I Am a Motorcoach, Discovering the USA by Tread Windshield and Mirror…

. . . bringing you my bold red perspective on the city of the blues, Memphis, Tennessee, where Elvis is still King and BB King is still cookin’. From Beale Street to Graceland, Memphis and its music are inseparable . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

The birthplace of rock ‘n roll and home of the blues, only a few places in the world enjoy peer status with Memphis as origin of diverse musical genres with international influence – not to mention the international celebrities associated with them.

Beginning its international influence in the early 1950s with humble local offerings, Sun Records was the brain-child of Sam C. Phillips. In a city deep with Civil Rights legacy, Sun provided career starts for blacks and whites alike. Elvis and BB King top the list of its famous alumni, a list too long to include in this space.

In the 1960s Stax Records introduced to the world stars like Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes, who galvanized a broad fan base around the “Memphis Sound,” a mix of blues, R&B, and soul.

The only musical reference in this selfie is the restraint I showed over the temptation to blow my horn to see if I could get this twin-engine catfish to shake his tail (it wasn’t easy). Located on 2nd Street, the Flying Fish serves a variety of water creatures prepared with cajun attitude. But the house specialty is catfish, farm raised in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama (apparently there are no catfish farms in Tennessee).

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

CHURCH NEWS: Acknowledged as the South’s first African-American millionaire, Robert Church, Sr. Founded the first African-American owned Bank and purchased real estate on a little-known thoroughfare called Beale Street. The street would become one of the most famous in the country and the hot-spot of the Memphis music culture. It was on Beale Street that W C Handy – “Father of the Blues” – performed and wrote his signature pieces, “Memphis Blues” and “Beale Street Blues.”

BB NEWS: Beale Street is where BB King got started in the Memphis music scene and where BB King’s Blues Club serves up destination BBQ. Is it the music or the food that draws people from far and wide to BB’s restaurant and club at the corner of Beale Street and 2nd Street? Both!

NOSTALGIA NEWS: Elvis Presley’s home until his death in 1977, Graceland today welcomes over a half-million visitors a year. From automobiles to records to haircuts to stage outfits, the King’s former home is just part of a Graceland experience that let’s visitors into the career and life of Elvis.

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Beale Street: gravelly vocals, blazing guitars, smokin’ good grub, cool neon, and unique architectural statements galore, the street lives up to its international fame.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.” – Elvis Presley

“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” – BB King