I am going to Memphis around February and would appreciate any help regards any good record places and places to visit etc I will be going to the stax museum etc sun studios Graceland but looking for more any info would be much appreciated cheers Mel

Edited July 23, 201212 yr by melandthensome

What about Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios?

You can see first hand where Cliff Richards Soulicous album was recorded.

Edited July 23, 201212 yr by John Reed

Cheers john I like willie Mitchell not keen on cliff but will search it out

National Civil Rights Museum ... The Lorraine Motel where MLK was shot

also Beale Street

Edited July 23, 201212 yr by Dave Turner

Cheers Dave the motel will be worth a look cheers I forgot to put beale street in my original post that's a cert many thanks

Edited July 23, 201212 yr by melandthensome

get us a t-shirt

For records, check out:

Goner Records

Shangri-La Records

also the souvenir/CD store on Beale Street might have some decent LPs/12"s in the back of the store.

Al Green's church for a sunday ceremony.

Check out if there are any decents concerts going on at:

Hi-Tone Cafe

Blue Plate Cafe is great for breakfast.

Bluff City Coffee is one of the few places where you can get a decent cup of coffee.

Arcade Cafeteria is nice for breakfast/pancakes.

The train station just around the corner is also worth a peek.

Fantastic ribs at:

Charles Vergos Rendezvous (thanks Mr. Rounce for the tip!)

Bardog Tavern is a nice bar downtown with a good variety of beers and decent food.

Graceland.

Stax.

Sun.

Ardent Studios.

Royal/Hi Studios.

National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel.

The Cooper/Young area is good for antique stores, nice restaurants etc. Goner Records is in this area as well.

If you're into severely shady bars/hangouts, check out The Lamplighter Lounge.

Try to make a trip to Fame Studios / Muscle Shoals and get a tour if you've got time for it.

If you have time for it, spend a day or two in Nashville as well.

Cheers Sebastian I don't think ill have time for Nashville as its about 300 miles away would love to check out muscle shoals but need to check out time and distance etc thanks for all the info much appreciated mate

  On 23/07/2012 at 12:23, Sebastian said:

For records, check out:

Goner Records

Shangri-La Records

also the souvenir/CD store on Beale Street might have some decent LPs/12"s in the back of the store.

Al Green's church for a sunday ceremony.

Check out if there are any decents concerts going on at:

Hi-Tone Cafe

Blue Plate Cafe is great for breakfast.

Bluff City Coffee is one of the few places where you can get a decent cup of coffee.

Arcade Cafeteria is nice for breakfast/pancakes.

The train station just around the corner is also worth a peek.

Fantastic ribs at:

Charles Vergos Rendezvous (thanks Mr. Rounce for the tip!)

Bardog Tavern is a nice bar downtown with a good variety of beers and decent food.

Graceland.

Stax.

Sun.

Ardent Studios.

Royal/Hi Studios.

National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel.

The Cooper/Young area is good for antique stores, nice restaurants etc. Goner Records is in this area as well.

If you're into severely shady bars/hangouts, check out The Lamplighter Lounge.

Try to make a trip to Fame Studios / Muscle Shoals and get a tour if you've got time for it.

If you have time for it, spend a day or two in Nashville as well.

Glad to see that you hung on to the 'Beginners' Guide To Memphis' that I prepared for you last year!

Something you should be aware of (and that Sebastian doesn't mention) is that there are a considerable number of people all over downtown who will accost you for money if you don't watch where you're walking. It was always a problem around Beale, even before the area was cleaned up and made touristy. Now it's the same, only worse...

He also didn't mention River Records, run by a 24 carat asshole who doesn't price anything and then just reaches for his copy of JM's guide when you bring your pile of 45s up to the counter. If you do make it to River, be prepared to go back to your hotel for a shower when youre done.

When you're wandering downtown, go into the bar of the Peabody Hotel, have a beer and admire the ducks in the fountain!

Don't expect too much in the way of live music - what little there is for the week will be found in the free weekly paper that you can pick up all over town, and definitely at Goner or Shangri-La if nowhere else.

Muscle Shoals is at least a good couple of hours drive each way from Memphis, even if you do the drive without a break and above the speed limit - and that's without your ride through Memphis to the outskirts where you join the highway.. No record shops in the Shoals area, there but the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame in Tuscumbia (a couple of miles outslde of Muscle Shoals itself) is worth a wander round, and the Garden Gate Cafe, about 100 yards from FAME Studios, is the best 'meat and three' that I've ever found in my extensive southern journeying! There are also some nice places to eat in downtown Florence.

Having been on the receiving end of an attempted hold-up at knifepoint, in the middle of the afternoon at the wrong end of McLemore Avenue while filling up with petrol - the assailant ran off after the the gas station owner confronted him with a shotgun! - I would recommend that you are careful about where you buy your fuel from, too...

Edited July 24, 201212 yr by TONY ROUNCE

there's also nothing really to find at river records. he has some stax / volt backstock but i couldn't even find weird undesirable titles that i was looking for.

