MEMPHIS 6.22.04

We woke up in Birmingham and set off on a 2.5 hour busride to the birthplace of the King of Rock and Roll...Elvis. When we arrived in Tupelo we took part in a Southern tradition. We ate at a Waffle House! Then it was on to Elvis' birth home. We had fun looking at his shotgun house although it started to rain hard. Some people in our group were struck by how humble his beginnings were. We sat in a park and Billy gave a talk on the history of music and the evolution of rock and roll. He also played us some country, gospel, soul and blues to show us its evolution. We also discussed the Jewish involvement in the beginnings of rock music. We got back on the bus and watched 'The Buddy Holly Story' to see the history of one of the other pioneers of rock.
Upon arrival in Memphis we were immediately immersed in Beale Street. We went to A. Schwab general store. One of the oldest stores on Beale and owned by a Jewish man.
From there we went to the Smithsonian Museum's Rock and Soul Museum. Billy spoke to us about how rock and roll, through Elvis, helped bridge the gap from white young teens to black young teens and brought the Civil Rights struggle to the forefront. We then went into the museum and walked through this timeline of music history exploring artifacts and listening to music. It was then time for dinner. We went to a Memphis tradition, Rendezvous Barbeque and it was excellent! After filling up on ribs and fresh Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert, we went back to Beale Street and to the Rum Boogie Cafe to experience some live Blues music. It was a great way to see what we had been learning about. It was the perfect ending to our musically enriched day.
Daniel R & Leah K

Etgar 36 Teens on Beale Street in Memphis: (L-R) Leah Kleinberger, Anna Scodel, Daniel Riff, Danielle Ladin, Lisa Lebovitz, Samantha Hymes, Alex Moyer, Josh DeYoung, Aaron Backer, Josh Dubin, Matt Harmon, Adam Berry

Enjoying a Southern tradition...lunch at Wafflehouse

Standing in front of the statute of a revolutionary Elvis at the top of Beale Street

Etgar 36 under its welcome sign at the Rock & Soul Museum

Josh Dubin as Huckleberry Finn sitting on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.

Josh Dubin decked out with his hat & corn pipe bought at A. Schwabs general store on Beale Street

The Etgar 36 boys on the banks of the Mississippi River

The Etgar 36 girls on the banks of the Mississippi River

Josh DeYoung eating some ribs at the world famous Rendevous Barbeque

Enjoying the live blues at Rum Boogie

Posted by Etgar 36 2004 at June 23, 2004 12:09 AM