I met some "workampers" - full time RV'ers who are not yet retired. The husband is a respirational therapist. They seldom spend more than 4 months any one place. Then they get out their maps and decide which part of the country they'd like to see next. He said, "If I can speak the language, I can get a job anywhere." They have kids in Memphis, so he was a great source of info on local doin's.
Sunday morning I went to Bosco's Squared, on "the Square" in mid-town Memphis. Although it's famous as a handcrafted beer place, they also have a Sunday Blues Brunch. It was incredible. Joyce Cobb who is the Queen of Memphis Blues' backed up by a 6 piece combo. I sat through three sets. I got talking with Mike Adams, the Bass player and left with plans to go to Beale St on Monday night to hear him at his other regular gig. If you're in Memphis, Bosco's is a MUST. Especially on Sunday. It seemed like I was the only one in the place that didn't know most of the people there. A real neighborhood hangout with great authentic music.
I asked my waitress, "It's a beautiful day to roam around on my motorcycle. Where should I go?" She said, "You should ask this man sitting next to you. He's the Mayor."
So I did. And got a 10 minute "Welcome to my City" speech, complete with a list of places to visit. My first stop was the Visitor's Center on the Mississippi River where I found these great statues of
B.B. King
and Elvis
Next stop was the National Ornamental Metal Museum. The Mayor said it had one of the best views of the River in Memphis.
And some VERY interesting works - OK, fellow Airtreamers - would this qualify as the ultimate Flamingo?
When I got back to the Airstream, I took a hike around the park and found this fellow. He's a Red Tailed Hawk who lost a wing in an encounter with a truck. The Rangers take him to visit school kids.
Monday evening found me on famous Beale Street. It had been over 20 years since I'd been there and if there hadn't been street signs, I wouldn't have recognized it. In the '70's - OK, maybe it's been 30 years since I'd been there - it was wonderfully rundown with dirty little "hole in the wall" bars with amazing music. It's gone through a major "restoration" which has transformed it into what Bourbon Street would look like if it was built by Disney. Even the music has been touristized. Mike and his group, led by Gary Hardy hold court nightly at the Blue's City Cafe.
History is everywhere - here's a picture of the "Million Dollar Quartet" that hangs behind the stage.
That's, from left to right, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis and Johnny Cash at an impromptu jam session at Sun Records on December 4th, 1956. Elvis had already left for RCA and Jerry Lee hadn't even recorded a record yet - he was there to play piano for Carl Perkins, for which he got paid $15.00.
Gary actually produced Carl Perkin's last album and is a treasure trove of Memphis Rock and Roll history. AND he does Johnny Cash songs just like Johnny did them.
To make the evening perfect, the food was fabulous, too. I had a $20. rack of ribs that provided me with 3 meals.
So even with the tacky little souvenir shops and other tourist traps, you can still find great music and food on Beale St.
Life is Good.
