Earlier this month, Commercial Appeal journalist Frederic Koeppel put Life books, Dream Destinations: 100 of the Worlds Best Vacations, to the test, visiting Graceland, the Stax Museum of Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Rock N Soul Museum with a gaggle of enthusiastic teenagers serving as his co-critics.
For the rest of the summer, I’m going to delve into the specifics of self-piloted “theme” tours – think history, cuisine, sports, and shopping, i.e. everything that, when gas was under $3 a gallon, would pull you to New Orleans, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Dallas.
I’ll start you off with a few hints for a rock’n’roll getaway.
If you’re willing to splurge, book a room at the Peabody Hotel, where rock legends like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith like to stay when they’re in town. Take a vacation from road rage by signing up for a music-themed tour with Backbeat Tours, Shangri-la Projects Ultimate Rock ‘N Roll Tours, or American Dream Safari.
If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t have to dream that big.
Load up your CD player with plenty of Memphis-centric tunes (for ideas, check out online radio station AllMemphisMusic.com), then start off on a driving tour of Memphis’ Top 5 recording studios at Sun Studio.
Acknowledged around the world as the birthplace of rock’n’roll, Sun is located just east of downtown at 706 Union Avenue. This humble building is where recording guru Sam Phillips helped upstarts like Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, and, yes, Elvis attain everlasting fame.
Sam Phillips’ Recording Studio, which opened after Phillips sold Sun to Shelby Singleton, stands a few blocks north of Sun at 639 Madison Avenue. It’s the funky green building with classic ‘50s architecture. Don’t stop in without an appointment, though – Roland Janes, the engineer at Phillips, stays busy working on projects with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis.
American Studios might not be a name you recognize today, but from the mid-1960s through the mid-‘70s, American was pumping out hits, including the Gentrys’ “Keep On Dancing,” the Box-Tops’ “The Letter,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” Today, however, the studio site at Thomas and Chelsea in North Memphis is nothing more than a vacant lot.
At 2000 Madison, Ardent Recording Studios bustles like a hive full of bees as artists ranging from Jack White and the Raconteurs to contemporary Christian star Todd Agnew work on future masterpieces. With a client list that boasts such names as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Cat Power, R.E.M., the Replacements, Three 6 Mafia, Soundgarden, and ZZ Top, Ardent is the city’s topnotch recording facility. If you’re planning a celebrity stake-out, I recommend the Kwik Chek convenience store/deli across the street, Molly’s La Casita, next door, or the venerable indie store Shangri-la Records, just down the block.
South of Ardent, Young Avenue Sound, which is located at 2258 Young Avenue in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, serves as a haven for rappers and indie rockers alike. The sleek studio spaces at Young Avenue Sound were designed by Alan Stewart, the genius behind Abbey Road’s Penthouse Studio and Jimi Hendrix’ New York haven Electric Ladyland. Don’t miss garage rock hangout Goner Records store, a few doors west at 2152 Young.
If guitars are your thing, take a tour at the Gibson Guitar Factory, where you’ll be able to watch replicas of B.B. King’s Lucille model – the Gibson SG – roll down the assembly line. Or visit Xanadu Music & Books in Midtown, where store owner/inventor John Lowe sells cigar box “Lowebows” as fast as he can make them.
Spend a day absorbing the details of Memphis’ music history, then spend your evening club hopping. Whether you’re local or a tourist, Beale Street proves hard to resist – but if blues is your bag, you may want to check out the scene at the tiny Wild Bill’s Social Club, located at 1580 Vollentine Avenue. And no matter who’s on the bill, adventuresome rock types will dig the vibe at the Hi-Tone Café, which will host the Memphis Pops Fest July 25-26th and Rock For Love 2, an annual benefit for the Church Health Center, in late August.