i am trying to distill our vacation down to a list of my favorite things . . . but first of all, this is a silly exercise that reduces an all-over great vacation down to a few points. and second of all, i can't seem to narrow my list down very much.
but i will anyway. these are a few of my favorite things from the Great Music Road Trip of 2008:
* the Gibson guitar factory tour
* seeing Robert Plant
* the town of Clarksdale, MS
* meeting Puddin' Hatchett in Clarksdale
* the friendly people in Memphis, including Memphis Jones
* the swamp tour
* Charlie Daniels Band singing "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
* standing at the point where the US ended and the Chickasaw nation began
* driving past all the honky tonks with a band in each one, playing loud and all that music coming into our car
* the entire drive up Highway 61
Tip for the next road trip: stay off the interstates and drive more highways like 61 - the ones that go through towns and not around them.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Clarksdale - I can't let go of it yet
After our exciting evening, we spent the night in the ultra-cool "Legends" shack at Shack Up Inn (check it out at shackupinn.com).
In the morning, reluctant to leave, we talked to Guy, the owner of the Inn. He took us to a huge barn which he is turning into a recording studio/performing space. it looks completely barn-like and run down, but he has the entire thing insulated and adjusted for sound quality. it will be be called the Juke Joint Church when he is done (he ran a recording studio in Memphis before moving out of town). When I told him we saw Robert Plant the night before, he drawled, "Yep. He'll be out here later today. Always stops by when he comes to town."
Well, yeah, but we couldn't stay, so we missed an opportunity to meet him up close and personal. But who knows what "later today" means? Could be at 9 p.m.
We drove into Clarksdale for breakfast and had another cool Clarksdale experience. Ate at the Delta Amusement Cafe which is just a tiny diner with a dog that greets you at the door and romps around your table while you eat. But the highlight here is Puddin' Hatchett. This man is 78 years old, black, no teeth and friendly as the dog was! As soon as we sat down, he pulled a chair up to our table and started talking to us. Started playing tricks: dice tricks and card tricks. He kept repeating, "I'm a baaad man," and he would chuckle. We liked him, let him keep showing us tricks. Then he wanted to show us his photo album and we said yes. He went out to his truck, brought it back and showed up photos of himself, his daughter and his grandkids through the years. Told us how he died back in 1991 when a semi hit him. But "the good lord saved me" and he is alive to tell about it all. However, he can't play the harmonica any longer because it causes a headache, something in the pressure of the harmonica against his teeth and skull.
His photos are also at the Delta Blues Museum - one of him with Morgan Freeman, and one alone, holding up his tricky cards.
While we sat at the table with him, a woman who was in the museum last night and who recommended Madidi to me came in to get coffee. She stopped to say hi to me and ask how we liked the restaurant. After her, five old white men came in for their morning coffee (they all sat at their own table in the back) and each one said "morning, y'all" as they walked past.
You'd think that was enough of the south and southern hospitality but we had one more encounter before we left Clarksdale. At the Cathead gift and music store, the white woman behind the counter was involved in a lengthy conversation with a tall black man. He was dressed in a off-white suit that may have been double-breasted (now i can't remember) and his hair was big, perfect and wavy. Like James Brown at the height of his poufy-hair phase. He was amazing to look at.
Reluctantly we left Clarksdale and drove north. Things were boring after all that. So we drove for hours and hours until we got to Springfield, Illinois so that the next day's drive to Chicago wouldn't be so long. Spent the night at a Baymont Inn and ate mediocre food at a local grill. All we did was just bask in the glow of the previous two days!
In the morning, reluctant to leave, we talked to Guy, the owner of the Inn. He took us to a huge barn which he is turning into a recording studio/performing space. it looks completely barn-like and run down, but he has the entire thing insulated and adjusted for sound quality. it will be be called the Juke Joint Church when he is done (he ran a recording studio in Memphis before moving out of town). When I told him we saw Robert Plant the night before, he drawled, "Yep. He'll be out here later today. Always stops by when he comes to town."
Well, yeah, but we couldn't stay, so we missed an opportunity to meet him up close and personal. But who knows what "later today" means? Could be at 9 p.m.
We drove into Clarksdale for breakfast and had another cool Clarksdale experience. Ate at the Delta Amusement Cafe which is just a tiny diner with a dog that greets you at the door and romps around your table while you eat. But the highlight here is Puddin' Hatchett. This man is 78 years old, black, no teeth and friendly as the dog was! As soon as we sat down, he pulled a chair up to our table and started talking to us. Started playing tricks: dice tricks and card tricks. He kept repeating, "I'm a baaad man," and he would chuckle. We liked him, let him keep showing us tricks. Then he wanted to show us his photo album and we said yes. He went out to his truck, brought it back and showed up photos of himself, his daughter and his grandkids through the years. Told us how he died back in 1991 when a semi hit him. But "the good lord saved me" and he is alive to tell about it all. However, he can't play the harmonica any longer because it causes a headache, something in the pressure of the harmonica against his teeth and skull.
His photos are also at the Delta Blues Museum - one of him with Morgan Freeman, and one alone, holding up his tricky cards.
While we sat at the table with him, a woman who was in the museum last night and who recommended Madidi to me came in to get coffee. She stopped to say hi to me and ask how we liked the restaurant. After her, five old white men came in for their morning coffee (they all sat at their own table in the back) and each one said "morning, y'all" as they walked past.
