After leaving Mississippi (which was dull and not very friendly) we
arrived in Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis is clearly a poor town with problems as is evident from the
boarded up houses and dodgy looking streets but it’s rich musical
history cannot be overlooked.

We made the decision to completely ignore Graceland (neither of us are
huge fans or know very much about Elvis) and headed to the location
where Stax Records once stood. In its place is a pretty new Museum of
American Soul music with a major emphasis on Stax records.

To say this is an excellent museum would be an understatement. It is
flawless and we spent a good few hours reading every bit of
information from the beginnings of soul music to the demise of Stax
after the assasination of Martin Luther King. The presentation of the
music is done through overhead speakers that somehow can only be heard
when you are directly below them. This allows you to wander from
section to section without hearing two songs (and what great songs
they are) at the same time. Genius. We loved it! It was great to also
see the area adjacent to Stax is being renovated. Hopefully it will be
the success it deserves to be.

We are now staying at our motel just north of Memphis and tomorrow
it’s Nashville.