Following Elvis

Despite what some people thought, we were perfectly content slowing down our travels to embrace life down in the deep South. We spent most of our days taking walks, doing work, and getting little repairs done on the rig. However, we were not totally lacking adventure. Camping at Fulton Recreation Area left us just 20 minutes from the town of Tupelo, MS. Not only was it our best option for getting groceries that were not from Walmart, it also has a special claim to fame: It's the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

We're not diehard fans of Elvis by any means, but we are both fans of oldies, and we cannot deny Elvis' immense impact on the music industry. Even as a New Age composer, leaps away from the blues and rock genres, I still find Elvis' influence in my work. It wasn't an excursion we'd go out of our way for, but we figured if we were in Tupelo for errands, we might as well check out the birthplace. This became the jumping off point for a venture that we never saw coming.

Right away, we were pleasantly surprised with the setup of the birthplace, which has now been converted into a museum. The grounds were beautiful, displaying various plaques and statues commemorating Elvis' childhood. At the top of the hill was an overlook that's said to be one of Elvis' favorites when he would return to the town in his later years. It now welcomes visitors as we're able to gaze upon the little home where Elvis was born on January 8, 1935.

Elvis only lived in the house for a few years before it was repossessed and his family had to move. They lived in various homes in Tupelo before moving to Memphis when Elvis was 13. The Presley family was very poor, with his father Vernon trying to make ends meet by working different jobs. On Elvis' 11th birthday, his mother Gladys took him to the Tupelo Hardware Store and allowed him to pick out a gift, though they did not have much money to spend. Being a young boy with a zest for adventure, Elvis was hoping to get a bike or a rifle, but Gladys said they were both too dangerous. She had a different present in mind: A guitar that cost just $7.75. Little did anyone know that that purchase would change the scope of Elvis' life – and the lives of millions – forever.

The display at the top of the hill features a sculpture of Elvis as a young boy, a hole in his sock, sitting on a milk crate, holding his guitar. Behind him is his adult self, energizing the world with his incredible stage presence, showing how far he had come since his humble beginnings. I was caught off-guard by how emotional this art made me feel. If this was only our first glimpse into Elvis' world, what else would lie ahead that might make me feel all shook up?

Down the hill, we followed a path over to Reflections, a pond and garden area that once again, surprised me in all the best ways. Signs instructed visitors to take some quiet time by the pond, to reflect on our own childhoods. A meditation garden was not what I expected to find at the birthplace of the King of Rock and Roll, but it is very much my speed, and so we walked two laps around the pond, soaking in the peaceful sounds of the cascades and fountains, and watching the bright sunshine bounce off the ripples in the water. It inspired me to grab some footage that I could use for a Harpscape. Back at my studio, I came up with a simple, lullaby-esque improvisation to commemorate the youngest years of our lives. Within my recording, I added some variations on Elvis' music to pay homage to his legacy.

After we finished exploring the grounds, we made our way into the museum.

You can choose from ticket options that will get you into any or all of the three attractions: The main museum exhibit, the home, and Elvis' childhood church. We paid $20 each to do all three. We were informed that a presentation would be starting in the church on the hour, and so we had 7 minutes to make our way over there. We figured this was enough time to check out the house. After all, it was only about 600 square feet. A curator was there to tell us about how the family lived when Elvis was a baby. Each of the two rooms was lit only by one lightbulb, and the front room's fireplace was still the original from when the house was built. We finished our house tour in about 5 minutes.

Not surprisingly, church was a big part of the Presleys' lives, living in the South in the 1930s. This was also where Elvis made his first performance, singing Jesus Loves Me to his congregation in 1943. We weren't sure what to expect from this "presentation" that would be happening, but when we entered through the doors of the church, we were swiftly greeted by a very exuberant curator who ushered us into the pews, not even letting us choose our own seats. Projector screens surrounded us on 3 sides, and as the curator excitedly spoke about Elvis' church upbringing, the ceilings opened up and projector units came out of the wood. We can safely say that those were not part of the original architecture.

The presentation began, which was strictly copyrighted so we could not take any photos or videos, but we were taken through an abridged version of what a typical service would look like in the 1940s at the church. The "actors" were all Tupelo locals, and the cameras filmed each side of the rows of pews, which were then displayed on their respective projector screens. It gave us a very poor illusion that we were actually sitting among the other churchgoers. The most jarring part was that the cameras all had their own sound, so we were hearing chatter from the left and right, plus the minister at the front. Then, our curator continued to talk over the presentation, so we had four channels of audio coming into our brains all at once. One of the families (in real life) also had a crying baby, so we were very overstimulated.

