I awoke this morning and headed for Beale St., that historic thoroughfare in downtown Memphis. Beale St. has been the musical center of the town for decades, reflecting every trend of American music from jug bands through ragtime, blues, jazz, and R&B. It was a street lined with bars, gambling joints and houses of ill repute and everywhere, the air was filled with music. Even into the late '40s and early '50s, the scene was still going strong. A young Elvis Presley walked this street soaking up the sounds and the influences can be heard there in his early music.

Beale St.'s music scene was in decline, though, for many years and, although a renaissance is now taking place, the street has a bit of a touristy feel to it now. It looks a little slick. There are attractions there, though, that I recommend checking out. The home in which W.C. Handy resided while calling Memphis home is found on Beale St. Handy, known as the Father of the Blues, had a lengthy career as an entertainer and bandleader but in the end, he is remembered as the man who took the blues from the juke joints and road houses of the Mississippi Delta and gave them respectability and a wider audience. The very first hit blues tune, Memphis Blues, was written and published by Handy. His home, a modest two-room house, wasn't originally in this neighborhood; it was moved down here to make it available to tourists. It's filled with many artifacts from Handy's life, including his piano.

Just across the street from the Handy home is a really odd store, A. Schwab. Their motto is: "If you can't find it at Schwab's, you didn't really need it." This store has been there forever and looks it. It's almost like a rummage sale; their choices in merchandise are a bit puzzling, to say the least. They've got plenty of hats, though, I'll give'em that. And walking sticks; you won't find a store that carries a larger selection of walking sticks. Suspenders, overalls, 8-track tapes. They've still got some 8-track tapes, can you believe it? They've also got a sort-of voodoo section with oils, soaps, candles, and other paraphernalia that promise to attract or repel others, bring you good luck, make you rich - you know, the usual mumbo-jumbo. This stuff seems a little out of place in this slightly tattered old variety store. If you're ever in Memphis, check out A. Schwab's. It's a bit of a trip back in time.

After lunch at the Little Tea Room, a Memphis institution, I looked for the Loew's State movie theatre. Why? Elvis used to usher there, that's why. I realize that Elvis' name has appeared numerous times in the reporting of my travels; one could easily get the idea that I'm a big fan of the King. I'm not really, but there is something fascinating about the man: talented yet tacky, kitschy, and campy yet, at least in his early years, cool. He really was, and in fact remains, an amazing phenomenon. I feel that if you can explore the roots of an artist, you may gain some insight into their work. That's why I've enjoyed seeing Patsy Cline's hometown and Jimmie Rodgers'. I would always, when given the option, choose a birthplace over a final resting place. Unfortunately, this option is not always available.

In any case, the Loew's State no longer stands; a fairly recent development, as I understand it. On, then, to Sun Studios, the spot where it all began for the King. Now, this is my kind of tourist attraction: not too expensive and filled with a kind of goofy history. Think about it. What occurred in this studio within a relatively short period of time, ten years or so, changed popular music and, one could argue, helped usher in changes that reshaped American society. Certainly, the rise of rock 'n' roll was a key element in the growth of the youth culture. It really was the first music that young people claimed for their own, and Sun Studios was where it was born.

Regarded by many as the first rock 'n' roll recording, Jackie Brenston's Rocket 88 was recorded in 1950 at Sun (a side note: Ike Turner played piano on that cut and he and Brenston worked up the song in Ike's room at Ms. Hill's Riverside Hotel down the road in Clarksdale before bringing it up Highway 61 to Memphis to record it). Roy Orbison's early hits, like Ooby Dooby, were recorded there also. B. B. King's first sides were a product of the studio; Howlin' Wolf also recorded here early on. Carl Perkins's big hit, Blue Suede Shoes, was cut here, as were Jerry Lee Lewis' and Johnny Cash's first hits, so the place has lots of history in addition to its Elvis connection. The half hour tour is designed to recreate those days in the visitor's mind and I think it's pretty successful.

Speaking of Elvis, things could have quite easily worked out differently for him. In those early days, anyone could walk into the studio and record a double-sided single disc for four dollars. The first time Elvis used this service, he wanted to make a record for his mother, Gladys. Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun, wasn't around that day; his secretary did the recording for Presley. But Elvis lost that record and so came in a few days later to cut another. Phillips was running the show that day and was so impressed with what he heard that he encouraged Elvis to do some more sessions, even setting him up with Phillips' usual session men, Bill Black and Scottie Moore. There's no telling what might have happened if Elvis hadn't returned to Sun, thereby hooking up with Phillips. We might be calling Carl Perkins the King of Rock 'n' Roll today.

Next on the agenda was Graceland, Elvis' home from 1958 until his death. It's hard to believe but Graceland wasn't open to the public until 1982; it seems like it's been a tourist attraction forever. It's become quite a complex. Parking is across the street from the house itself and additional attractions are found over there. There's the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum, featuring cars he owned; the Elvis Airplane Museum, boasting two of his private planes, a couple of snack-bar-type restaurants, plenty o' gift shops, a continually-running documentary called Walk a Mile in my Shoes and a museum of many of the King's personal possessions that they've named, tackily enough, Sincerely Elvis. Individual tickets to each attractions can be purchased or you can buy the Platinum Ticket and see them all. My budget didn't allow for the see-it-all tour and besides, I wasn't sure I could take it, so I decided on the Mansion tour (of course) and Sincerely Elvis.

The mansion? Well, first of all, it's not as big as I'd imagined. It's sizable, of course; just not the sprawling complex I rather expected. It's an old house and, to Elvis' credit, remains seemingly unchanged on the exterior. As we wander through the interior, though, we learn a vital mathematical equation: Money plus power plus fame does not necessarily equal good taste.

Lord have mercy, this is an ugly house! I'd heard rumors to this effect but one has to experience it for oneself to truly understand. I won't belabor the point but one example may illustrate it for you. The first room one is shown upon entering the house is the formal dining area: a really ugly table and chairs, tacky place settings, and, of course, a huge television set. Now, that's elegance!

Unfortunately, it seems, both here in Graceland and later while strolling through Sincerely Elvis, that the Presley Estate is in possession of many more artifacts from Elvis' later, tasteless years than his early cool years. I viewed eight or ten of the most god-awful jumpsuits I ever hope to lay eyes on, all in one afternoon. It was almost more than a human could withstand.

Elvis' daughter, Lisa-Marie, gets legal control of Graceland in year or two when she turns 30. She has already agreed to keep it open to the public through 1998 but, beyond that, nobody knows. I recommend you get to Memphis before then and take in both the Sun Studios and Graceland in one day. In fact, I'm giving the combination of these two spots a BRETTnews Highlight Attraction Award. I like to think it's an honor of which the King would have been proud.

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