  On 23/07/2012 at 12:23, Sebastian said:

For records, check out:

Goner Records

Shangri-La Records

also the souvenir/CD store on Beale Street might have some decent LPs/12"s in the back of the store.

Al Green's church for a sunday ceremony.

Check out if there are any decents concerts going on at:

Hi-Tone Cafe

Blue Plate Cafe is great for breakfast.

Bluff City Coffee is one of the few places where you can get a decent cup of coffee.

Arcade Cafeteria is nice for breakfast/pancakes.

The train station just around the corner is also worth a peek.

Fantastic ribs at:

Charles Vergos Rendezvous (thanks Mr. Rounce for the tip!)

Bardog Tavern is a nice bar downtown with a good variety of beers and decent food.

Graceland.

Stax.

Sun.

Ardent Studios.

Royal/Hi Studios.

National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel.

The Cooper/Young area is good for antique stores, nice restaurants etc. Goner Records is in this area as well.

If you're into severely shady bars/hangouts, check out The Lamplighter Lounge.

Try to make a trip to Fame Studios / Muscle Shoals and get a tour if you've got time for it.

If you have time for it, spend a day or two in Nashville as well.

jaysus sebastian you making me want to book a trip there with the above info fair play

  On 23/07/2012 at 13:00, TONY ROUNCE said:

Glad to see that you hung on to the 'Beginners' Guide To Memphis' that I prepared for you last year!

I'm forever grateful for the tips I got from you and Dean before I went there last year. Made the trip so much better and easier than it would've been otherwise.

  On 23/07/2012 at 13:00, TONY ROUNCE said:

Something you should be aware of (and that Sebastian doesn't mention) is that there are a considerable number of people all over downtown who will accost you for money if you don't watch where you're walking.

Definitely. Had almost forgotten about that. Try not to make eye contact with anyone when out walking downtown.

  On 23/07/2012 at 13:14, recordlurv said:

jaysus sebastian you making me want to book a trip there with the above info fair play

It's fantastic. I absolutely loved Memphis and the vibe there.

Venturing outside of Memphis as well to Greenwood, Tupelo, Muscle Shoals, Money, Tallahatchie Bridge, Robert Johnson's grave site (one of them at least...) and Nashville were also highlights.

Can't wait to go back some day. Will try to take in New Orleans next time as well.

Many thanks to one and all for some great feedback much appreciated

  On 23/07/2012 at 13:06, boba said:

there's also nothing really to find at river records. he has some stax / volt backstock but i couldn't even find weird undesirable titles that i was looking for.

The only thing wierd and undesirable in that sh1th0le is the guy who runs it...

I got some nice cheap 50s jazz 45s in there (Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Count Basie etc) last time I could be bothered to go, but I knew they would be cheap as none of them figure in any books that he has in his 'library' behind the counter.

The best fun you can have in there if you're not pressed for time is to take a pile of records you know to have no real value up to the counter, wait for him to go through every price guide looking to see how much he can stripe you up for that elusive Gilbert O'Sullivan demo, listen to his price and pass on buying the lot!

I've been to Memphis between 15 and 30 times over the past 20 years, and in all those visits I think I may have gone to River no more than two or three times - even when I've had spare hours to do so. That's how little value I put on what he's got in there...

I won't be going there then tony after what you've said I feel like smacking him lol cheers mate

There you go then Mel, you'll not do much better than that from my pal. Some great tips there.

By the way, you know Tony Brookes who runs Burscough? Well I'm sure he was over that way for his hols this year. Have a word with him too.

He's on here and may well read this. If he does, I'm sure he'll chip in with some advice. That's if it hasn't all been covered by Tony already.

Cheers Dennis

For a first-timer to Memphis I recommend taking a Memphis Music Tour https://www.shangrilaprojects.com/

email Sherman through the link on the page & check his prices & availability.

He will take you around a lot of the music sites you will struggle to find on your own & can even liase your trips to Sun/Stax/Graceland etc.

Also recommend the Memphis Rock & Soul Museum just off Beale. If you're into guitars, taking a trip through the Gibson Guitar Factory across the road is cool.

Try to get a hotel near town, NOT SOMEWHERE OUT BY THE AIRPORT!!

Also, watch out around the Civil Rights Museum, we were waiting for a cab & a guy tried to hold us up for money. Luckily the taxi showed up just in time.

I wouldn't bother with River Records, just hit Shangri La & Goner.

  On 23/07/2012 at 13:38, TONY ROUNCE said:

The only thing wierd and undesirable in that sh1th0le is the guy who runs it...

when i was in there he was bragging about pulling the manship guide on manship

  On 23/07/2012 at 22:58, boba said:

when i was in there he was bragging about pulling the manship guide on manship

I was talking to the guy at Shangri La about this & he managed to resist the temptation, but the thought did cross his mind

Many thanks for that Kris and once more many thanks to everyone for all the feedback much appreciated