The Mississippi Delta
Was shining like a national guitar
“Graceland” – Paul Simon
In August of 2019, I loaded up into a rented minivan with my wife and kids. We left our home in Omaha, NE and traveled down to Memphis, TN. It was a classic family road trip. The plan was to meet up with my in-laws for a summer vacation, starting with Graceland and the Peabody Hotel. We would then make our way to a cabin owned by my aunt and uncle in the mountains of Sewanee, TN. Then on to Nashville, where we visited the Ryman Auditorium, the birthplace of the Grand Ole Opry. And in Chattanooga, we wanted to eat some fantastic barbecue and tour one of the best aquariums in the country.Â
Why am I recalling all of these things 4 years later?
I recently scrolled over a photo of Elvis in my social media feed, and my mind instantly went back to Graceland and the shining Mississippi River Delta I drove across to get there in 2019. And I thought about Tennessee and my mother’s family.
Her parents are from Knoxville, TN – even though my maternal grandfather liked to claim we descended from Georgia horse thieves. To say they had humble beginnings might be an understatement. Mary, my grandmother, once lived in a log cabin wallpapered with samples from newspapers. She doesn’t understand the obsession people have with fried chicken because that’s poor folks’ food.
My great-uncle Alvin once told me that his brother Ernie, my grandfather, got his first job just to buy cigarettes because their dad caught him stealing his smokes. My grandfather would eventually leave Tennessee by enlisting in the Army Air Corps, later known as the United States Air Force. He would meet Mary-Jo while on leave back to Knoxville, and they’d soon wed.
The family enjoyed several moves around the country and the globe while Grandpa Ernie served in the Air Force. Upon his military retirement, they landed in San Jose, CA. My great-aunt Shirley left Tennessee by moving in with her sister, Mary, while her family was stationed in San Antonio. She met a square-jawed Texican Marine, my great-uncle Harry, and they eventually settled in Kansas City, MO.
I don’t really care ’bout the Mona Lisa
I need a Graceland kind of man who’s always on my mind
I wanna show you off every evening
Go out with you in powder blue and tease my hair up high
“Velvet Elvis” – Kacey Musgraves
Shirley would be my first encounter with a full-blown Elvis fanatic.
She had an Elvis shrine on her fireplace mantle in their home in KC, complete with a Velvet Elvis. She loved Elvis, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Emeril Lagasse in that order. Given her age and demographics, her love of Elvis makes lots of sense, but The Rock? Well, that makes sense when you think about who The Rock emulated for some of his gimmicks. Aunt Shirley loved to cook and feed people, so Emeril was a natural choice with his dark hair, catchphrases, and love of spices.
Her home, much like Graceland, was filled with stuff from floor to ceiling. Loads of decorations, wall art, gadgets, mementos, and photos. Not all of them matched. And yes, a whole wall of the family room was dedicated to Elvis.
Not to be out-done, my grandmother’s house in California is similarly full of collections of things from her travels.
It’s interesting that folks with humble beginnings like to accumulate stuff.
They make it out of their hometowns and find some success, even if that just means doing better than their parents. It might be that they know the value of things. It might be a status thing, or it could be an anxiety issue. But I think things are kept to start conversations.
I can instantly picture Shirley’s smile when I asked her about the Elvis figures on her mantle. And I can remember her taking them down and showing me and telling me all about how she got them and that they were actually whiskey decanters. Yes, McCormick Distillery made Elvis figure whiskey decanters. How cool is that? She loved that I asked her about them. She loved showing them off. And boy, did she love Elvis.
Elvis too amassed so many things that there is a separate museum with multiple buildings next to the Graceland property that contains his outfits, vehicles, aircraft, sound equipment, instruments, and televisions that he shot.
Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
“Walkin’ in Memphis” – Marc Cohn
Graceland itself is not a palatial mansion.
To be honest, it’s rather cramped and intimate, given how fully decorated and furnished it is. There’s no space that isn’t covered in something. But it has personality. It is unmistakably Elvis. It is unmistakably 20th century pop culture.
We know Elvis helped make rock and roll mainstream and brought elements of rhythm & blues and gospel to white audiences. But his home, his life, and the way he was marketed are indistinguishable from any pop darling of the late ’90s or early 2000s. I mean, if MTV Cribs showed up to Graceland, you’d see the fancy dining room complete with TV, the famous Jungle Room Studio, the billiards room, and the media room with multiple screens. It has all the elements a nouveau riche pop star has in their McMansion now.
The grounds of Graceland contains a racquetball court with a recording studio, as well as a piano, a pool, a horse stable, and a garage. A whole section holds some of Elvis’s awards and memorabilia. Elvis starred in movies and had TV specials. He drove fast cars, owned airplanes, and did expensive drugs. He had his own custom jewelry and clothing with his posse’s catchphrase TCB – “Taking Care of Business” – emblazoned on it. You see this logo all around Graceland and Memphis.
And in that photo from Reddit I shared at the beginning of this essay, you see it all. You see the man carrying around all that stuff with him. And it makes you want to talk to him. It draws you to him. It’s like that shrine in my aunt’s house that doesn’t seem to fit with the decor, but it sure does grab your attention. It sure does look cool.
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You’re as sweet as strawberry wine
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
And I stay stoned on your love all the time
“Tennessee Whiskey” – George Jones
My trip to Tennessee was a memorable one.
Of course, it happened before COVID, so the pleasant memories became an anchor point for me during the height of the pandemic restrictions. Spending time with family and taking in history are why I travel. I like to relax as well, but I’m not really a fan of roller coasters and sunscreen always seems to get in my eyes. Put me in a museum with air conditioning, and I’m in my element.
One of my most pleasant memories was visiting the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Even if you are not a fan of country music, you’ll enjoy touring this church-turned-live music venue. The history of the building mirrors that of music in America.
Starting out as a gospel choir house to now hosting rock and popular music acts regularly, it birthed bluegrass and country music acts as well. The Ryman even originated a live radio show called “The Grand Ole Opry,” one that broke countless performers into the business. You can see the stained glass and church pews of a church, view Dolly Parton’s dress and Minnie Pearl’s hat, and then catch a rock show later that night, all at the Ryman.
But I still go back to the photo of Elvis. Pop culture aesthetics with a gospel soul. You can see it in his eyes. You could hear it in his voice. If you want to feel it, I suggest you take a trip to Tennessee.
Photography by Ryan McCann
