Tupelo and Muscle Shoals

I spent a great portion of yesterday looking at my itinerary, pinning some websites that I needed to visit later on Pinterest and charting my way home.

I joined AAA for the first time in my adult life and was a little sad to see that the TripTiks are now on line.   Truth be told, I was looking forward to flipping through those maps like my grandfather and father did as we put more road miles behind us.   The convenience of having the program accessible from my computer outweighs nostalgia though.

A road trip to Disney Word. Hiya, Grandpa!

RV trip to Gettysburg. There's Grandma!

Since we could be in the neighborhood with a few minor adjustments, I angled to stay a night in Tupelo on the way home.

Sure, I'm a fan of the King, but mainly I'm interested in his persona and the way that people respond to him and his memory.   Unfortunately, it'll be a Sunday morning when we're there, so his childhood home and the hardware store where he bought his first guitar will be closed.   On the other hand, a quiet drive with some of his gospel music playing in the truck seems like an okay way to get on the road to Muscle Shoals.

Yes.   I want to see the first and second music studios noted for that certain sound.   Current owner and operator Noel Webster describes the Sheffield studio as being, "kinda like a church."   If you can spare five minutes, check out this video.   It will show you the red oak beams that run under the floor, making the space sensitive to all of the delicious vibrations of live music.   It's why Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant never wore shoes, according to Webster.   You will also be able to hear clips from a variety of popular music recorded there.   This includes portions of one of my all-time favorite albums: Sticky Fingers.   You know, the Rolling Stones...those guys.

If you want to get started with an album that was recorded completely at this historic studio, may I recommend Etta James?   "At Last" is a tremendous song, but I prefer the more soulful tunes belted out by a feisty lady sometimes clad in what can only be described as a librarian sweater over a dress.   Ms. Etta knew how to work it out.   Here's a sample from Tell Mama: the Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions.

My favorite record store. American Oldies/ Newport News, VA