You'd think that was enough of the south and southern hospitality but we had one more encounter before we left Clarksdale. At the Cathead gift and music store, the white woman behind the counter was involved in a lengthy conversation with a tall black man. He was dressed in a off-white suit that may have been double-breasted (now i can't remember) and his hair was big, perfect and wavy. Like James Brown at the height of his poufy-hair phase. He was amazing to look at.
Reluctantly we left Clarksdale and drove north. Things were boring after all that. So we drove for hours and hours until we got to Springfield, Illinois so that the next day's drive to Chicago wouldn't be so long. Spent the night at a Baymont Inn and ate mediocre food at a local grill. All we did was just bask in the glow of the previous two days!
three great dinners
First, if you haven't read the post below, read it - it's about our best day ever!
1. Commander's Palace in New Orleans. One of the best dinners ever. The service is excellent - three people manage each table and they don't just refill your water glass, they give you a new, fresh glass of water three or four times during the meal. but the food! everything was exceptional: we had turtle soup, Richard had striped bass, I had shrimp in a seasoned broth, Rylan had the most perfect filet mignon of his life. Dessert was creme brulee (spelling?) and a five-way chocolate cake.
2. The Palace Cafe in New Orleans (somehow related to Commanders). long wait to get in, long wait to have our order taken, not very good service. but the food was, once again, excellent. Rylan and I had peach-stuffed pork chops that were heavenly. Richard had a fish (I don't remember what kind) that was seasoned very well.
3. Madidi's in Clarksdale. This is the place that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman. The chef is fantastic. as appetizers, richard had a pierogi with leeks that he said were the best pierogi he's ever had (and he's had millions), while rylan had bbq shrimp on top of cheddar grits and both were very tasty. Ry and I both ordered filet mignon and Richard had fish. Everything here, down to the vegetables, was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful.
1. Commander's Palace in New Orleans. One of the best dinners ever. The service is excellent - three people manage each table and they don't just refill your water glass, they give you a new, fresh glass of water three or four times during the meal. but the food! everything was exceptional: we had turtle soup, Richard had striped bass, I had shrimp in a seasoned broth, Rylan had the most perfect filet mignon of his life. Dessert was creme brulee (spelling?) and a five-way chocolate cake.
2. The Palace Cafe in New Orleans (somehow related to Commanders). long wait to get in, long wait to have our order taken, not very good service. but the food was, once again, excellent. Rylan and I had peach-stuffed pork chops that were heavenly. Richard had a fish (I don't remember what kind) that was seasoned very well.
3. Madidi's in Clarksdale. This is the place that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman. The chef is fantastic. as appetizers, richard had a pierogi with leeks that he said were the best pierogi he's ever had (and he's had millions), while rylan had bbq shrimp on top of cheddar grits and both were very tasty. Ry and I both ordered filet mignon and Richard had fish. Everything here, down to the vegetables, was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
a day late entry - but what an entry!
Oh. My. God. We could not have even planned this.
An all-day drive from New Orleans with lots of stops (to be explained below). We get in at our “hotel” – the Shack Up Inn (more below) – and the young guy who checks us in says, “Hey, you might want to go over to the Delta Blues Museum. They are having an opening tonight and Robert Plant is supposed to be there.”
Robert Plant? As in the lead singer of Led Zepplin?
We threw our luggage into our room and drove to the Museum. Hung around about ten minutes, and then ----- there he was! Robert Plant! Amazing. We didn’t approach him; too many other people from the museum had him cornered. So we just watched him. He only stayed ten minutes then he took off. But so what? We saw him! Stood a few feet away! One of the most important rock singers ever in the history of the universe!
The entire day was interesting, but that can’t be topped.
Regardless, here is the day. We left New Orleans early and headed to Baton Rouge, picked up Highway 61 there. 61 was a good drive. It went back and forth between being a two lane and a four lane road. Either way there was very little traffic. The road took us through small (very small) towns. We saw a very large tin rooster, a store that sold aluminum animals – life size aluminum animals. We drove through Natchez which has an old and beautifully restored downtown area; stopped here for lunch and ate excellent pulled pork at “The Pig Out Inn.” Walked from there to a park that overlooked the Mississippi River.
From there to Vicksburg – site of a major Civil War battle. Here the restored downtown was just exquisite. We only drove through, did not take the time to walk around. But we drove through twice. Then we drove to the Vicksburg Military Battlefield. After watching a film that explained the battle (land and sea, or rather river), we drove the 16 mile loop through battlefields.
Back on the road, heading for Clarksdale. The place we are staying in Clarksdale (or a few miles outside of Clarksdale) is the best place ever, that we have ever ever stayed in. The Shack Up Inn is made up of about 8 sharecroppers cabins. They look old and rundown on the outside, and they are funky yet fixed up on the inside. Lots and lots of stuff inside. Ours has posters of famous blues musicians, old license plates, an ancient refrigerator, funky rugs and quilts and more and more. Ry has photos. The entire complex is interesting. It all looks incredibly run-down and trailer-trashy, but it’s very cleverly put together. Y’all will have to see Ry’s photos when he gets them going on the net.