The abridged church service included a few hymns, during which the curator sang along with the video at the top of her lungs, totally out of tune, and then yelled over the video to try and get us to join in as well. She'd walk from one side of the church to the other, waving her hands at us to break into song, as though nothing would delight her more than to get us sad sacks out of our weepin' corners and join her in rejoicing. I am no stranger to church hymns, with them being both a large part of my childhood and career playing for the sick and dying, but even I didn't know half of the hymns that were sung in Pentecostal churches in the 1940s. I felt like I was taking a pop quiz and didn't know any of the answers. Honestly, the whole thing was so cringe, it took away any of the Zen we had from our meditation garden walk. That's all I will say about that. A wise man once said "don't be cruel," so I will simply applaud this curator for her passion and exultation, and we will move on.

Unfortunately, the church experience left us with headaches and exhaustion, so we couldn't really focus on the museum exhibit as much as we would have wanted. It mostly took us through the happenings of Elvis' childhood, with displays about his first guitar and his church and school days.

You heard the honest truth here: Avoid the church presentation, save $5, and just pay for the other 2 exhibits. You're welcome in advance.

We left Tupelo not knowing what to think. Some parts of the museum were so good, but others left us crying in the chapel, and not tears of joy. We knew, though, that we had a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Elvis' life and career, and suddenly, we were interested. We would be heading toward Memphis next, traveling the exact same route that Elvis journeyed in his life. Having our route line up like this was a perfect opportunity. It was now or never; we needed to follow Elvis!

Many fans head to his family's first apartment when they visit Memphis, but we skipped a few years so we could see what happened when Elvis hit it big and gave his family a much needed comfortable life. We headed to Graceland!

We paid for the Experience Tour, which would let us see the grounds as well as the inside of the mansion. The price is a hefty $82/person, but we were deep in our quest now! Graceland has a huge expo center with shops, food, concert venues, and giant museum halls, but our first order of business was to catch a shuttle to head to the mansion, which was located across the street.

Being not-true-fans, we had never seen photos of the inside of the mansion. We were not prepared for the decor. Basically, Elvis would sporadically redecorate over the years, but since he died in 1977, the mansion is now stuck in the 1970s. What best showed wealth in the 1970s? Fabric! Fabric on the floors, even the kitchen floor. Fabric on the walls. Fabric on the ceiling. Green avocado shag. Oh, so much avocado shag! We aren't sure what was more impressive, Elvis' bringing his family out of poverty, or their ability to live in a house like this without suffocating to death by all the dust that must have accumulated in the fabric folds.

When we first walked into the house, the guide told us that the photos of Elvis were added later, and he actually had no pictures of himself hanging up during his lifetime. One might think this was humble of him, but then we entered the stairwell and basement TV room and saw all the mirrors.

Alright, so the decor might not be our thing, but all the fabric did actually work wonders for acoustics. Elvis even recorded his album "From Elvis Presley Blvd Memphis, TN" right in the middle of the mansion. Fitting name, then.

The grounds included Vernon's office, a field for the horses (where two rescues currently live), what is now a trophy room, a racquetball building, and the meditation garden/pool/resting place for the Presleys. The meditation garden no longer surprised me, but racquetball? Evidently, Elvis had taken an interest in the sport and decided to construct an entire court. The building had some interesting choices, like leather chairs, because who doesn't like sitting on leather after a good workout? What can we say, Elvis was a true entertainer. Sometimes he just had the whim to sit down at the piano and serenade his racquetball partners (no, we don't know if this is actually true). I was mostly impressed by how much the smell of sweat can linger over 50 years. The closest I've ever felt to Elvis was when I sniffed his mustiness.

The trophy room was the most insightful part of our tour. We got to see Elvis' old bike and his gun collection – so yes, he indeed ended up getting all of the birthday gifts he wanted on that fateful day of receiving his first guitar! In fact, he was a gun enthusiast and also collected badges, and the police force made him an honorary captain. He used to pull people over for fun and give them signed autographs. Please, if anyone reading this knows someone who was "pulled over by Elvis," we want to speak with them, because we imagine that's one heck of a story!

