Going to Graceland, and beyond, to celebrate Elvis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Knowing how obsessed Elvis fans can be, I wasn't surprised when my wife and I drove up to the Heartbreak Hotel and found, true to the song's lyrics, that our hotel actually was "down at the end of Lonely Street" and that the desk clerk was "dressed in black."

Our room was lined with photos of the King, and two TV channels were devoted 24/7 to Elvis Presley's music and movies. And, as expected, the souvenir shop contained Elvis novelties such as "Love Me Tender" tea sets and copies of the work shirt a teenage Presley wore when he drove a truck for Crown Electric. This week, tens of thousands of fans are in Memphis for Elvis Week, which began on the weekend and runs to Aug. 19. Tonight there's a candlelight vigil at Graceland, stretching into Thursday, to mark the 30th anniversary of Presley's death (the singer died on Aug. 16, 1977). And a concert at the FedExForum features members of his Vegas band playing live while Elvis performs via video on a giant screen.

But you don't have to be here during Elvis Week to get a dose of the King. He rules here year-round. For $100, at one of the official souvenir shops across from Graceland (Elvis' home), you can play pool on the same table that Presley and the Beatles used during their meeting in Los Angeles in 1965. And just 15 minutes away at the Arcade cafe, you can have one of Elvis' beloved peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches. Fried, of course.

Once you get past the carnival atmosphere, you can find an inspiring story in the music history of Memphis (and in Nashville, linked by Interstate 40 — the "Music Highway"). And we're talking more than simply the land of Elvis. The region's heritage also includes landmark figures such as Hank Williams, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline and Al Green.

When you follow the music trail, including a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, you realize that the music was part of a wider social and cultural revolution that involved race, class and politics.

Whether you're just after good-time nostalgia or pop-culture history, the trip is joyful and illuminating.

Going to Graceland

Elvis might have been rock's greatest star, but I wouldn't want him decorating my house. Graceland's living room, with its 15-foot-long white sofa, is tasteful enough in a formal 1950s way, and the black baby grand piano adds a nice touch to the music room.

But brace yourself before entering the den. The jungle theme, complete with a waterfall and an overload of wooden exotica, might have reminded Elvis of relaxed times in Hawaii, but the décor is more likely to remind visitors of dated scenes from a tacky '60s comedy. I felt dizzy after seeing the wildly conflicting patterns on the multicolored drapes covering the billiard-room ceiling and walls.

While touring the Colonial Revival-style structure, which attracts 600,000 visitors a year, you'll see lots of Elvis' personal items as well as gold records and colorful jumpsuits from the Vegas years. Yet there's a more affecting side of Graceland: the rags-to-riches saga of the young man from the housing projects buying the home of his dreams, partly for his financially struggling parents.

Looking at the garden (where he now rests) and the horses in the pasture, you understand how the property was a source of pride and a sanctuary.

Figure on spending three to four hours at Graceland, the various museums and the souvenir shops, but skip the restaurants. There are better choices, including Neely's, a family barbecue operation, and, of course, the Arcade cafe.

Sun Studio

A stop here will give rock fans goose bumps. It's easy to miss the Sun Studio as you head down Union Avenue toward downtown because it's in an ordinary, two-story brick structure that sits at an angle. Just start looking for tourists with cameras when you approach the 700 block of Union.

The entrance to the museum is actually in an adjacent cafe where Sun owner Sam Phillips relaxed or held business meetings between recording duties. Sit in one of the booths, and you can imagine a young Johnny Cash telling you all about this song he has just written about a prison in California.

The tour starts upstairs in a room detailing the history of the studio, which specialized in blues artists, including Ike Turner and Howlin' Wolf, before Phillips found Presley. But the heart of the tour is the 18-by-32-foot studio, pretty much untouched since the '50s.

For me, in fact, the Memphis trip turned from Elvis fun to musical legacy when I looked at the tape on the floor marking the spot where the 19-year-old singer stood the night in 1954 he recorded "That's All Right," the single that largely defined rock 'n' roll as we know it today. The Sun guide also told us that Jerry Lee Lewis recorded "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On" in one take with the same primitive equipment, a reminder that great music is based more on imagination and passion than on technology and polish.

Stax Records museum

The sense of musical mission was equally strong at our next stop, the home of Stax Records, whose '60s and '70s glory days are saluted in a rundown stretch of McLemore Avenue. This museum, with more than 2,000 artifacts, is much larger than the Sun site. It's also easy to spot, thanks to a large theater marquee.

Stax's focus, oddly enough, was country and pop until co-founder Jim Stewart moved to the mostly black neighborhood on McLemore, where he converted an old movie theater into a studio and record shop. Not only did Stewart start stocking albums his customers requested, which meant R&B and soul, but he also began making records to appeal to those customers.

Stax's classic sound was a gritty, Southern-fried R&B and funk served up by Redding, Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers. The label folded in 1975, and the original building was razed. The new facility opened in 2003, and it conveys well the early spirit of brotherhood among the black and white artists at the label.

Beyond the studios

If the Sun and Stax tours focus on what happened inside studios, two other essential museums in Memphis tell you about high-impact cultural and historical factors outside the studio.

Start downtown with the Rock 'n' Soul Museum, across from the Gibson Guitar Factory (which offers yet another tour). Then head a few blocks southwest to the National Civil Rights Museum, which addresses the wider story of racial struggle in this country.

The museum is at the site of the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. You can see the balcony where the shooting occurred (the motel is closed and part of the museum).

If you go

Memphis

Where to stay

• Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, 877-777-0606, www.elvis.com. Doubles from $110.

• The Peabody, 800-732-2639, www.peabodymemphis.com. Doubles start at $245 (and the hotel's famous pet ducks parade regularly through the lobby).

Where to eat

• Arcade, 901-526-5757, www.arcaderestaurant.com. Closes at 3 p.m. except Fridays (8 p.m.) and Saturdays (4 p.m.).

• Neely's Bar-B-Que, 901-521-9798, www.neelysbbq.com. Not much atmosphere, but the "wet" ribs and special sauce are standouts. Rib dinners: $10.99 to $19.99.

Activities

• Graceland, 800-238-2000, www.elvis.com. Get the platinum ticket at Elvis' mansion so you also can see his two custom airplanes, automobiles and memorabilia displays. And leave time for the souvenir shops. Platinum tour: $30 for adults. Graceland tour only: $25. Reservations suggested.

• Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, 901-205-2533, www.memphisrocknsoul.org.Adult admission: $10.

• National Civil Rights Museum, 901-521-9699, www.civilrightsmuseum.org. Adults: $12.

• Stax Museum of American Soul Music, 901-946-2535, www.staxmuseum.com. Adults: $10.

• Sun Studio, 800-441-6249, www.sunstudio.com. Adults: $10.