So then, after we saw ROBERT PLANT, we went to a restaurant in Clarksdale that was recommended by a woman at the museum. It as called Madidi and it is owned by Morgan Freeman. An excellent meal! I mean, really, considering that Clarksdale looks like a movie set for an abandoned 50’s town, this restaurant was top of the line.
And that’s it for one day! Yikes . . . Robert Plant.
An all-day drive from New Orleans with lots of stops (to be explained below). We get in at our “hotel” – the Shack Up Inn (more below) – and the young guy who checks us in says, “Hey, you might want to go over to the Delta Blues Museum. They are having an opening tonight and Robert Plant is supposed to be there.”
Robert Plant? As in the lead singer of Led Zepplin?
We threw our luggage into our room and drove to the Museum. Hung around about ten minutes, and then ----- there he was! Robert Plant! Amazing. We didn’t approach him; too many other people from the museum had him cornered. So we just watched him. He only stayed ten minutes then he took off. But so what? We saw him! Stood a few feet away! One of the most important rock singers ever in the history of the universe!
The entire day was interesting, but that can’t be topped.
Regardless, here is the day. We left New Orleans early and headed to Baton Rouge, picked up Highway 61 there. 61 was a good drive. It went back and forth between being a two lane and a four lane road. Either way there was very little traffic. The road took us through small (very small) towns. We saw a very large tin rooster, a store that sold aluminum animals – life size aluminum animals. We drove through Natchez which has an old and beautifully restored downtown area; stopped here for lunch and ate excellent pulled pork at “The Pig Out Inn.” Walked from there to a park that overlooked the Mississippi River.
From there to Vicksburg – site of a major Civil War battle. Here the restored downtown was just exquisite. We only drove through, did not take the time to walk around. But we drove through twice. Then we drove to the Vicksburg Military Battlefield. After watching a film that explained the battle (land and sea, or rather river), we drove the 16 mile loop through battlefields.
Back on the road, heading for Clarksdale. The place we are staying in Clarksdale (or a few miles outside of Clarksdale) is the best place ever, that we have ever ever stayed in. The Shack Up Inn is made up of about 8 sharecroppers cabins. They look old and rundown on the outside, and they are funky yet fixed up on the inside. Lots and lots of stuff inside. Ours has posters of famous blues musicians, old license plates, an ancient refrigerator, funky rugs and quilts and more and more. Ry has photos. The entire complex is interesting. It all looks incredibly run-down and trailer-trashy, but it’s very cleverly put together. Y’all will have to see Ry’s photos when he gets them going on the net.
So then, after we saw ROBERT PLANT, we went to a restaurant in Clarksdale that was recommended by a woman at the museum. It as called Madidi and it is owned by Morgan Freeman. An excellent meal! I mean, really, considering that Clarksdale looks like a movie set for an abandoned 50’s town, this restaurant was top of the line.
And that’s it for one day! Yikes . . . Robert Plant.
Monday, July 21, 2008
swamp things!
i always wanted to see a bayou and i'm so happy we took the time to go on a swamp tour. the place was about 45 minutes out of New Orleans. there were 24 of us tourists on a pontoon boat. the tourists were from everywhere: australia, france and holland, besides a bunch of US people.
so we get on this boat and go upriver a little way, then turn into this narrower channel and immediately the water is covered in this green floaty plant, and the cypress trees are dripping with spanish moss. hey, it's like disneyland except it's real! it was very pretty and peaceful. the first wildlife we saw was a heron or an ibis - can't remember which but we did see a lot of both birds. then we came alongside a 5 foot alligator. the tour guide tossed out some marshmallows - turns out gators like marshmallows - and we watched it chomp. we moved on and were lucky to see the grandaddy alligator of the swamp. his name was Guapo and he was 14 feet long! he came right over to the boat and the tour guide put hot dogs on the end of a stick and he would eat them right off the stick. huge mouth! and it's really RIGHT THERE off the side of the boat.
a little further on and there was a young gator. our tour guide knew each one we saw, could tell from the markings who they were. he said, "this one likes to jump," and so he put a hot dog on the end of the stick, and held it out about 4 feet above the gator. the gator looked up, and then jumped, straight up out of the water! it was amazing. rylan got photos of it and we'll get those photos on the internet eventually. he did this 3 times so we got a good look at a leaping gator.
we went on, up and down the river and into other bayous. didn't see any more gators. saw lots of turtles, large and small. saw fish that jump out of the water and flop down against the surface (to rid themselves of parasites). saw Katrina damaged river homes. it was hot and humid, but not as bad on the water. oh, and it rained at one point as well, which felt good.
as we drove the freeway there and back we could see a lot of Katrina damaged homes. it's sad that there is so much devastation. it's been three years. we saw houses in fine shape right next to completely abandoned, dilapidated houses. lots of them. and this was just from the freeway. we could have, but didn't go into the Lower 9th Ward - it was too dangerous (there were 5 murders in the 9th ward just in the weekend we were here). but if we did go there, that's where the devastation is the worst.
the French Quarter, however, looks great and we are staying in it and not exploring outside of it too much. we did take a drive down St. Charles street which is lined with trees and incredibly beautiful southern mansions. also saw Tulane University ("Yes," says rylan as we pass, "I know that I could go there.").
