Should I kiss Elvis Presley’s bedroom wall? was the burning question, the keys still in my hand, to the cozy two-bedroom he once shared with his family at 328 Lauderdale Courts in Memphis.
The bronze sign on the wall encouraged me to do so (“Kiss only, please. No writing”), but the countless pink and purple lip stains surrounding it made it feel a little, how shall I put this… Fatal Attraction?
Still, these were the only reminders that I wasn’t actually going back to the early 1950s. Carefully reconstructed with relics to look exactly as it once did, Elvis’ childhood apartment can be rented on a nightly basis and is a popular stop, judging by the lipstick stains.
But secretly I was glad. What would an Elvis-themed road trip through the Deep South be without a little passion-filled madness along the way? Proof that 70 years have passed since the release of his first single Ok“Pelvis Elvis” still gets people going.
I should point out at this point: I’m an Elvis fan—but whether you are or not, The King remains an excellent lens through which to explore this part of America, whose rise to fame is so closely intertwined with politics. You cannot learn the religion and culture of that day and the legend without delving deeper into the house from which he never left.
My first stop was Shreveport-Bossier City, near the Louisiana-Texas border. It’s easy to overlook the Elvis route but it deserves a spot; Like the Art Deco Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, it’s most famous for hosting the Louisiana Hayride, a weekly live country music show that gets the likes of Hank moving. Williams, Johnny Cash and Elvis rose to stardom.
“The appeal of Elvis here is incredibly deep,” said local musician and music expert Winston Hall. “This is the original floor, original wood,” he said, pointing to the stage floor where a fresh-faced 19-year-old Elvis made his Hayride debut on October 16, 1954.
Two years and 52 Hayride performances later, the King – following a rapid rise to fame – returned to a room full of screaming teenage girls and was forced to run for the exit after singing Hound Dog. A scene that would later become famous with the announcer’s announcement to the crowd. “Elvis has left the building,” he said in a futile attempt to calm them down.
From Shreveport-Bossier I crossed into Mississippi and headed for working-class Tupelo, where Elvis was born. As I crossed an old railway line into town, I found the hardware store where Elvis bought his first guitar at age 11.he birthday (the story goes that he wanted a shotgun, but his mother Gladys had insisted he try an acoustic guitar instead) and went down the road to the two-room, wood-frame house where Elvis was born. his father, Vernon, in 1935. It is located next to Elvis’ childhood church; Here he was first introduced to Southern gospel music, which greatly influenced his sound.
I set out from quiet Tupelo for gritty Memphis, where blues and rock ‘n’ roll echo from dimly lit bars along Beale Street day and night. My first stop was Sun Studio, where the likes of Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis were discovered, to stand in the room where King recorded That’s All Right, and where the great blues legends BB King and Howlin’ Wolf recorded while racial segregation was rife. .
And it’s finally time for Graceland. The night before, I stayed across the road at The Guest House at Graceland, where peanut jelly sandwiches were sold from 9pm and bedroom televisions were programmed with footage from your favorite Elvis era.
In the morning I crossed the road to Elvis Mecca. People talk about standing in his treasured home as if it were a religious experience, and while that may sound exaggerated, to some extent it is. Despite reports of it being extraordinarily opulent, it still feels every inch like the family home; Smaller and quieter in décor than I imagined, full of personal details, it’s more of a sanctuary than a theme park. Like the man himself, the legend of Graceland appears to have outgrown the bricks and mortar, but it remains a perfect tribute to the King; no need for lipstick.
Fundamentals
To rent the 328 Lauderdale Courts apartment, call 001 901-523-8662; uptownsquareapts@alcomgt.com.
Hilton Garden Inn Shreveport Bossier City, Louisiana (001 888 649 3065; hilton.com) has double occupancy from £110 per night; Hotel Tupelo (00 1 662-362-6200; hoteltupelo.com) doubles from £130 per night; Guesthouse at Graceland (00 1 901.332.3322; guesthousegraceland.com) doubles from £113 per night.
British Airways (ba.com) has flights from London to various cities in Louisiana and Tennessee from £900.
Robyn Wilson was a guest of Visit Louisiana, Visit Mississippi, and Tennessee Tourism.