Day 6 - Memphis, TN

Good morning folks,
so, we rolled into Memphis yesterday - that's 1200 miles down, just about 1/3 of the way. Arrived at hotel at 1:30 and discovered that the shuttle for Graceland was leaving at 1:45, which was something that we had been wanting not to miss. After a quick turn-around, we boarded the shuttle and headed over to Elvis's home. On first impression, it looks small, but once you start wandering around, it is absolutely huge and really interesting. And we were not even allowed upstairs - apparently, Elvis never allowed anyone upstairs, so they have maintained that out of respect. Also, he died in the upstairs bathroom... Graceland is also one of the most visited homes in the US, second only to the White House (I think something like 600,000 people pass through the doors each year). It has been modified many times and contains some really amazing rooms - the Jungle Room was one of our favs (see pic), as well as the pool room. The trophy room is unbelievable - neither of us realized how many records he has sold, and continues to sell. Interestingly, he did not become globally popular until 1968. Before then, he was popular within US and was already well established, but from 1960 to 1968, he concentrated on movies and his music suffered. 1968 was a come-back year for Elvis - he did his first live performance in 8 years and, when the Beatles finally split in 1970, he became the single biggest musical attraction on the planet. He has sold over 2.5 billion records, more than anyone else in history. He was only 42 when he died of a heart attack and it was kind of sad to see that his grandmother outlived both her children and her grandson. He was a very cool guy, contributing to poor families and the under-privileged in Memphis throughout his life.
The tour also included a visit to his aircraft and his car collection, both very cool - loved the Pink Cadillac, which Elvis kept because it was his mom's favorite car. All in all, really amazing trip and would definitely recommend to anyone.
After that, back to Memphis and Rendezvous Ribs - another one of Tony's man v food obsessions. After our disappointment with the BBQ in Nashville, we were really worried that we would not fix the craving...but we were not foiled at this place. Dry rub ribs and brisket were fantastic and got the evening started nicely. Memphis definitely seems more like a city than Nashville (it is the biggest city in the State on TN) and it is actually really beautiful down by the Mississippi. It also has a real Southern feel to it and the weather was great the whole time we were here. It is the only predominantly African American city that we will visit during our road trip and we enjoyed the vibe of the downtown area. We strolled down to Beale Street and yes, it's tacky and touristy, but it also contains some amazing bars and blues/jazz bands. We saw 3 in total, biggest mention going to Terry and Pam at Rum Boogie, who did mostly covers of rock/country songs and were amazing. Then the band at BB King Blues Club were absolutely brilliant - a little funk, some soul and a hint of blues, definite highlight in Memphis city.
Suffice it to say that some beers were downed and heads are a little sore (again) and we are looking forward to detoxing. Next stop is only 190 miles away - Hot Springs National Forest in Arkansas, just near Little Rock. Hot baths and massages await!

Keep on truckin'