dinner tonight and then we hit the road, heading up the Blues Highway, highway 61 towards Clarksdale Mississippi, home of the delta blues and the famous crossroads, where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. a little more music history.
so we get on this boat and go upriver a little way, then turn into this narrower channel and immediately the water is covered in this green floaty plant, and the cypress trees are dripping with spanish moss. hey, it's like disneyland except it's real! it was very pretty and peaceful. the first wildlife we saw was a heron or an ibis - can't remember which but we did see a lot of both birds. then we came alongside a 5 foot alligator. the tour guide tossed out some marshmallows - turns out gators like marshmallows - and we watched it chomp. we moved on and were lucky to see the grandaddy alligator of the swamp. his name was Guapo and he was 14 feet long! he came right over to the boat and the tour guide put hot dogs on the end of a stick and he would eat them right off the stick. huge mouth! and it's really RIGHT THERE off the side of the boat.
a little further on and there was a young gator. our tour guide knew each one we saw, could tell from the markings who they were. he said, "this one likes to jump," and so he put a hot dog on the end of the stick, and held it out about 4 feet above the gator. the gator looked up, and then jumped, straight up out of the water! it was amazing. rylan got photos of it and we'll get those photos on the internet eventually. he did this 3 times so we got a good look at a leaping gator.
we went on, up and down the river and into other bayous. didn't see any more gators. saw lots of turtles, large and small. saw fish that jump out of the water and flop down against the surface (to rid themselves of parasites). saw Katrina damaged river homes. it was hot and humid, but not as bad on the water. oh, and it rained at one point as well, which felt good.
as we drove the freeway there and back we could see a lot of Katrina damaged homes. it's sad that there is so much devastation. it's been three years. we saw houses in fine shape right next to completely abandoned, dilapidated houses. lots of them. and this was just from the freeway. we could have, but didn't go into the Lower 9th Ward - it was too dangerous (there were 5 murders in the 9th ward just in the weekend we were here). but if we did go there, that's where the devastation is the worst.
the French Quarter, however, looks great and we are staying in it and not exploring outside of it too much. we did take a drive down St. Charles street which is lined with trees and incredibly beautiful southern mansions. also saw Tulane University ("Yes," says rylan as we pass, "I know that I could go there.").
dinner tonight and then we hit the road, heading up the Blues Highway, highway 61 towards Clarksdale Mississippi, home of the delta blues and the famous crossroads, where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. a little more music history.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
humidity and the respite of museums
Okay, so it's in the 90s and it's humid. We tried to bravely go forward into the French Quarter anyway but we suffered for it.
After a mediocre breakfast, we walked and looked in store windows, wilting more and more. So we did two museums (because museums are not only interesting, they are air-conditioned). The first had a huge exhibit about Mardi Gras so it was very colorful and wild! I liked the sketches of costumes, like fashion drawings gone crazy.
The second museum had to do with the Louisiana Purchase - we walked through the room where it was signed - and then a special exhibit about the aftermath of Katrina. This was all photos and, needless to say, depressing.
(A tangent - it was REALLY weird when we drove into New Orleans the other day because we came past the Superdome; Rylan commented that it was an unhappy icon and we all felt sad to see it.)
We walked from there to the Mississippi River bank where we saw the port and lots of huge ships looking too big to go upriver, but they did. Walked around a little more and the humidity finally beat us down - we returned to the hotel. Later, Richard and I went on our own to two more museums. An 1850s house which was just what it sounds like. And the former US Mint, which had an extensive exhibit about Napoleon Bonaparte. Didn't think I was much interested in Napoleon, but it was educational (and air-conditioned).
Our hotel room is the perfect temperature, the local TNT station runs movies constantly so Ry can relax at the tv, and we hide out here until it is time to go do the next thing . . . out there in the heat.
Tonight is dinner at the Commanders Palace, supposedly the best restaurant in New Orleans, or the South or maybe even the United States! whatever. it will be good, it will be air-conditioned.
Tomorrow - a swamp tour!
After a mediocre breakfast, we walked and looked in store windows, wilting more and more. So we did two museums (because museums are not only interesting, they are air-conditioned). The first had a huge exhibit about Mardi Gras so it was very colorful and wild! I liked the sketches of costumes, like fashion drawings gone crazy.
The second museum had to do with the Louisiana Purchase - we walked through the room where it was signed - and then a special exhibit about the aftermath of Katrina. This was all photos and, needless to say, depressing.
(A tangent - it was REALLY weird when we drove into New Orleans the other day because we came past the Superdome; Rylan commented that it was an unhappy icon and we all felt sad to see it.)
We walked from there to the Mississippi River bank where we saw the port and lots of huge ships looking too big to go upriver, but they did. Walked around a little more and the humidity finally beat us down - we returned to the hotel. Later, Richard and I went on our own to two more museums. An 1850s house which was just what it sounds like. And the former US Mint, which had an extensive exhibit about Napoleon Bonaparte. Didn't think I was much interested in Napoleon, but it was educational (and air-conditioned).
Our hotel room is the perfect temperature, the local TNT station runs movies constantly so Ry can relax at the tv, and we hide out here until it is time to go do the next thing . . . out there in the heat.
