Day 5 - Memphis Blues

 

Blues music finds its origin in the music that slaves from Africa performed in the Mississippi delta (the region between Memphis and New Orleans). The music is based on gospels and negro spirituals. Making music was often the only way for them to ease their suffering. Because this music had a melancholic tone and content, it was called 'blues'. Beale Street in Memphis is sometimes called the home of blues with, among others, blues musician W.C. Handy who already played in Beale Street in 1909 and created the Beale Street Blues. When many blacks moved from the South to the cities, the blues got a different sound through the use of electric instruments. This more up tempo version of the blues would pave the way for rhythm and blues and rock 'n roll in the 1950s. Because this music was mainly recorded in the studios in Memphis, Memphis became the birthplace of rock 'n roll.
 

This afternoon Beale Street is abandoned. Of course there are the clubs and restaurants that remind of the great blues past and that undoubtedly provide the exuberant atmosphere that prevails in the evenings.

Beale Street Blues Boy BB King is everywhere. The King of Blues passed away in 2015, but the BB King's Blues Club is still there. Over the years more of these clubs were established throughout the American territory, but here in Beale Street is the original one. In 1991 BB King himself opened the club, where every time he was in Memphis, he took to the stage with his Lucille. Unique moments for the spectators. Today you can still have a bite to eat and bring a tribute to the big BB King, who is still sadly missed. The king is dead, long live the king.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The King is dead, long live the king.
Elvis was the king, of rock'n roll anyway. Unquestionably one of the most charismatic singers ever to walk this earth and without doubt one of the most talented. But he had to pay a heavy price for all that talent and the celebrity that comes with it. A price that turned out to be too high: no privacy, no rest, being lived and forgetting yourself somewhere. Whatever happened on that fateful August 16, 1977, the world lost a big star that day.
And saying that it all started with a song that he wanted to record for his mum. Father Vernon Presley found $ 5 money thrown away. But look, that investment of $ 5 eventually became a billion-dollar empire.

 

 

 

Sun Studio was the studio where Elvis found himself in a recording studio for the first time. Sam Phillips, the owner was not there that day, so secretary Marion Keisker observed the honors. He sang two songs: 'My happiness' and 'That's when your heartaches begin'. It took her a year to convince Sam to listen to the recording and let Elvis come back. The rest is history. For 17 months, Elvis was the star of the Studio. His five-year contract was bought by RCA in Nashville and it gave Sam Phillips enough money to give contracts to other artists. Sun Studio is also where Roy Orbison, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis (with Great Balls of Fire), Sam Perkins (with Blue Suede Shoes) and Johnny Cash took their first steps in the music world. Recordings are still being made in the studio. And even better, the studio can also be visited. History really comes to life in the recording studio.

 

 

Gibson guitars, the piano, the corrugated ceiling to improve the acoustics ... and most importantly: the original microphone that Elvis used to record his songs, is fortunately preserved.

My singing voice is not something that the world is waiting for, but it can be a nice souvenir. Sun Studio offers the possibility to record your own song for I believe $ 50. But nothing stops you from taking Elvis's microphone and singing your lungs out for a perfect Kodak moment. Correct singing is not important at that moment and it is also included in the Studio tour. The tour also includes some audio recordings of Elvis, Roy Orbison and a unique recording of a singing Elvis with Jerry Lee Lewis on the piano and Johnny Cash and Sam Perkins in vocal support in the background. Their catchy talks and their subsequent singing, was an inspiration of the moment, a chance encounter between these greats, say: 'the Million Dollar Quartet'. Just shut your eyes and the fifties and sixties are flashing by. This is  probably the closer I will come to legends. Music history on a few square meters. But especially: laughing, dancing and a rockin 'good time.

The world was waiting on the singing voice of Elvis and it was preserved on millions of records. What was also preserved is his house, his home and probably the place where he was really happy: Graceland. Elvis left the building in 1977 but not the domain. When, after his burial at the local cemetery, an attempt was made to steal his body, he was reburied in the backyard of Graceland in what is called the meditation pavilion. He now rests there next to his parents.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists per year visit Graceland, which after his death was opened to the public. It is after the White House in Washington, the most visited home in the United States.
Only the downstairs and outside space can be visited and not the bedroom and bathroom. This is to protect his only daughter Lisa Marie. It is her parental home and she still stays there every time she is in Memphis.

 

When I arrive, it strikes me that the house is relatively small. It is a family house, but I had expected a bit more for a man of his standing. The Christmas tree is already decorated  and there are also some gifts under the tree. Not by chance. Because in a few hours the Graceland Christmas lights will be lit. An annual tradition that is opened with a small concert. Moreover, the latest recordings are made today for the HBO Christmas film 'Christmas at Graceland'.

 

Secondly, the first rooms are less kitschy than I had in mind. The dining room and sitting rooms are nicely decorated. Of course you have to keep in mind that it looks the same as in 1977.

 

 

The kitchen s can not be more seventies. Elvis released all his top decorative talent in the so-called Jungle Room. A bit too eccentric to my taste, but Elvis was inspired by his favorite vacation spot Hawaii for the design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavy wooden carved furniture, thick green carpet that lies on the floor and also hangs on the ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The billiard room is also quite unique, where the heavily printed curtains not only darken the windows but also decorate the walls.There is no discussion on colors and taste.

 

 

The outdoor area is impressive with large meadows where he kept his horses.

 

Elvis also had a squash court with, in addition a relaxation room with a piano. It is here, on that fateful August 16, that he was playing around in the mornings with some friends. After a couple of songs on the piano, he retired to his bedroom. There, some time later, he was found unresponsive on the floor of the bathroom.
Not only the house was preserved, but also his showpieces including a gigantic car collection, with in the first place the iconic Pink Cadillac.

 

 

Elvis also owned two planes. A Convair CV-880 that previously served as a passenger plane for Delta Airlines. He bought this plane in 1975 and christened it the Lisa Marie. He designed the interior himself. Priscilla Presley flew with the last flight of the aircraft to Memphis for the funeral of Elvis. He also owned a smaller jet, the Hound Dog II, mainly intended for his staff.

 

Both aircraft do not fly anymore but can be visited at Graceland.
His legacy can not only be expressed in money or in property, but also in the hundreds of songs sitting in our collective memory. And above all, he has provided so many people with fun and relaxation. My own mum was probably one of his biggest fans. It was her ultimate dream to go to Graceland. Unfortunately, the disease with the big K caught up with her dreams. Physically she did not stand with me at his grave tonight, but in one way or another, I have never felt her presence since her death as strong as today.