to over 20,000 students a year.
Opening Times
Tues, Wed, Fri 1000-1600, Thurs 1000-2000, Sat 1000-1700, Sun
1130-1700.
Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum
This museum tells the
story of Memphis music and how it influenced various genres. It explains how
rock 'n' roll (and later soul) grew out of the blues, gospel and country music
of poor rural sharecroppers from Mississippi. The collection includes early
films of Elvis and memorabilia such as Ike Turner's piano and Carl Perkins'
guitar. CD players are distributed to each visitor, so they can listen in on
the songs related to each exhibit. These range from scratchy recordings of old
blues numbers to famous songs from Memphis' Stax Records, including Dock of the
Bay and the theme from Shaft . The museum no longer shares the same building as
the Gibson Guitar Factory, the manufacturing base for the world-famous guitars,
but has moved to the plaza of the FedExForum in the Beale Street Entertainment
District.
Opening Times
Daily 1000-1900.
Mud Island River Park
Mud Island is just what
its name says it is - an island made from the mud and silt from the Mississippi
River. It first appeared in 1900, was washed away and then reappeared as a
permanent feature in 1913. Attractions include a scale model of the Mississippi
River, which is filled with flowing water. The main draw for visitors is the
Mississippi River Museum, which covers 10,000 years of river history. Canoe,
kayak, bike and pedal-boat hire is also available.
Opening Times
Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (spring
and autumn); Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (summer); closed (winter).
National Civil Rights Museum
This museum is housed in
what was formerly the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr.
Martin Luther King, in 1968. The museum traces the history of the civil rights
movement in America, from slavery to the present day. There are various tableaux,
such as one demonstrating Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a
white man - sparking a whole wave of protests. The most poignant sight of all
is Dr. King's motel room, which has been preserved as it was on the day of the
shooting.
Opening Times
Mon, Wed-Sat
0900-1800, Sun 1300-1800 (Jun-Aug); Mon, Wed-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1300-1700
(Sep-May).
Peabody Ducks
Possibly the city's most
unusual attraction, the Peabody Ducks live on the roof of the elegant Peabody
Hotel. Every morning at 1100, the birds leave their enclosure and are led into
a lift (elevator) by the hotel's Duckmaster. With great fanfare, they emerge
downstairs and waddle across a red carpet to the marble fountain in the lobby,
where they spend the day. In the evening, at 1700 precisely, the performance is
repeated when they return to the roof. Ducks parade at 1100 and 1700.
Opening Times
Ducks parade at 1100 and
1700.
Pink Palace Museum
The Pink Palace Museum was
built in the 1920s by entrepreneur and founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery
chain, Clarence Saunders. He lost his fortune and the pink stone and marble
mansion on Central Avenue, nicknamed the 'Pink Palace', was given to the City
of Memphis for use as a museum. Today it is a regional landmark with displays
on local history, culture, medicine, music, natural history and science. It
also contains a replica of Saunders' first Piggly Wiggly supermarket, as well
as a state-of-the-art planetarium and 3D IMAX theatre. The museum offers many
educational programs for children.
Telephone (901) 320 6320.
Website http://www.memphismuseums.org
Telephone (901) 320 6320.
Website http://www.memphismuseums.org
Sun Studio
This small recording
studio fully deserves its title as 'the birthplace of rock 'n' roll', for it
was here that Elvis Presley made his very first recording, 'My Happiness'. Sun
Studio looks much as it did in the 1950s and contains musical memorabilia, such
as a microphone used by Elvis. The tour includes outtakes of recordings made
there by the King and other Sun artists, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl
Perkins. It is still a working studio and artists like Billy Bob Thornton, the
Judds, Maroon 5 and Vertical Horizon have recently made recordings here. The
adjacent Sun Studio cafe has an old-fashioned fountain where sodas and
milkshakes are served.
Opening Times
Daily 1000-1800. Telephone (901)
521 0664 or 1 800 441 6249.
Website http://www.sunstudio.com
Website http://www.sunstudio.com
The Dixon Gallery and Gardens
The
former home of cotton tycoon Hugo Dixon, set in a seven-hectare (17-acre)
English country garden, houses an impressive collection of French and American
impressionist and post-impressionist art works. Stroll through the gardens or
learn the history of each exhibition on self-guided or volunteer-led tours.
Opening Times
Tues-Fri 1000-1600, Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1300-1700.
REFERENCE SITES:
I have been to Graceland a hundred times. Every kid in middle
Tennessee has this night where it hits midnight, and they are like, 'Let's go
to Graceland!' It's a rite of passage. I did it.
DJ Qualls
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