Day fifty one - Tuesday

This day started out in the rain and ended in the rain. Although it wasn't a hard rain, it was enough to be annoying.

We started our Memphis tour today at Sun Studios. This is where Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis began their careers. This is considered by many to be the birthplace of Rock and Roll. The tour started upstairs with a look at relics from the early era. Back downstairs we entered the actual studio where many early Rock and Roll hits were recorded. In addition to the early stars, many contemporary stars have recorded here. The studio was closed down for quite a while but reopened after Elvis died and continues to record to this day.

No photographs were allowed upstairs and downstairs I discovered I hadn't put the memory card in my camera. So, the only photographs I could get were with my cell phone camera.

After Sun Studios, Ann and I went to Texas de Brazil Churrascaria, just off Beale Street, for lunch. This is a Brazilian restaurant where you pay one price and eat all you want. Lunch was $19.95 each. After a visit to the salad bar, you place your marker with the green side up and the Gauchos will bring spit cooked meat to your table and cut off as much or as little as you want. Turn your marker red and they won't stop. We had Parmesan chicken, lamb, sausage, roast beef, ribs and several kinds of steak. Every piece of meat was cooked to perfection and VERY good. Another great meal in Memphis.

Our last stop of the afternoon was the Rock N Soul museum, also just off Beale Street. Nine dollars each and in we went. First we saw a short movie about the history of Rock and Roll in the Memphis area. Then we took a self-guided audio tour of the museum where we learned about the general history of the Memphis area and the development of music in the area. There were lots of historic displays and artifacts from early radio, blues and rock and roll up to and including the Beatles, some of whom recorded at Sun Studios.

Tomorrow we take off for Branson Missouri. It's 300 miles from here to Branson. We may do it in one day or two. We'll probably play it by ear and see where we are time-wise when we hit Little Rock, Arkansas, which is about half way.

The first picture shows a photograph that is described as the greatest rock and roll photograph ever produced. It shows Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley taken at Sun Studios. It was a coincidence that they were all there at the same time. A jam session broke out and was recorded. However, since Elvis was on contract to another studio by then, the recording couldn't be released until well after his death.

The second picture shows Ann standing at the very same microphone used by Elvis, Johnny, Jerry, Carl and many others at Sun Studios.

The last picture shows one of the Gauchos serving a spit of meat at our table at the Texas de Brazil restaurant.