Tonight is dinner at the Commanders Palace, supposedly the best restaurant in New Orleans, or the South or maybe even the United States! whatever. it will be good, it will be air-conditioned.
Tomorrow - a swamp tour!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
a boring day
the drive from Memphis to New Orleans on highway 55 was immensely boring. Very tall green trees lining the road on either side - for miles and miles and miles. Whatever cute or odd or ugly buildings, towns, houses might have been out there, well, we never saw them. Just trees.
After about 5 hours of this (really!) we neared New Orleans and all of a sudden we were looking at swampland, or bayou. This was cool! This was interesting! The roadway was raised - really a bridge for about 35 miles - with water, swamp, trees, and an occasional house (how?) on either side of the road. Rylan and I looked for alligators but they are not easy to see when you are zooming past at 70 mph.
Made it into the French Quarter and man, it's more than I expected. The streets are narrower than I thought - really one car wide with a lane of parking down one side. All streets are one way - this is a good thing, since two cars could never get past each other. The wrought-iron railings are everywhere and the buildings feel like they lean in on the street. It's Saturday and the streets are packed with tourists. Bourbon Street was wild - I thought Nashville's Broadway with the honky-tonks was wild, then I thought Memphis' Beale Street was wild but clearly I didn't know what wild is! and this is at 5 p.m. - just wait until night time!
And it's really really humid. Really. Supposed to rain tomorrow, too.
After about 5 hours of this (really!) we neared New Orleans and all of a sudden we were looking at swampland, or bayou. This was cool! This was interesting! The roadway was raised - really a bridge for about 35 miles - with water, swamp, trees, and an occasional house (how?) on either side of the road. Rylan and I looked for alligators but they are not easy to see when you are zooming past at 70 mph.
Made it into the French Quarter and man, it's more than I expected. The streets are narrower than I thought - really one car wide with a lane of parking down one side. All streets are one way - this is a good thing, since two cars could never get past each other. The wrought-iron railings are everywhere and the buildings feel like they lean in on the street. It's Saturday and the streets are packed with tourists. Bourbon Street was wild - I thought Nashville's Broadway with the honky-tonks was wild, then I thought Memphis' Beale Street was wild but clearly I didn't know what wild is! and this is at 5 p.m. - just wait until night time!
And it's really really humid. Really. Supposed to rain tomorrow, too.
Friday, July 18, 2008
rock and roll history lesson
okay, so there's this old-fashion public bus, and we get on and take a seat. and there is this guy sitting in the front facing us with a guitar. and he hands out tambourines and shakers and bongos. do you think richard and rylan were thrilled with this? nothing like a participatory tour bus! with only 6 customers on board, the guitar player/tour guide and the bus driver took us on a 2 hour tour of the music history of memphis.
yes, he sang and played guitar. a lot of the time - and we were expected to play tambourines along with him. we did! he was excellent - he played old blues, elvis songs, johnny cash songs, a lot of early soul songs. all in keeping with where we were at any point in memphis.
what did we see? well, there was the Sun Recording Studio where we went in and stood in the studio where Elvis recorded his first ever song, as did Johnny Cash (and many others). we drove past the apartment Elvis lived in when he was 13, and right down the street was the apartment BB King lived in when he was 19 - at the same time as Elvis . . . just a few years later they became friends down on Beale Street.
we drove past the apartment that Johnny Cash lived in when he first came to Memphis. we drove past Stax Records studio. We drove past (and sort of slowed down) the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was killed. (we came back later in our own car, parked and got out to take photos. it is really EERIE to stand at the motel parking lot and look up at the walkway where he was shot.)
It was a great tour. the guide was really knowledgeable about Memphis and music history and i learned a lot. i don't know anyone who might be going to Memphis, but if you are - I highly recommend this tour! even if you have to play a tambourine while you ride in the bus.
Later, we visited the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, which was more of the same. Not to say it wasn't interesting! We learned even more about Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, plus people we have never heard of but who were influential in the music world.
all to say that Memphis played a huge role in modern music. The blues, soul music, and rock & roll all grew out of here, from gospel, country, jazz and the songs of sharecroppers.
yes, he sang and played guitar. a lot of the time - and we were expected to play tambourines along with him. we did! he was excellent - he played old blues, elvis songs, johnny cash songs, a lot of early soul songs. all in keeping with where we were at any point in memphis.
what did we see? well, there was the Sun Recording Studio where we went in and stood in the studio where Elvis recorded his first ever song, as did Johnny Cash (and many others). we drove past the apartment Elvis lived in when he was 13, and right down the street was the apartment BB King lived in when he was 19 - at the same time as Elvis . . . just a few years later they became friends down on Beale Street.
we drove past the apartment that Johnny Cash lived in when he first came to Memphis. we drove past Stax Records studio. We drove past (and sort of slowed down) the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was killed. (we came back later in our own car, parked and got out to take photos. it is really EERIE to stand at the motel parking lot and look up at the walkway where he was shot.)
It was a great tour. the guide was really knowledgeable about Memphis and music history and i learned a lot. i don't know anyone who might be going to Memphis, but if you are - I highly recommend this tour! even if you have to play a tambourine while you ride in the bus.
