Tues 1st: Blues City Tours, a little shambolic, but they get there in the end. Today we have the Stax tour to complete, and a visit to Graceland, and so we're collected at 9am sharp, and after another pick-up even farther out of town, we reach the downtown ticket office by 10am. We agree to do Graceland first, and then Stax, but wait a further 30 minutes before anything happens.
The Graceland tour is excellent; it includes a visit to the 13 acre mansion that Elvis bought for around $100,00 at the age of just 22, and lived in with his parents and grandmother until he died aged 42 in December 1977. We discern three main phases to Elvis's career, firstly as the new rock 'n' roll sensation, then moving onto Hollywood and making over 20 films, before regenerating his singing career, primarily in Las Vegas. As a 21 year old, and already five years into his career, he made his first appearances in Las Vegas to a cool reception, and it was 13 years later before he returned to sensational reviews. Maybe it was the intensity of his time performing in Las Vegas that brought on ill-health and a dependence on prescription drugs, but he died of a heart attack in 1977. Having initially been buried at a local cemetery, he is now interred at Graceland along with his parents and is grandmother.
As well as the mansion there is a section displaying all his cars, a section devoted to the pivotal year (for America) of 1968, his two aircraft, a section covering his time in Hawaii, and the story of his early years in his home town of Tupelo. Elvis was a very charitable guy, and on top of his penchant for buying people Cadillacs at the drop of a hat, he gave money to many charities, and monies from the Elvis Presley Corporation which owns and runs Graceland still support a range of charities in and around the Memphis area.
Lunch, nearly on the hoof, is ice cream, and having asked for two scoops each we quickly reduce it to one scoop on seeing the size of the scoop. We spend well over three hours at Graceland, and are happy to be collected, as we are both humming "Blue Suede Shoes" continuously.
Now onto 962 McLemore Street, Soulsville USA and the Stax museum. Originated around 1960, Stax went broke in 1974, having struggled on after 1968 and the assassination of MLK. It appears the the great rapport of both black and white musicians up to 1968, changed as black consciousness increased following that period. Stax originated as Satellite Records around 1960, formed by Jim Stewart. When Jim wanted to develop on from Satellite he sought funds from his older sister Estelle Axton, and the two ran the company until its demise in 1974. The collaboration generated the name Stax, but it appears that Estelle was the driving force, and because it provided opportunities for musicians across the racial divide, it completely escaped the looting and vandalism that followed the assassination. MLK was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel, very close to the Stax Studios, and one of the few places at the time that both black and white musicians could relax after a hard day at the studios.
Stax developed a review type show with many artists on the bill, and this was very successful in the US, but to the surprise of almost everyone, it was also a great hit in Europe. The review toured Europe in 1967, with shows in a number of European countries. I thought it was in 1970 I had seen the Stax-Volt tour at Finsbury, but as it turns out that Otis Redding was killed in an air crash in December 1967, it must have been the 1967 tour earlier in the year that I saw. It was compered by the great Emperor Roscoe, and the bill included Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Booker T & The MGs, Carla Thomas and the Bar-Kays, what a line up. I was 18 at the time, and I'm still wondering who I would have gone with, maybe Peter Gale, someone I lost touch with a long while ago, but we were definitely soul fans at the time, and much more Stax oriented than Motown.
The story doesn't stop there however. Yesterday our lady driver introduces herself as Duchess, and in discussion we learn that her father, Archie Love is a current member of the Bar-Kays, reformed after four of the original six were killed in the air crash along with Otis Redding. Last night Lorna googles Archie Love, and he is indeed the lead singer with the Bar-Kays, and it also transpires that he sings with his daughter Duchess. Never one to miss and opportunity, Lorna raises this with Duchess this morning when she is again our driver. She admits to being a part-time singer, so Lorna asks her to sing a song, which she happily proceeds to do, choosing "A Change is Gonna Come", singing while she is driving. Lorna asks why she is driving a bus, and she explains that singing jobs can be patchy and she has three children to feed, which seems entirely reasonable to us, but she has a fantastic soul voice, so maybe Simon Cowell should prick up his ears. To hear click The Duchess
All in all, another fascinating day, with one more museum to visit tomorrow, the Civil Rights Museum. The day finishes very pleasantly with a second meal at Frank Grisanti's next door at the Embassy Suites.
Spend today: Tours (card), Stax entry (card); cash withdrawal (card); dinner (card); US Airways, checked baggage (card)
Lunch, nearly on the hoof, is ice cream, and having asked for two scoops each we quickly reduce it to one scoop on seeing the size of the scoop. We spend well over three hours at Graceland, and are happy to be collected, as we are both humming "Blue Suede Shoes" continuously.
Now onto 962 McLemore Street, Soulsville USA and the Stax museum. Originated around 1960, Stax went broke in 1974, having struggled on after 1968 and the assassination of MLK. It appears the the great rapport of both black and white musicians up to 1968, changed as black consciousness increased following that period. Stax originated as Satellite Records around 1960, formed by Jim Stewart. When Jim wanted to develop on from Satellite he sought funds from his older sister Estelle Axton, and the two ran the company until its demise in 1974. The collaboration generated the name Stax, but it appears that Estelle was the driving force, and because it provided opportunities for musicians across the racial divide, it completely escaped the looting and vandalism that followed the assassination. MLK was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel, very close to the Stax Studios, and one of the few places at the time that both black and white musicians could relax after a hard day at the studios.
Stax developed a review type show with many artists on the bill, and this was very successful in the US, but to the surprise of almost everyone, it was also a great hit in Europe. The review toured Europe in 1967, with shows in a number of European countries. I thought it was in 1970 I had seen the Stax-Volt tour at Finsbury, but as it turns out that Otis Redding was killed in an air crash in December 1967, it must have been the 1967 tour earlier in the year that I saw. It was compered by the great Emperor Roscoe, and the bill included Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Booker T & The MGs, Carla Thomas and the Bar-Kays, what a line up. I was 18 at the time, and I'm still wondering who I would have gone with, maybe Peter Gale, someone I lost touch with a long while ago, but we were definitely soul fans at the time, and much more Stax oriented than Motown.
The story doesn't stop there however. Yesterday our lady driver introduces herself as Duchess, and in discussion we learn that her father, Archie Love is a current member of the Bar-Kays, reformed after four of the original six were killed in the air crash along with Otis Redding. Last night Lorna googles Archie Love, and he is indeed the lead singer with the Bar-Kays, and it also transpires that he sings with his daughter Duchess. Never one to miss and opportunity, Lorna raises this with Duchess this morning when she is again our driver. She admits to being a part-time singer, so Lorna asks her to sing a song, which she happily proceeds to do, choosing "A Change is Gonna Come", singing while she is driving. Lorna asks why she is driving a bus, and she explains that singing jobs can be patchy and she has three children to feed, which seems entirely reasonable to us, but she has a fantastic soul voice, so maybe Simon Cowell should prick up his ears. To hear click The Duchess
All in all, another fascinating day, with one more museum to visit tomorrow, the Civil Rights Museum. The day finishes very pleasantly with a second meal at Frank Grisanti's next door at the Embassy Suites.
Spend today: Tours (card), Stax entry (card); cash withdrawal (card); dinner (card); US Airways, checked baggage (card)
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