2011
My first trip to Memphis was just a 2 day stop via Amtrak’s “Jazz, Blues & Rock-n-Roll” vacation. The trip included a visit to Sun Records, a tour with Backbeat Tours, a stop at the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks and enjoy live piano ballads, visit to Stax Museum, and of course Graceland.
2020
My second trip to Memphis was inspired when I saw the musical, Memphis on Broadway in 2019. I had never been so moved by a musical… During the intermission, I ordered the soundtrack CD so it was waiting for me when I got back home. During that performance, they mentioned they were starting the national tour in Memphis at the Orpheum. I followed my heart & soul and planned my first trip to Memphis for the opening week of that musical!
I was able to stay at a hotel near Beale Street, so I felt so at home. My friend, Melody, had an Aunt who worked for Belz and she gave me a private tour of his museum. I also visited the Civil Rights Museum, which is attached to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Of course I went to Stax Museum and Sun Studios, but through a fabulous tour group, Backbeat tours!
However, the performance of Memphis IN Memphis was such an amazing experience. During the song, Memphis Lives in Me, the entire audience was weeping. I will never forget that experience. They had a Q&A afterwards and the cast all said that being in Memphis for the start of their tour, changed the way they performed because they were so moved by the audience’s reaction.