Later, we visited the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, which was more of the same. Not to say it wasn't interesting! We learned even more about Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, plus people we have never heard of but who were influential in the music world.
all to say that Memphis played a huge role in modern music. The blues, soul music, and rock & roll all grew out of here, from gospel, country, jazz and the songs of sharecroppers.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
thursday - a music day
we started by going to the Gibson Guitar store, just two blocks from our hotel and one block from Beale Street. here we admired guitars and then took a half-hour factory tour. this was much more casual than the Corvette tour, we kinda wandered around and were allowed to take photos. we saw the guitars all the way from flat pieces of wood, shaped, assembled, holes carved, necks added, paint and lacquer and then electronics. the tour guide told us that to work in the electronics section, you had to be a guitarist. while we were there, a couple of the technicians tested their guitars by playing some incredible blues riffs! rylan wants that job.
then we did what you have to do in Memphis: we went to Graceland. it was not at all what i thought. I thought it would be really crowded, i thought it would be a huge house, and garish and tacky to boot. it was kinda over the top in terms of decoration (animal fur couches and giant ceramic monkeys) but it also felt like someone really did live there. the highlight, i guess you can call it, was Elvis's grave. I'm not a big Elvis fan so I didn't get overwhelmed by it, but it was interesting to hear the people around us. one woman sat down and called a friend on her cell phone. "Wendy," she said, "I am sitting at Elvis's grave." Her voice lowered and she said, "Yes, I know. I know." and she shook her head and put it in her hand.
tonight we will possibly go hear more music - the blues at BB King's nightclub, or else just sit in the park and listen to the free concert that is going on all night.
then we did what you have to do in Memphis: we went to Graceland. it was not at all what i thought. I thought it would be really crowded, i thought it would be a huge house, and garish and tacky to boot. it was kinda over the top in terms of decoration (animal fur couches and giant ceramic monkeys) but it also felt like someone really did live there. the highlight, i guess you can call it, was Elvis's grave. I'm not a big Elvis fan so I didn't get overwhelmed by it, but it was interesting to hear the people around us. one woman sat down and called a friend on her cell phone. "Wendy," she said, "I am sitting at Elvis's grave." Her voice lowered and she said, "Yes, I know. I know." and she shook her head and put it in her hand.
tonight we will possibly go hear more music - the blues at BB King's nightclub, or else just sit in the park and listen to the free concert that is going on all night.
the eatin' is good
to make your mouth water . . . here are some highlights of what we've had to eat so far:
chicago: morton's steak house: ahi tuna with ginger-miso sauce
also chicago, adobo grill: huachinango (red snapper) that richard said was the best he had ever had. i had pork medallions with a deep black mole sauce that was strong, intense and really good.
nashville, at Bricktop's (recommended by Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler!): bbq chicken flatbread that was so good, the three of us sucked it up in seconds. i had a filet that was mouthwatering tender and the guys had sea bass with a ginger sauce.
nashville at Boundry: this was a tapas place, but we didn't go crazy. we did, however, have delicious shrimp and grits (holly! they were calling out to you!), and delicious pecan crusted trout.
memphis: rendezvous bbq place: bbq pork ribs with a dry rub, then add your own bbq sauce in hot or hotter.
memphis for lunch - a tacky little place with great fried catfish (not at all greasy) and hush puppies.
chicago: morton's steak house: ahi tuna with ginger-miso sauce
also chicago, adobo grill: huachinango (red snapper) that richard said was the best he had ever had. i had pork medallions with a deep black mole sauce that was strong, intense and really good.
nashville, at Bricktop's (recommended by Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler!): bbq chicken flatbread that was so good, the three of us sucked it up in seconds. i had a filet that was mouthwatering tender and the guys had sea bass with a ginger sauce.
nashville at Boundry: this was a tapas place, but we didn't go crazy. we did, however, have delicious shrimp and grits (holly! they were calling out to you!), and delicious pecan crusted trout.
memphis: rendezvous bbq place: bbq pork ribs with a dry rub, then add your own bbq sauce in hot or hotter.
memphis for lunch - a tacky little place with great fried catfish (not at all greasy) and hush puppies.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
chickasaw, shiloh and beale street blues
We left Nashville on the Natchez Trace parkway, a highway built along a Chickasaw trail from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi. A pretty drive with lots of green trees and a few turkeys, but no other wildlife (we kept looking!) and we stopped at a house built in 1805 on the border of the US and the Chickasaw nation.
then we went on to Shiloh military park - where a major Civil War battle was fought. over the course of two days the rebels pushed the union army back to the Tennessee river, then the next day, the union army pushed back and defeated the rebels. it was a really big park that we drove through and stopped at markers to show which general was standing where, and which direction the cannons were pointed. pretty cool for the first 8 stops, a little repetitive for the next 8. still, it brought the idea of the civil war alive for rylan.
next, into memphis. great hotel right off Beale Street and we immediately went to have bbq at a famous place in town. excellent bbq! we walked down to Beale street where it was closed off and lined on both sides of the street with Harleys. I don't know if it's always like that, or if this was a special night - we will find out tomorrow. anyway, I thought the honky-tonk-lined street in Nashville was crazy - this is crazier! MORE bars, MORE bands, plus bands who set up between buildings and play for free. These guys are all playing the blues and rock (lots of Jimi Hendrix imitators) and they are, to a person, incredible players. Real virtuosos on guitar. very crowded streets, guys yelling out to get you into their bars, the musicians, the harleys. a wild night!
