Home of the Blues

In February 2013, son David and I went on a one-week cross country road trip from Atlanta to Tucson. We traveled through eight states, seeing many sights along the way. ​Click HERE to read a short introduction to our epic adventure.

This story, which is part of a series, is about our stop off in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Memphis, Tennessee (February 5, 2013) David and I kicked off our cross-country road trip with two days in Tupelo, Mississippi, where we toured a museum of antique and classic cars, ate wings and drank beer as we watched the Super Bowl, and visited the birthplace of Elvis. We had a grand time! (Click HERE to read my story.)

I’m goin’ to Memphis where the beat is tough
Memphis, I can’t get enough
It makes you tremble and it makes you weak
Gets in your blood, that Memphis Beat
~ Jerry Lee Lewis, Memphis Beat (1966)

We left Tupelo mid-morning. Our destination was Little Rock, Arkansas, and our route there was by way of Memphis. We drove about 250 miles and burned a little more than half the miles as we traveled from the Birthplace of Elvis Presley to the Home of the Blues.
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The sky was overcast and the temperature was in the mid-50s when we left Tupelo. Gray clouds were a constant companion this day…but the temperature warmed a few degrees by the time we reached Memphis around noon. Not bad, in my book, for early February, and perfect weather, really, for our short sojourn here.

I planned our road trip around attractions and food – the latter a series of restaurants along our route that were spotlighted on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The hand’s-down choice in Memphis, as far as we were concerned, was Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.

Gus’s was founded by Napoleon “Na” Vanderbilt almost 60 years ago in the small community of Mason, Tennessee – about 40 miles northeast of Memphis. Vernon “Gus” Bonner, Na’s only son, inherited the recipes and restaurant when Na passed away in 1982. Gus was befriended by Memphis native Wendy McCrory, who morphed from customer to employee to restaurateur when she opened the Memphis location in 2001. Gus’s continued to grow, with more than 25 locations in 13 states. What a great story!

The downtown restaurant occupied a nondescript brick building located on South Front Street. The ambiance within? Well, I would say that it was the lack of ambiance: brick walls painted white, beer signs on the walls, checkered tablecloths, and plastic forks and knives. No matter, though, because as we soon learned, the food was deeeelishous!! 

Both David and I ordered a Three-Piece Plate, which came with two breasts and a wing, baked beans, slaw, and bread...and added a couple of pieces of pumpkin pie for dessert. We walked in famished – David was so hungry he was ready to eat the menu – and left fully sated, with only a few crumbs on our plates (styrofoam, of course) to show we were here. Without a doubt, lunch at Gus’s was a gastronomic delight!

Memphis had many tourist attractions, including Graceland, the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, and Stax Museum of American Soul. We had time for only one stop, and after a bit of conversation, David and I decided to wander one of Tennessee’s top landmarks: the world-famous Beale Street, the Home of the Blues.     

Beale Street…is one of the most iconic streets in America. It is three blocks
of nightclubs, restaurants and shops in the heart of downtown Memphis,
and a melting pot of delta blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and gospel.
~ Memphistravel.com

As we made our way to Beale Street, we passed the famous Orpheum Theatre. When it opened in 1928, this 2,800-seat auditorium, which featured brocade draperies, crystal chandeliers, gilded molding, and a Wurlitzer organ, offered vaudeville acts and other entertainment.  It was THE theater in its day.

We wandered up one side of Beale Street and down the other over the next hour. Memphis Travel was right – there were plenty of nightclubs, restaurants, and shops, like the ones in this photo: Blues Street Band Box, Blues City General Store, and Miss Polly’s Soul City Cafe. 

We had no idea whether these establishments were famous or not…but we were certain that this was the real deal: BB King’s Blues Club, which opened in 1991. “Beale Street was where it all started for me,” King once said. In the late 1940s, King worked as a disc jockey and singer at radio station WDIA in Memphis, where he soon earned the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy.” Later, this was shortened to “Blues Boy” and then “B.B.”  As we walked past the front door, David and I thought we heard a few chords from Three O’Clock Blues, the R&B song that launched King’s career when he recorded it in 1951.   

It was fun to see Beale Street, and to be able to say, “We were on “one of the most iconic streets in America.”
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By mid-afternoon, we were on our way to Little Rock, where we saw an historical drama unfold, toured a library – not just any library, mind you! – and had a fabulous meal at another spotlighted restaurant. I look forward to sharing this story with you.