Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything. – Plato
Our latest adventure takes us to a very special place if youre a fan of certain genres of music. We were safely isolating on the beach in Florida when the call came in ... would Dave like to work at a pediatric hospital ..... in Memphis? This was too much to pass up, both professionally and because of the special types of music in this city.
Memphis is a very special place and is aptly titled the Home of the Blues is located in the southwest corner of Tennessee and sits on the mighty Mississippi River. Deep in the heartland of America, rich in history, Memphis is a stones throw to both the Arkansas and Mississippi borders. Memphis is so much more than just the blues.
Memphis has music in its soul, in its soul, in its soul. Memphis is not only home to da Blues, but Rock N Roll, jazz, R&B, gospel, and soul. As music fans we are excited to live in Memphis, even if it is for a short time to walk the streets where the musical roots took hold. In a later blog we will introduce you to Beale Street but for now we
share museums of importance. We do this mainly because of the pandemic, which has all but closed down Beale Street and all the music venues. Sad, but it also allows us to take our time and learn so much more about how this music took its shape and helped to shape the world of music as we know it.
This is the place where Elvis got his start. An iconic museum by day and recording studio by night —what a fantastic idea! Yes, it still actively used as a recording studio. The guides share a wealth of musical history that keeps you smiling and your foot tapping as they play song after song as they share details of a multitude of happenings through the years.
Sam Phillips was the founder of Sun Records and he recorded the likes of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charley Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith, B.B. King, Ike Turner, James Cotton, The Prisionaires, and many more. Many other stars have recorded there in recent years including Ringo Starr and Bono. In his own way, he was a music visionary, but more so,
he saw that music could see its way through racial barriers. He was a strong advocate for racial equality and it showed in the way he produced the artists.
Sun records is a small studio on hallowed ground. The walls are lined with photos of artist and famous guitars and amps ring the studio. Xs marked the floor where various famous artists stood while they made recording history. One can sense the music vibrations as you stand where artist laughed, played and rocked their way into history. You can actually hold the microphone that was used by so many artists over 60 years ago.including Elvis. This place is a must see for all serious music fans.
The Blues are the roots and the other music are the fruits. Its better keeping the roots alive, because it means better fruits from now on. The Blues are the roots of American music. As long as American music survives so will the Blues. -Willie Dixon
This museum is the only Smithsonian museum not located in our nations capital, but the fact that it is a Smithsonian says it all. The exhibits take you through the history of music in this corner of the world, from the humble beginnings in the cotton fields and churches and the influence of country music and the sounds from Appalachia. The museums exhibits are extremely and the tour allows you the time
to soak in all this rich history. We were incredibly impressed with the wide swath of history this building contains.
We you save your time and money as this one was not worth it. It seems as if they ran out of ideas and memorabilia when they were pulling this museum together. For us, the most interesting thing we learned was how Roy Orbisons image with his sunglasses got started.