tomorrow the Gibson guitar factory and Elvis's Graceland.
oh - and i was disappointed not to hear much in the way of southern accents while in Nashville, but now that we are in Memphis, i'm hearing plenty!
then we went on to Shiloh military park - where a major Civil War battle was fought. over the course of two days the rebels pushed the union army back to the Tennessee river, then the next day, the union army pushed back and defeated the rebels. it was a really big park that we drove through and stopped at markers to show which general was standing where, and which direction the cannons were pointed. pretty cool for the first 8 stops, a little repetitive for the next 8. still, it brought the idea of the civil war alive for rylan.
next, into memphis. great hotel right off Beale Street and we immediately went to have bbq at a famous place in town. excellent bbq! we walked down to Beale street where it was closed off and lined on both sides of the street with Harleys. I don't know if it's always like that, or if this was a special night - we will find out tomorrow. anyway, I thought the honky-tonk-lined street in Nashville was crazy - this is crazier! MORE bars, MORE bands, plus bands who set up between buildings and play for free. These guys are all playing the blues and rock (lots of Jimi Hendrix imitators) and they are, to a person, incredible players. Real virtuosos on guitar. very crowded streets, guys yelling out to get you into their bars, the musicians, the harleys. a wild night!
tomorrow the Gibson guitar factory and Elvis's Graceland.
oh - and i was disappointed not to hear much in the way of southern accents while in Nashville, but now that we are in Memphis, i'm hearing plenty!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
corvettes and country music
what an odd day! first we overslept, just kept sleeping and sleeping this morning. then we drove around Nashville to find a restaurant for breakfast but just couldn't, so we hit the road. the plan today was to drive BACK to Bowling Green (about 60 miles) and visit the Corvette museum. I have to explain why: Richard's brother-in-law, Bill, has a 1981 Corvette in perfect condition that he doesn't want any more - he's kept it for years - and he wants to give it to Rylan. Yikes! we have to think about it - where to store it, how much it will be to insure when we take it out of storage. not to mention how fast it goes! but it was a serious offer and we have to think about it seriously. anyway, that's why the museum became of interest. but BETTER than the museum was the factory! turns out that Corvettes are assembled in Bowling Green and they give tours of the factory. It was fascinating, we walked right through the assembly line, watched steering wheels being put on, welding done on the frame, seats put in, the body placed onto the chassis. all kinds of things. it's just so cool.
however, all this took longer than we thought. we got back to Nashville in time to change our clothes, get an early dinner and then head to the Grand Ole Opry. I have to say that all three of us went into the Opry with trepidation. none of us like country music. i wouldn't say we came out loving country music, but we came out with a huge appreciation for their musical talent. And there were some incredibly great performances. Jewel (remember her? used to do pop music?) Now she's country and she's great to listen to. Plus she sang an old folk song that had yodeling in it - and that girl can yodel! it wasn't silly or weird, just quite incredible. We also especially liked a bluegrass group called Cherryholmes - a family of two teens, two in their twenties, and the two parents. Best of all was the Charlie Daniels Band. i thought they would be tacky and dumb. they were the best thing! lots of energy (Charlie must be in his 70s) and amazing guitar and fiddle-playing. plus he played a song i actually love: "the devil went down to georgia."
yes, so that was our day - from corvettes to country music, plus one bad meal (Wendy's) and one good one (a tapas bar).
however, all this took longer than we thought. we got back to Nashville in time to change our clothes, get an early dinner and then head to the Grand Ole Opry. I have to say that all three of us went into the Opry with trepidation. none of us like country music. i wouldn't say we came out loving country music, but we came out with a huge appreciation for their musical talent. And there were some incredibly great performances. Jewel (remember her? used to do pop music?) Now she's country and she's great to listen to. Plus she sang an old folk song that had yodeling in it - and that girl can yodel! it wasn't silly or weird, just quite incredible. We also especially liked a bluegrass group called Cherryholmes - a family of two teens, two in their twenties, and the two parents. Best of all was the Charlie Daniels Band. i thought they would be tacky and dumb. they were the best thing! lots of energy (Charlie must be in his 70s) and amazing guitar and fiddle-playing. plus he played a song i actually love: "the devil went down to georgia."
yes, so that was our day - from corvettes to country music, plus one bad meal (Wendy's) and one good one (a tapas bar).
Monday, July 14, 2008
chicago to nashville
impressions after a seven hour drive:
Indiana has a big big sky, lots of cornfields, many semi-trucks on the highway, fluffy clouds, straight roads, not a single mountain - no, not a single hill in sight. it is VERY flat.
kentucky has rolling hills, more trees, just as many semis, curvier roads. we skirted around Louisville and saw it only from the freeway. at Bowling Green we pulled into the National Corvette Museum 15 minutes before they closed. we may go back tomorrow because it is 1 hour from Nashville, and there is an assembly plant there that we can tour.
Nashville: excellent restaurant - Bricktops - which i read about in Blender magazine and all the country music stars swear by it and they were right. great, great food. then we went to the old downtown which is all honky-tonk bars and a live band in every bar. these are right next door to each other. we couldn't go in with rylan (21 and older) but we could stand in the street and listen, and even watch. we heard a lot of good bands (well, good in a country, western or bluegrass kinda way). i thought it was really cool, and would like to have picked a bar, gone in and listened for a while. but ry couldn't go in, and didn't want to stand on the street, so we just walked around and listened until his teenage moaning outdid the music. so we are back at the hotel. s'okay. it's almost 11 p.m.
