Hitting the road around 3am, I left Knoxville and headed West on I40 determined to get at least as far as Little Rock. It had rained most of the night, the cable was out on my hotel, dinner options had been few, so I wanted to get some miles behind me. I blew through Nashville at predawn and missed the traffic. Memphis was a few hours away.
My IPod shuffle mode was remarkably in sync with my travels as if some hidden microchip was in touch with higher beings. As I drove past the Manassas battlefield in Virginia it chose Wilco's version of When the Roses Bloom Again with its Civil War theme. In the Shenandoah, it played Bill Frisell's instrumental of - Shenandoah. Just outside of Memphis, home to Al Green, it played - Al Green. As I drove past Woody Guthrie's hometown on Oklahoma, it spit out - you guessed it. Entering California, it remarkably chose Wilco again, bookmarking the trip with their version of California Stars.
Having never been to Memphis before, I had to pull off just short of the Mississippi Bridge to explore, albeit briefly. I wandered around downtown for awhile. The general mood of the day was sleepy. So was I, but I was wired after six hours of driving.
Beale Street was nearby - an easy stroll. Few folks were on the streets.
Clean up from the revels of the previous evening were proceeding.
Elvis had left the room.
Most places were still closed at mid-morning.
Drink enuf of dis stuff and yo' ass will be big!
Sun Records - where Sam Philips first recorded Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and others. A place of worship to those of us who worship at the alter of rock 'n roll. I should go and record there one day.
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