Blues Music in Memphis and Clarksdale
The Blues Music road trip is one of the best USA road trips we have enjoyed in our boomer years involved reconnecting with the music we grew up with.
The Blues and Rock and Roll
At the heart of Rock and Roll is The Blues Music so we decided to go on a Blues Music road trip to Memphis, Tennessee and Clarksdale, Mississippi. Blues Music is steeped in the history and culture of struggling Black Americans starting in the southern states especially the Mississippi Delta and eventually making its way north.
We set out to visit the birthplace of The Delta Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi, stopping en route in Memphis, Tennessee to visit Graceland, Sun Records, and Stax Soul Museum.
The British Blues Music
The British Blues became popular in England after the war in 1950’s, heavily influenced by Robert Johnson American Delta blues primarily from Mississippi in the deep south and electric blues music from Chicago and Detroit in the 1940’s and 50’s Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters.
African-American servicemen in the UK during and after World War II, brought with them a love for American Blues. With this, local DJ’s on “pirate radio stations”, built playlists that included this imported, soulful blues music.
An early exponent of the Blues in UK is John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers an English blues rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter John Mayall.
Living in Manchester, England in the early 1960’s, I would listen to R&B played on Radio Luxembourg and Pirate Radio Caroline. This includes the early blues music of Clapton, Cream, The Animals, Fleetwood Mac, and Rolling Stones.
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Blues Music and Rock ‘n Roll
Memphis Tennessee
Elvis Presley – Graceland
One of Elvis’ biggest hits a cover of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right (Mama)” recorded by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in 1954.
Many people would tell you this is the beginning of Rock and Roll.
When planning the visit to Memphis, we made sure we spent the first 2 nights at the Graceland Guest House which is to the south of the city center.
We were in the heart of the experience, saturated with images, sounds, and souvenirs of Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll. All Elvis, all the time.
While the blatant over-the-top commercialism was too much at times, I guess it reflects the everyday popularity, still, of Elvis Presley. This is a pilgrimage for many. Thousands of visitors that arrive daily and follow the visitors’ process to everything on the The Elvis Experience Tour, which includes the mansion, the car museum, and a couple other exhibits. In total, this will take 2.5 – 3.5 hours.
Before exiting through the Graceland gift shop, we paid our respects at Elvis’s and his family graves, and headed off to Sun Records. There is an online store as well at https://store.graceland.com/
Sun Records
“Sun Studios is known worldwide as “The Birthplace of Rock’n’roll” and where many musical legends and genres were born starting back in the 1950’s. From B.B. King and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. From Blues and Gospel to Country and Rock’n’roll.”. (https://www.sunstudio.com/about)
We recommend the studio tour (small studio but great info) where they cram in stories of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Rufus Thomas, and Bobby Blue Bland. It will have you staring in awe at the photos on the wall and at the old recording booths.
A highlight here is singing directly into the microphone where Elvis recorded. Awesome! Check out the memories on Sun Records “Greatest Hits” on vinyl.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley
The “Million Dollar Quartet” refers to a historic jam session that took place on December 4, 1956, at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
The session was unplanned and happened when these four artists were all at Sun Records at the same time. Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, decided to record the impromptu jam session, which became a legendary moment in music history. The recording includes a mix of gospel, blues, and early rock and roll, with the artists performing their own hits and also covering other popular songs
Stax Museum of Soul Blues Music
We then went over to Stax Museum of American Soul Music and enjoyed a self guided tour of the Stax Museum and homage to Soul Music and the Blues music..
“Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music”. Wikipedia
Originally with the name Satellite Records in 1957 its name became Stax in 1960, “The new studio’s first single, a duet between Rufus and Carla Thomas called “Cause I Love You”, became a local hit through radio airplay and the 40,000 copies it sold regionally drew the attention of Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler”. A distribution deal was signed.
Stax displays prominently Otis Redding one of my favorite singers of all time the “King of Soul” who died in a plane crash way too early, at the young age of 26. He arrived at Stax in 1962
To be closer to all things in downtown Memphis, we stayed at The Westin just off Beale Street. Great location, very convenient, and relatively new hotel. The hotel was just around the corner from the Gibson Guitar factory. Electric guitars became synonymous with the youthful loud sound and image of the Blues and Rock’n Roll. The top two electric guitars recommended by Mojo Music in 2023 are the Fender Player Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar.
Restaurant on Beale Street
Itta Bena Restaurant
Our night out in Memphis turned out to be great fun. We walked the short walk along Beale Street and listened to the music coming from the different bars.