Indiana has a big big sky, lots of cornfields, many semi-trucks on the highway, fluffy clouds, straight roads, not a single mountain - no, not a single hill in sight. it is VERY flat.
kentucky has rolling hills, more trees, just as many semis, curvier roads. we skirted around Louisville and saw it only from the freeway. at Bowling Green we pulled into the National Corvette Museum 15 minutes before they closed. we may go back tomorrow because it is 1 hour from Nashville, and there is an assembly plant there that we can tour.
Nashville: excellent restaurant - Bricktops - which i read about in Blender magazine and all the country music stars swear by it and they were right. great, great food. then we went to the old downtown which is all honky-tonk bars and a live band in every bar. these are right next door to each other. we couldn't go in with rylan (21 and older) but we could stand in the street and listen, and even watch. we heard a lot of good bands (well, good in a country, western or bluegrass kinda way). i thought it was really cool, and would like to have picked a bar, gone in and listened for a while. but ry couldn't go in, and didn't want to stand on the street, so we just walked around and listened until his teenage moaning outdid the music. so we are back at the hotel. s'okay. it's almost 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
end of chicago
well, we walked Michigan Avenue, went out to the end of Navy Pier to look at the lake, toured Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, ate some really incredibly good Mexican food, shopped at my favorite designer outlet store and visited relatives. We also drove past Wrigley Field while a Cubs game was being played. Wrigley Field is SOOO cool, because it's a tiny ballpark, and it's semi-open on two sides. The buildings that face the Field set up bleachers on the roof and people sit up there to watch the games. Even just driving past, you can see the fans in the lower stands inside the Field. You could go to Wrigley Field while there is a game, you could not buy tickets, not go in, and yet still feel like you are part of the experience. It's really quite wonderful.
Tomorrow we are driving to Nashville and will enter country music territory. it's kinda scary!
Tomorrow we are driving to Nashville and will enter country music territory. it's kinda scary!
Friday, July 11, 2008
la to chicago
okay a flight really isn't worth talking about. except that, for us beginning this "music trip" - well, there was a band on the plane! not anyone hugely famous, but it was a band called Sweet. They are famous for one song people might know: Ballroom Blitz. if you know this song, it will now be stuck in your head. i can say with certainty that the one band member who sat near us was blitzed - he had quite an array of tiny bottles of whisky on his table.
we also snuck into O'Hare through some very bumpy clouds and landed and retrieved our luggage . . . and then, just as we got outside to find the rental car bus, the skies opened up, it started pouring rain, and we watched the most magnificent lightning storm! rylan had never seen a midwestern display of lightning and this was really incredible. because the terrain is so flat, the sky is huge and the lightning bolts race across the sky from one side to the other. and, yes, we were glad our plane touched down just before all this happened!
dinner was our one extravagance - we ate at Morton's steakhouse, right next to our hotel (the Hard Rock Hotel, in keeping with the music theme of the trip). we had salmon, steak, ahi tuna - but the very best thing was this giant round pouf of bread they bring to the table at first. I could only sample a bite, but richard and rylan ate the entire thing. it was soft and fluffy and hot, with onion bits sprinkled on top. the best thing ever!
today - friday - we walk, shop and take photos while it's sunny. saturday is supposed to rain so that will be an indoor day, with the Frank Lloyd Wright house and possibly a museum or two.
we also snuck into O'Hare through some very bumpy clouds and landed and retrieved our luggage . . . and then, just as we got outside to find the rental car bus, the skies opened up, it started pouring rain, and we watched the most magnificent lightning storm! rylan had never seen a midwestern display of lightning and this was really incredible. because the terrain is so flat, the sky is huge and the lightning bolts race across the sky from one side to the other. and, yes, we were glad our plane touched down just before all this happened!
dinner was our one extravagance - we ate at Morton's steakhouse, right next to our hotel (the Hard Rock Hotel, in keeping with the music theme of the trip). we had salmon, steak, ahi tuna - but the very best thing was this giant round pouf of bread they bring to the table at first. I could only sample a bite, but richard and rylan ate the entire thing. it was soft and fluffy and hot, with onion bits sprinkled on top. the best thing ever!
today - friday - we walk, shop and take photos while it's sunny. saturday is supposed to rain so that will be an indoor day, with the Frank Lloyd Wright house and possibly a museum or two.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
on the road again
tomorrow is our summer holiday!
we fly to chicago, we rent a car, we drive to nashville, to memphis, to tupelo (honey), to new orleans and then back up highway 61 (revisited) to the crossroads at clarksdale and the follow the blues highway back to chicago.
i will attempt updates here, along with having to do my online writing class homework and keeping up with my favorite blogs.
we fly to chicago, we rent a car, we drive to nashville, to memphis, to tupelo (honey), to new orleans and then back up highway 61 (revisited) to the crossroads at clarksdale and the follow the blues highway back to chicago.
i will attempt updates here, along with having to do my online writing class homework and keeping up with my favorite blogs.
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