Horse-head tour july-aug 2011

[CRAZY-HORSE]

after the Ryman experince Mh and I looked for the Johnny Cash Museum, but we were told it was closed for one reason or another, but we did find the Country Music Hall Of Fame building in Nashville also, we paid for a full package tour which included not only the Hall Of Fame building but also a bus trip and guided tour of RCA Studio's Studio B, where Elvis Presley amongst others like Jim Reeves recorded most of their studio output...
funny thing is, at Studio B the guide gave the group of us a run down of the history of the place including playing snippets of songs recorded there in decades past...she stuffed up an artists name with the track she played through the sound system and Mr.Knowledgeable (MH) promptly corrected her of her mistake...so funny!!!!!! LOL!!!!!
unfortunately, again, you are not allowed to take photos inside the Hall Of Fame building using flash photography and the building is not lit well enough to do so without the aid of a flash so all we have again is the main foyer...we were,however, allowed to take photos in the RCA Studio building!

foyer of the Country Music Hall Of Fame Building



the next few shots are of RCA Studio "B",Nashville,Tennessee



old tape recorder used to record tracks in Studio "B"



me at the actual piano used in all those old recordings at the studio,Elvis DNA is probably still on here as he used to sit and play Gospel music on it prior to actual recording sessions..i didnt wash my hands for three days after this "experience"!...photo courtesy of MH!

[Music Head]

Did anyone notice the marijuana plants in the garden?

now that's funny
there actually is one behind that bush in front of the porch

[Music Head]

pics came out great mate
those and and your narrative make for some good flashbacks
many thanks for posting these

[CRAZY-HORSE]

pics came out great mate
those and and your narrative make for some good flashbacks
many thanks for posting these

thank MH!
loved it when you put that tour guide 'right' at RCA Studio's was so funny, cant remember her stuff up...do you???

[Music Head]

thank MH!
loved it when you put that tour guide 'right' at RCA Studio's was so funny, cant remember her stuff up...do you???

Something about Jim Reeves, but don't remember who she said it was.

[TraceNspace]

Great Pics

[Tiggi]

Brilliant stuff Guys.

Looks like a hell of a trip !!

[Jerome]

Very entertaining. A blast really.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

well....took me from 1977 to 2011 to actually make it all the way to Graceland...and it was not a dissapointment even with decades of expectations and my own images in my head...
this place was truly a spiritually,uplifting place for me...
the only thing about it that was a bit dissapointing is that it was a lot smaller than i imagined it to be,it was really not much bigger than a decent sized two storey house here in Perth, but i guess back in the day it was a "mansion" amongst the poor surroundings/occupants of downtown Memphis.
as the upper floor was Elvis' own "private domain" when he was living there, it was good to see that the trustees have kept it that way, and access is only allowed to the ground floor and the grounds. all the furniture and decor is as it was when Elvis lived there to keep it authentic...
the cost of tickets to see Graceland were $38 each, but that includes admission to the several Elvis museums directly across Elvis Presley Blvd. some of the other museums really werent worth going in(even for a die hard fan like myself)...but at least it kept us out of the hot Memphis sun for the best part of a day!
we were allowed to take photos in and around the whole property, i took some 50-60 photos for me, they wont mean anything to you guys probably so i have selected several that may give you an idea of what Graceland looks like...
MH had been to Graceland back around 1959, but back then you couldnt go pass the main gates...
interesting to note the Elvis Presley is the biggest economy in Tennessee employing over 4000 people either full,part time or casual!





the Presley lounge room




the Presley dining room




as you wind your way through the property the last place you come to is the gravesite of the Presley family...this was a real emotional place to see,very tranquil,serene and full of sadness....i came pretty close to shedding a tear whilst there and didnt want to leave...and i could feel Elvis' prescence everywhere but none moreso than by his grave.



finally, back around the front of the house waiting for the bus to take us down the main driveway and across the street to the other museums i decided i needed my photo taken on the steps of the house...MH had his pic taken also,im sure he will upload it once he gets round to doing so...
a lifetime of waiting and i finally made it to my Mecca...with my mate Music-Head,thanks Ed!




most of the museums associated with Elvis Presley didnt allow flash photography so the photos we both took seemed to come out pretty dark, so below is a pic of MH and myself outside the Presley car museum

[CRAZY-HORSE]

bugger it!....i dont give a crap whether you guys need/want to see more pics of Graceland, im going to post a few anyway...

first pic os of Elvis' personal wall of fame inside Graceland, he has two hallways like this one filled with gold and platinum awards for record sales...




Elvis shooting range in one of the outhouses at Graceland,it was originally a meat freezer prior to Elvis buying the residence




rear view of Graceland, and one that rarely gets seen in official Elvis photos




Lisa Marie's play area when she stayed with her dad, in the rear of the photo are Elvis horse stables




the final jumpsuits Elvis wore on his final US tour in August 1977




had enough of Graceland and Elvis yet???, relax, so have I!....next stop Stax Recording Company and Sun Records, Memphis,Tennessee!