Front entrance of Graceland.
Front room at Graceland. Kind of glitzy, but kind of not, too.
Formal dining room, off the kitchen. Looks like any number of homes you might find in the suburbs today.
Elvis' poolroom. He met the Beatles here.
"...simple working class lifestyle." In an odd way, Graceland always reflected that.
You still see homes like this throughout the South.
From Elvis' extensive collection of jewelry. And, yes, that's a Hebrew symbol. In the Hebrew language, the word chai, spelled by these two letters, means "living", and is related to the word for "life", as in "L'chaim!"
Posted inside the door at the Graceland business office. Note that it was a directive from Elvis' dad, who ran his businesses for him.
One of 10 hundred thousand million framed pix of the King at Graceland.
He had style, I'll say that.
Some of Elvis' awards. This is inside the converted racquetball court. There are several other similarly sized galleries on the Graceland property.
RIP. In addition to Elvis' tomb, his parents are there as is his maternal grandmother. There's also a memorial to his twin brother, Jesse, who died at birth. His grave remains in Tupelo, MS.
THE pink Cadillac that Elvis drove. And, no, the whitewalls are not yellow. That's just my cheap cellphone camera talking.
The costume displays were endless, I tell you, endless.
From the book rack at Schwab's Department Store on Beale Street. Where else but Memphis, TN are you going to find Isaac Hayes and Aunt Bee side by side?
Schwab's was established over 100 years ago and is still run by the family. This museum is a real time capsule.
Vintage sign for chocolate soda. Dunno if this sign is a reproduction or not, but the real thing sells for $20 or more on eBay.
Also for sale at Schwab's. The purple lightbulb blinks.
Candles for sale at Schwab's. I love that voodoo that you do.
Just so's we understand what's at stake here.
"Don't make me open this!"
A. Schwab, established 1876 (and still going strong). Front entrance on Beale Street, Memphis TN, 2007 "If you can't find it here, you don't need it."
Tater Red's souvenirs on Beale Street, Memphis. This is a small part of the ceiling, lined with autographed drumskins.
I think that's Elvis on the right.
Souvenir for sale at Tater Red's. What else is there to say?
Tater Red's on Beale Street, Memphis.
No home should be without one of these.
Is that The Terminator on the right?
Tater Red's Lucky Mojos. Voodoo Healings. Your One Stop Hoodoo Shop! Beale Street, Memphis
Vintage music posters.
Current poster advertising a show at The Orpheum Theater, June 2007, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stax Records (a Memphis institution).
Great food, believe you me.
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis.
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis. Thru the doorway is the bar.
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis. "Steak so good, it'll make a train take a dirt road."
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis. "Put some South in your mouth."
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis. They'll claim that this is one-half of Elvis' pink Cadillac, but you and I know where the real one is, right?
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis.
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis. The wreath marks the spot where Rev. King was gunned down in April, 1968. That's his car, below left.
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis. I still choke up when I hear that speech, delivered the night before he was killed.
The Orpheum Theater on Main Street, Memphis.
On Beale Street, Memphis.
And what is Memphis without the food?
Best in the South.
Put some South in your mouth!
This is (was) the largest, tallest building on Beale Street...once. Not sure how it got destroyed. They've reinforced it and built a park behind it.
What do Elvis Presley and Silvio Dante have in common?
Vintage Elvis posters inside the Sun Records Studio.
This was the official name of the business that produced Sun Records, home of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and so many more artists.
Yeah, I was just thirteen, you might say I was a Musical proverbial knee-high, When I heard a couple new-sounding tunes on the tube And they blasted me sky-high. And the record man said every one is a yellow Sun Record...
I've been to Sun Records and also the original Motown Studio and both places were pretty tiny. But they made a huge impact on popular culture worldwide.
The corner of Marshall and Union streets in Memphis.
Shopping mall art, Memphis. I think the Doberman is contemplating a snack.
AutoZone Park, Memphis. Home of the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A farmclub of the St. Louis Cardinals.
What a gorgeous evening for a ballgame! We got there about an hour before game time and the place was nearly sold out by the first pitch. P.S. the Redbirds lost to the New Orleans Zephyrs, farm team for the New York Mets, by a score of 4-0.
Front entrance.
Beale Street, Memphis.
