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Memphis part 1 – Graceland, the empire that Elvis built
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Tourists still flock to see Elvis' Graceland
When you think of Memphis, Tennessee what do you immediately think of? You think of Elvis Presley, of course. Or maybe you think of Beale Street or the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was assassinated. If you answered FedEx’s huge main terminal over at the Memphis International Airport, then go to the back of the line ‘cause you clearly ain’t got no soul.
Literally a monument to a king
Elvis Aaron Presley was born in 1935 to a poor couple living in a shotgun shack in Tupelo, Mississippi. The family came to Memphis, some would say, mostly because Elvis’ dad, Vernon Presley, was one step ahead of the law for transporting bootleg liquor. Growing up as a painfully shy kid in the housing projects of Memphis, Elvis played guitar and sang locally without much success. Biographers would later quote Elvis’ high school associates as describing Elvis as playing “trashy hillbilly music” and commenting on how out of place Elvis was in the conservative and segregated South of the 1950’s as he wore his flashy Beale Street clothes.
Elvis had a LOT of toys!
Legend has it that in 1953 Elvis went to Sun Records to record a novelty record as a present for his mother. He went back to the Sun studios in early 1954 to record a second acetate record. Sun Records boss Sam Phillips was looking for a singer who could sing a combination of boogie-woogie and the black man’s blues with the idea that the right singer would appeal to white audiences. Phillips was reminded of Presley and arranged for Presley to record a demo record with some local musicians. To say they were not impressed is perhaps to be kind. At the end of the session bassist Bill Black was quoted as saying "Damn. Get that on the radio and they'll run us out of town.”
The rest is history. Within a year or two Elvis became one of the biggest cultural influences of his time. His music was unique and he laid many of the foundations of rock and roll. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, you name it – they all cite Elvis as their inspiration. Elvis became the biggest concert draw the planet had ever seen and went on to a successful movie career, starring in 31 movies.
Unlike many other stars, Elvis never really left his childhood home of Memphis. He bought the 14 acre Graceland property when he was 22 years old and despite owning other homes throughout the country Graceland became Elvis’ refuge. The property itself is actually named for the original land owner’s daughter, Grace, and the name Graceland refers to the estate, not just the large house.
The 10,000 sq. ft. white columned mansion that is the focal point of Graceland was built in 1939 and became the home for Elvis, his wife Priscilla, their daughter Lisa Marie, and Elvis’ father and mother. The house also became famous as a place where Elvis’ friends, the “Memphis Mafia,” and other guests and assorted hangers-on would spend a night or two or thirty.
Elvis died in the house in 1977 and is buried on the grounds of the estate.
Today’s Graceland isn’t just the original house, but also includes a complex across the street that contains a visitors’ center, museums, the studios for Elvis Radio on XM Satellite Radio, Elvis’ auto collection, his airplanes the Lisa Marie (a converted Convair four-engined jet) and the Hound Dog II (a Lockheed Jetstar that Elvis used for shorter trips). Nearby is the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel and right behind the Heartbreak is a KOA Campground for RVers. (Ms. Deborah and Yours Truly camped for a month in the KOA in our Bluebird Wanderlodge and I will have to say that the KOA is a fine campground).
If you want Elvis souvenirs I can assure you that there is no shortage of opportunities to purchase same when you visit Graceland.
Before stopping in Memphis I confess that I was never a big Elvis fan but after seeing Graceland and reading a bit about the man he was clearly larger than life. In a colorful Memphis music scene Elvis stood out like a beacon. Fans of rock and roll really owe it to themselves to make the pilgrimage to Graceland at least once in their lives.
For more info:
There have been scores of books written about Elvis. For concise information I tend to like the Wiki articles.
For additional Elvis information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
For additional information on Graceland go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graceland
The official Elvis and Graceland site is at http://www.elvis.com/
There is a link directly to the Heartbreak Hotel at http://www.elvis.com/epheartbreakhotel/
For some reason the link to the campground (or what I like to call Elvis' very own trailer park) is a bit hidden but you can find it here: http://www.elvis.com/rvpark/
(At the time that we stayed there in May of 2009 that campground was displaying KOA signs, but I am not seeing it on the KOA site, and there is another nearby campsite or two including another KOA that tries to steal the thunder of the one and only Graceland RV Park. You want the camp site at 3691 Elvis Presley Blvd. Be aware that there is another RV campground maybe 2 blocks to the south).
Additional photos of Graceland here: www.fototime.com/inv/BD7DF98D0720FBD
INSIDERS TIP:
Graceland isn't in the best neighborhood, and other than crazy old Pirates most tourists aren't comfortable walking around Elvis Presley Blvd. Where to eat, other than getting into the car and heading to Beale Street? I would suggest that you consider calling Marlowe's restaurant and bar-b-que joint at 901/332-4159 and they will send a pink Caddy limo down to pick you up, free of charge, as long as you are staying at a nearby motel or RV park. Their website is at http://www.marlowesmemphis.com/ and they have a nice collection of Elvis trivia and memorabilia all their own.
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