A View From the Road

Elvis Statue
Beale Street
Memphis, Tennessee

 

 

I too was “Walking in Memphis”, on a dark and gloomy day, when I happened upon this statue of Elvis Presley. I had been standing on Second and Beale Street, contemplating B.B. King, when Elvis drew me over for a visit.

Like oh so many others, I had my Elvis moments; I must admit, regardless of what others may have thought, I did enjoy his moves and to this day, I still love playing his gospel music.

I was in high school, when I turned on the television, in the afternoon, on Channel 7, in Los Angeles, and saw the ‘breaking news’ that announced he had died. His death left me sad and crying for someone I never met; I watched news for the rest of the day, shocked but not sure why. He really was too young. In retrospect, I guess it was drugs; I hate drugs.

 

 

“In 1980 the world’s first bronze Elvis statue was unveiled on Beale Street, where the future King of Rock and Roll crafted his early musical style. But the statue, by Eric Parks, proved too delicate for the elements and souvenir-crazed fans, who stripped its guitar strings and tore the tassels from Elvis’s suit. It was taken down in 1994 and moved indoors to the downtown Memphis Tennessee Welcome Center.
That left Elvis Presley Plaza with a big, empty spot. It was finally filled in 1997 with the arrival of a new, completely different bronze Elvis statue by sculptor Andrea Lugar. This Elvis, unlike the original, shows him as he would have looked on Beale Street circa 1955 (pre-tassels), wearing a stage outfit he might have bought at Lansky Bros. down the block.

Although designed to be more sturdy than the previous statue, it’s also kept at a distance from the public behind an encircling fence.”

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/34517

 

 

Walking in Memphis
By
Marc Cohn

“Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy, won’t you look down over me
Yeah, I got a first class ticket
But I’m as blue as a boy can be
Then I’m walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?
Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered ’round his tomb
But there’s a pretty little thing
Waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room
When I was walking in Memphis
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?
They’ve got catfish on the table
They’ve got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven’t got a prayer
But, boy, you’ve got a prayer in Memphis
Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And they asked me if I would
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
She said
“Tell me are you a Christian child?”
And I said “Ma’am, I am tonight”
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
Was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
But do I really feel the way I feel?
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
But do I really feel the way I feel?
Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTVbf44HMkY

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