We got to see Elvis' birth certificate and learn the trivia that legally, Elvis is not actually his first name. The doctor misspelled it as "Evis." We also got to hear the history of Graceland. Once part of 500 acres of farmland, the house was built by Dr. Thomas Moore and his wife, Ruth, and later inherited by their daughter, Ruth Marie. It had a musical history, as Ruth Marie grew up to be a harpist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and music recitals often took place in the front room of the mansion. It's no surprise then, that when Elvis purchased the home in 1957, the room continued its musical mission by holding many jam sessions.

Elvis bought the home to give his parents more space. He had just rocketed to star-status as a musician and had also gotten into acting. He purchased the house on his parents' behalf in 1957, but was not able to fully settle in until he returned to Tennessee toward the end of the year. Their first milestone was having Christmas at the new house. It was clear that Elvis' heart remained at Graceland for his entire life. He stated in many interviews that he would never sell the place, and he never did. He died in the home on August 16, 1977.

But, in order to appreciate where one went, we must know where one came from. So we were graced with a mini replica of the Tupelo home, where the King himself was born in 1935.

After the mansion tour, we shuttled back over to the expo center, where we saw Elvis' classic car collection, an exhibit of his time in the military, and his influence on the modern entertainment industry.

People could easily spend an entire day here, exploring the grounds, seeing the exhibits, and even having dinner and seeing a show.

On our way out, we walked over to get a look at the plane exhibit. Those who purchase the less expensive tickets get access to the planes and not the mansion. Frankly, I think the Experience Tour holders should also get access to the planes, as we're certainly paying enough, but we do not.* So I just snapped a couple of photos through the gates.

*Editor's note: We have since learned that our tickets did include the private jet experience.

We thought after such a big excursion that we might call it a day and head back to camp, but we figured, while we were in Memphis, we wanna stick around a while and get our kicks. When Anthony was getting his haircut, his hairdresser said that the tour of Sun Studio was well worth it, and so we ventured into the heart of Memphis to check it out. This wasn't just a stop on our Elvis tour. Many of the great blues and rock singers recorded here, including B.B. King, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Tours were $20/person and we were taken upstairs to an exhibit, and later to the actual recording studio. Our guide Drew was fantastic. He enthusiastically told us about the creation of the studio and its role in signing so many legendary artists. Elvis got his start here. When he was 18, he hoped to get signed by the studio, knowing it was his only real chance to make it as a singer. Owner Sam Phillips was not a fan, but his receptionist Marion Keisker heard something special. She recorded Elvis' first demo, and the following year, when an opportunity arose to hire Elvis, she requested that Sam reconsider him. It took a while for Sam to warm up, and it wasn't until Elvis pulled out the big guns and really showcased his rocker talent, that Sam saw his potential. What song changed Sam's opinion? "That's All Right," which became Elvis' first hit.

Elvis recorded under Sun Records for about a year before Sam sold his contract to RCA in 1955 for an unprecedented $40,000. This helped relieve some financial difficulties the studio was having, keeping the doors open. The studio continues to hold recording sessions to this day!

This was not, however, the last time Elvis would record at Sun Studio. In 1956, Sam Phillips seized an opportunity after four musicians showed up to the studio at the same time. What happens when four passionate musicians find themselves in a room together? A jam session, of course! Phillips knew very well the magic he had before him, and so he called a local reporter down to the studio and also began discreetly recording the foursome. An article was published the next day showcasing this Million Dollar Quartet. Who were they? Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, since Elvis was already signed with RCA, recording in Sun Studio was a breach of contract. Phillips kept the recordings under wraps, and the sessions did not surface until years later, after he had sold the studio. The recordings were officially released in Europe in 1981 and in the US in 1990.

After our tour, we were given a chance to explore the recording room on our own, where we could grab photo opportunities of all of us rocking out on a 1950s microphone.

That concluded our Memphis excursion, but we still had one more place to follow Elvis: Nashville! Even though Elvis considered Memphis home, he spent a lot of time recording in Tennessee's capital city after signing with RCA. So, when we headed that way after Memphis, we made sure to stop by RCA Studio B. We opted out of the studio tour, but we got to see the exterior, which still has the old entrance.

However, the rest of the studio looked quite different from Elvis' heyday.

We also made sure to search for Elvis' plaque at the Music City Walk of Fame Park.

Lastly, a little surprise serenade as we took the shuttle back to our campground, sparking a Jailhouse Rock dance party. What a fitting way to cap off our journey following Elvis. Now, whenever we hear one of his songs, we will have a deeper understanding of the man that brought it to life. Some things, you know, are meant to be, and Elvis was certainly meant to be an integral part of music then, now, and forever.