From Mike Deutsch:

Today was an action packed day! We started off by driving from Birmingham, Alabama to Tupelo, Mississippi. In Tupelo we visited Elvis’ birthplace. It was a shotgun shack meaning you could stand at the front door and shoot a gun and the bullet would go through each room. We heard from Neal and Billy about the history of rock and roll and how Elvis was a force of social change as he got the different races to listen to each other’s music and begin to understand each other.

When we got to Memphis, we went to Sun Studios. It was very cool to stand in the same studio that the King of Rock and Roll recorded in. In addition to Elvis, the other stars that recorded at Sun included Johnny Cash, B.B. King, U2, and many others.

After our tour of Sun Studios, we were given free time on Beale Street and then we went to the Smithsonian Rock and Soul Museum. This museum was very interesting because it showed us how early rock music played a major role in the Civil Rights movement. Many of the recording studios in Memphis were the only places that were fully integrated.

After our delicious dinner at Hueys, we went to the Rum Boogie Café to relax and listen to some authentic Memphis Blues music. This was a great way to end a very exciting day!