Road Trip to Memphis

When I was young, I remember listening to my Grandmother's Elvis Presley records.  Sometimes, when I came home from school, I'd discover it was Elvis Week on the 4 O'clock movie, with a different Elvis movie playing every day of the week.  I remember my family watching Elvis live on his Aloha from Hawaii TV special.  And, of course, I remember the sad and tragic day the King passed away.  I've always been an Elvis fan.  I can honestly say I've never heard an Elvis song I didn't like.  As an adult, I kept putting off that trip to Graceland for one reason or another.... until now.

Forgive the blurriness of some of the photos.  No flash photography was allowed.

It was a 12-hour drive from Detroit to Memphis and definitely worth the trip.  A shuttle bus took me through the famous gates to the front of the mansion.  It was so amazing to find myself standing in front of one of the most famous homes in America, if not the world.  I walked through the front door and went from room to room, I'm sure with a big doofus grin on my face.  I was surprised to discover the home isn't a huge, sprawling mansion, but actually a quaint, lived-in home.  Each room was frozen in time, displaying the decor that was fashionable and appropriate in the 60's and 70's.  I half-expected Elvis to come down the stairs to greet his guests.  Yes, maybe some of it was cheesy.  Some might describe it as tacky.  But I loved it!  I was in awe of the gold records, personal belongings and clothing on display (especially the jump suits)!  The tour of the mansion concluded with a stop at Elvis' gravesite (right). 

Across the boulevard (Elvis Presley Blvd.) was the museum that houses Elvis' cars.  The collection is made up of Elvis' personal cars, though some did appear in his movies.  As for my favorite, it was a tough choice between the famous '55 pink Cadillac and the beautiful '73 Stutz Blackhawk.  Matchbox produced a set of 4 cars from the Graceland collection, but I'd sure love to see someone tackle that Blackhawk.  In the museum, an excellent video was projected on a large screen showing scenes from Elvis' films that featured cars and motorcycles.  My all-time favorite car from Elvis' movies is the racecar from Viva Las Vegas.  Although this car can't be found in die-cast form yet, one of the few souvenirs I brought home was this cool little salt & pepper shaker (right).

It was also great to see Elvis' two planes, including the Lisa Marie (pictured left).  Named after his daughter, Elvis referred to the plane as his "flying Graceland."  According to the official guidebook, Elvis bought the plane for $250,000, then spent another $800,000 furnishing it.  I was thrilled to be able to walk through it.

Later in the day, we drove into downtown Memphis to visit the birthplace of Rock N Roll - Sun Studio.  A young Elvis Presley walked through the front door you see pictured above to record his first record called My Happiness.  His frequent visits to the studio were uneventful until one evening, when Sam Philips recorded Elvis' rendition of That's Alright Mama.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  Our excellent tour guide, who went by the name of El Dorado, also told us the story of what some regard as the first ever Rock N Roll song.  Jackie Brenston recorded Rocket '88 in the Sun studio, which turned out to be a big hit for Chess Records.  The song, incidentally, is about an Oldsmobile '88. 

What a fun and memorable trip.  If you're even a CASUAL fan of the King of Rock N Roll, be sure to take a trip to Memphis and experience Graceland and Sun Studio for yourself.  For me, it was like a pilgrimage to a Holy land.  Visit http://www.elvis.com/graceland/ or www.sunstudio.com for more information.