Back on the road, we picked up a car at the Nashville airport and headed off to Memphis.

We only had one day and two nights in Memphis and I loved every bit of it. We were a bit apprehensive driving into our motel, I had chosen it because it was reasonably cheap and close to Beale St, THE street of Memphis. The reviews I had read were reasonable, Father Bear however had found one star reviews with comments like “Filthy sheets and bathroom!”. However, apart from the guy at check in who was very thorough (read slow!) we were relieved to find a comfortable and clean room. The three block walk to Beale St was on flat ground, also a relief.

A lot of locals in Nashville had spoken about the rapid expansion of the city and the boom in tourism, you could see that in the number of cranes rising from the new buildings and the huge numbers of tourists. Memphis was a lot more laid back than Nashville and I felt much more comfortable. We couldn’t wait to find Beale St.

Undeterred by our experience in Nashville we decided to try some local food again, this time fried chicken, fried okra and fried green tomatoes. I’m happy to say this meal was much tastier although there was an awful lot of fried food on the plate.

Fried green tomatoes have always sounded quite exotic to me since seeing the movie of the same name, and I found them to be quite morish. The trick is to cook them so the cornmeal coating is crisp without too much fat, and the green tomato is also crisp with a bite of green fruit. I’ll be trying them out next summer we have a glut of home grown tomatoes.

After dinner we found a seat in the window of a bar opening onto the street and watched everyone enjoying the balmy evening. I was intrigued by the young women, I’m not sure what was more prominent, their eyelashes or their Kim Kasrdashian butts. We were entertained by the Beale Street flippers, this is a great You Tube clip of Beale Street and the flippers.

Our day in Memphis was all about the two Kings.

We started off with a long walk to the Civil Rights Remembrance Museum

 

It is situated in the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of Room 306, on the 4th April 1968.

I don’t think any museum has affected me more, apart from the museum at Hiroshima. I had never realised how long, bitter, violent and tragic the fight for civil rights has been. Below is just a part of the struggle.

The abolition of slavery led to worse conditions for many African Americans. Initially conditions improved with many becoming highly educated and holding high positions of employment.   Many of the lower educated were forced to become sharecroppers, renting land from white landowners, paying for it by giving a high proportion of their crops.

The Jim Crow laws were a number of laws requiring racial segregation in the United States. These lawswere enforced in different states between 1876 and 1965. “Jim Crow” laws provided a systematic legal basis for segregating and discriminating against African Americans. They were enforced in different states between 1876 and 1965 .”Jim Crow” was a racist term for a black person. These laws meant African Americans could be arrested, beaten and lynched for crimes such as not stepping aside on a pavement for a white person.

The civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960 were dominated by the Freedom Rides and Freedom Walks to Washington.

Rosa Parks refused to move for a white person on a bus,  non-violent sit-ins at food counters  resulted in many protesters being brutally assaulted and the Brown v Board of Education legal battle resulted in the outlawing of racial segregation at educational institutions.

Martin Luther King was a prominent leader of the movement. Interestingly enough, while King is revered now, at the time of his death only 23% of the population supported his views.

Around the corner was another BBQ cafe with rave reviews so we thought we’d give it a try. Oh yes! Bingo! Finger lickin’ good ribs!

 

Next stop, Sun Studios, where the other Memphis King, this one native to the town, Elvis Presley , started his recording career. Our hearts sank as we walked the long street leading to the studio and we saw three tour buses discharge their passengers. Despite the studio being small they dealt quite quickly and smoothly with the crowds and we didn’t have too long a wait. The tour was a fascinating history Sun Studios’ place in the story of rock and roll, and the amazing number of artists who recorded there.

The first rock and roll single recorded by the studio’s  own recording label was ‘Rocket 88’ by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats. It featured Ike Turner on keyboard. The studio claimed it was the birthplace of rock and roll!

One of the bands who recorded at Sun were the Prisonaires, a band of inmates at the State Penitentiary Nashville Tennessee. They came to the notice of Sam Phillips who arranged for them to be transported under guard to Sun Studio to record. They recorded a number of hits, their best seller “Walkin’ in the Rain” was written by their lead singer and became an even greater hit for Johnny Ray. They were favourites of the State Governor who allowed to perform in many venues around the State.

We spent our last evening at the Jerry Lee Lewis Bar, great vibe , and a very energetic band performing the great rock and roll classics.