Music and Memphis

In the heat of the day we rolled into Tom Sawyer’s Campground on the western bank of the Mississippi across from Memphis. We got the AC cranked up and took shelter inside Ava. After an early dinner we headed downtown to take in some free music at Overton Square…it’s Bluesday Tuesday. They had several corn hole games set up and the kids pretty much played corn hole the whole time that we listened to Reba Somebody (can’t remember her name) belt out the blues. She was very good and her band was very talented as well. You can see some of the pictures from the evening here.

The next day I worked all morning and then after lunch we headed to the Rock n Soul museum. Steph had picked this place from the many music related museums and attractions in Memphis and she nailed it! This one has an audio tour which we really like because we get a tour guide but get to go at our own snail pace. Plus there was so much music to listen to that the kids were having a ball. The museum was laid out very well starting with how Memphis music started with the share croppers in the cotton fields then moved to town. It showed the progression of music and celebrated how music brought blacks and whites together. While much of the country was deep in segregation, when it came to making music, it was skill not skin that mattered. Music is magical that way. I think the Republicans and Democrats should start a band.

The kids fell in love with Jerry Lee Lewis’s Great Balls of Fire and also became Elvis fans. They were already pretty familiar with the Man in Black but our time in this museum pushed him up several notches on their favorite musician lists. We had a blast. I don’t know how much the tickets were and I don’t really want to know, but it was a really great museum and I highly recommend it.

Next on Steph’s itinerary was dinner at BB King’s restaurant. We got in about 5:00pm and got a table on the balcony so we could see the stage. At 5:30 Memphis Jones took the stage and immediately had the audience in his hands. This dude was an entertainer if I’ve ever seen one. He is also the worship pastor at a local church. I soooooo wish we could have had a Sunday in Memphis to visit his church. What a great outreach….I bet a lot of folks at least visit Love of Christ Church because of Memphis Jones.

The jist of Memphis Jones’ show is he plays only songs that are rooted in Memphis and he is a storyteller giving you the scoop and some little known facts about the songs and the musicians he’s covering. The songs he plays are super familiar to anyone who hasn’t been under a rock their whole lives. He was full of energy and funny and he included the audience. So, to Memphis Jones I say…THANK YOU, you were a blessing to that entire restaurant!!

The food at BB King’s was decent but overpriced on its own. But the show made the high priced food totally worth it. We were about to leave when a massive thunderstorm hit and rain was coming down in sheets. But, it only lasted about 5 minutes and when we walked outside it was like music heaven. The night sky was aglow, the Beale Street neon was bright and flashing, the feel of the hot and humid air kissed our skin, the smell of fresh rain filled our noses and all at once I could hear several familiar tunes wafting out of the bars into the street. It was about as perfect a day as I could have ever imagined. Thank you Steph for planning it, and thank you God for music!