Then we stumbled on an excellent restaurant with a beautiful menu along with cool vibe. We recommend Itta Bena which is located on the 3rd floor above the BB Kings club, around the side, and up the stairs.
The restaurant is warmly lit with beautiful old wood and white tablecloths and the food matches the ambiance. We had some She-Crab soup which was fabulous. For entrees, I had Shrimp and Grits and John had the Lamb Chops and both were excellent. We will eat there again next time in Memphis.
Martin Luther King – Lorraine Hotel
The Lorraine Hotel is a short walk from our hotel downtown to where Martin Luther King was assassinated back in 1968, a day after his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. We were unaware the Lorraine Motel is now a National Civil Rights Museum.
It is an impressive museum and we recommend taking the tour.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” — Strength to Love, 1963 – MLK.
Blues Music – Clarksdale / Mississippi
The drive south from Memphis to Clarksdale (took us about 1.5 hrs) was an education in geography and history for me.
It was my first visit to Mississippi, and my first time to see the harshness of a cotton field in the fall.
The main attraction in Clarksdale is the Blues Music “Devil’s Crossroads” famous by its association with Robert Johnson. Its central pole at the crossroads of Routes 61 and 40 is an intersection of three electric guitars. This is where, according to legend, musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to play the Blues. (There are two other locations that claim the same, but this is iconic.)
The Crossroads is a good place to pull over and take some photographs.
We then went over to taste the famous Abe’s Bar-B-Q with the famous COME BACK SAUCE. “Once you’ve eaten our sandwich, you have to come back for more”.
I enjoyed a plate of BBQ Ribs (Loin Baby Back) with potato salad and coleslaw. The sauce will take us back.
Ground Zero Blues Music Club Clarksdale Mississippi
The other main attraction in Clarksdale is the Ground Zero is a Blues Club, of which Morgan Freeman is a co-owner. The food was fairly basic but good, as was our waiter. The music was great as is the environment. Good, friendly place.
Reds Juke Joint – Clarksdale, Mississippi
We went to “Reds Juke Joint” which claims to be the only juke joint left in the town. The music was great but the place, itself, is like nothing we’d been to before. What makes it such a fun, entertaining atmosphere is, it seems to be a collection of interesting stuff. Some odd old photos and posters, chairs straight out of someone’s attic, newer rugs across older rugs. Very basic but again, wonderfully welcoming. And, for $7, we got a 20 oz bottle of Budweiser.
“Juke joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking…..”
PO’ Monkeys – Juke Joint Mississippi
We used a small hotel as a base in Clarksdale as we explored the area. Fortunately, with some desk research and the help of our GPS, we found some interesting places. Or, we stumbled upon them.
One fabulous find is the Poor Monkey Lounge / PO Monkeys which is one of the last juke joints sitting in a field in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, it’s been closed since 2016, indicating the end of an era. The stories it could tell.
We ended the Delta Blues Road Trip by “going down to Rosedale”, reminding me of Eric Clapton singing Crossroads in which he quotes Robert Johnson’s lyrics from “Traveling Riverside Blues” (also quoted in “Crossroad Blues”)
“Well, I’m going down to Rosedale, Rider by my side.
Lord, I’m going down to Rosedale, Rider by my side.
Well, we can still barrelhouse, babe, On the riverside”
Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi
The Delta Blues Museum is well worth visiting, giving an insight into the history and lifestyle of the bluesmen and their music. The museum features Muddy Waters and items from Otis Clay, John Lee Hooker and Kingfish Blues.
“Many now-legendary musical artists were born and raised in and around Clarksdale: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner, Jackie Brenston, Sam Cooke, Junior Parker, and W. C. Handy, among them.
Clarksdale was a major market for the Delta’s constantly traveling musicians. The likes of Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, and Charley Patton are also associated with the city. Today, that historic blues culture is preserved for visitors while contemporary musicians carry on the great Delta blues tradition.” https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/visitor-info.aspx
Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail website is great, giving markers and info about the Blues in Mississippi. Well worth checking out. Here is an example / extract of the type of information available on the site about Muddy Waters:
“Muddy Waters lived most of his first thirty years in a house on this site, part of the Stovall Plantation. In 1996, the restored house was put on display at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Muddy Waters was first recorded here in 1941 by Alan Lomax, who was compiling songs for the Library of Congress. Muddy Waters is known as the king of Chicago blues”. (https://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/muddy-waterss-cabin)
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