Nashville, TN, to Memphis, TN

14 January 2016:  Today was fun!  After yesterday's long drive, I decided to drive for just a half-day today.  I booked a cheap hotel in center of Memphis and arrived there around noon.  That gave me time to do some laundry in my room before going out to experience some of what makes the city famous: its music.

• I visited the excellent Rock 'n' Soul Museum and only regretted that I did not have more time to spend there.  The exhibits, supplemented by an audio tour, are interesting and informative, and there is lots of music to listen to as one goes through the museum.

• Walking around the Beale Street area, I passed the "FedExForum" and noticed that the Memphis Grizzlies were playing the Detroit Pistons tonight.  I do not follow basketball, so I did not even know that Memphis has an NBA team.  On a whim, I decided to attend the game.  And since attending an NBA game is a rare event for me (to say the least! -- the last time I did so was in the late Sixties, when I attended a Celtics game at the old Boston Garden and reported on it for my college radio station, WHRB), I bought a ticket for a good seat.  It was fun; the carnival atmosphere of an NBA game is interesting to observe.  Best of all, the Grizzlies won the game, 103-101, with a dramatic, last second basket.  The hometown crowd left the arena in a very happy mood!

• After the game, I went to Beale Street to listen to some music.  Beale Street was an important center of African American culture -- in particular, music -- and commerce during the era of segregation.  Among the many great musicians -- black and white -- who established their reputations in Memphis were B.B. King and Elvis Presley.  Two kings: one was born a king, and the other became a king...  Beale Street exists today mainly for tourists, but one can still hear good, live music in bars along the street.  Following a recommendation from a friend [thanks, Sandy!], I went to the Blues Hall Juke Joint and enjoyed a set of mostly rock music performed by a good group.

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My hotel on B.B. King Blvd:

Beale Street, with Blues Hall Juke Joint in the foreground:

On display at the Rock 'n' Soul Museum: an interesting poster for a dance at "Club Ebony" ca. 1956, featuring Fats Domino at the top of the bill and Little Richard below.  Note that the dance would begin at 10:00 pm, with a separate "concert" for whites at 8:00 pm.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Detroit Pistons:

Of course, there were cheerleaders to entertain us during timeouts.

The band at Blues Hall Juke Joint tonight:

Guitar solo: