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Memphis and The Blues Trail in a 2015 Hyundai Sonata

Jordan Wright
October 1, 2014
Special to The Alexandria Times

Photo credit to Jordan Wright

Driving Old Highway 61 in the new turbo-charged Hyundai Sonata

Driving Old Highway 61 in the new turbo-charged Hyundai Sonata

The Plan:   A road rally in the Hyundai 2015 Sonata.  When Hyundai contacted me and asked if I’d like to be part of a road rally in Memphis, I couldn’t wait to rev up its 7-speed dual clutch (automatic plus stick) transmission.  At least that’s how they described it in an email.  That it had more bells and whistles than I had time to grasp in 36 hours under a tight schedule, was unfortunate.

The Place:  Memphis, Tennessee to Clarksdale, Mississippi on Old Highway 61 returning to Memphis.

Neon BBQ sign on Beale Street

Neon BBQ sign on Beale Street

There are few cities that deliver the intensity of the American music experience and the culture of the old Deep South as Memphis does.  For starters visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music where Otis Redding and the Staple Singers cut records, the National Civil Rights Museum and the iconic Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

The Lorraine Motel - scene of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination

The Lorraine Motel – scene of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination

To see luthiers make some of the world’s most famous guitars, there’s the Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum.  Another must see is The Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum.  Developed by Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, it describes itself as a place where “musical pioneers and legends of all racial and socio-economic backgrounds who, for the love of music, overcame obstacles to create the musical sound that changed the world.”

The Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum

The Gibson Guitar Factory and Museum

From there you’ll hop the shuttle to Sun Studios where Rock and Roll legend Elvis Presley recorded his first song, “That’s All Right, Mama”; where Howlin’ Wolf first recorded before his Chicago Blues influence; Johnny Cash recorded “I Walk the Line”; Jerry Lee Lewis kicked off his career with “A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”; and Carl Perkins laid down tracks for “Blue Suede Shoes” before Elvis got ahold of it.  Only one member of what was known as the “Million Dollar Quartet” became “The King”, so for many fans a visit to the 1950’s cosmic bubble, Graceland, is somewhat of a sacred pilgrimage.

All that said, I couldn’t figure out why on God’s green earth friends thought I wouldn’t like Memphis.  Maybe they thought I wouldn’t cotton to the honky-tonk culture, or the snail’s pace of life along verdant banks where riverboats still ferry passengers along the mighty Mississippi.  Maybe they thought I wouldn’t take to leathered up bikers and their cigarette smokin’ mamas who stand beside hundreds of tricked out choppers.  Or that on a warm night you can hear the blues filtering out through the open windows of the clubs along Beale Street.  Or maybe they knew that some of the best barbeque and juke joints are outside city limits at rundown roadhouses in towns with no traffic lights – – just a single run-in store selling jars of pickled pig’s feet and tortillas for the seasonal migrant workers.

A tricked out Lamborghini bike wows the crowd on Beale Street

A tricked out Lamborghini bike wows the crowd on Beale Street

They should have known I’d pass up the cheesy Elvis impersonators to listen to raw-boned blues cranked out nightly by first-rate studio musicians, and that I’d satisfy my curiosity for the Peabody Hotel ducks with a bourbon and branch water while listening to a tuxedoed piano player recall cabaret songs from the 1930’s, and where just outside the lobby a Cinderella carriage will take you on a horse-drawn tour past historic sights.

The Italianate lobby of the Peabody Hotel

The Italianate lobby of the Peabody Hotel

I loved Memphis – the sights and the sounds.  From sidewalk street jammers playing rockabilly, rock n’ roll, Delta blues, gospel and soul to an unnamed group kickin’ it at an impromptu concert in a vest pocket park. They were all mining the roots of American music – preserving the sound that had bubbled up from both white and black musicians so long ago.

Day Two:  After a morning briefing and vehicle assignment we received our triplogs.  Twenty-four test drivers and twelve 2015 Sonatas left from the Westin Hotel on Beale Street and headed south out of the city along Old Highway 61.  Known as the “Blues Trail”, the road took us to Clarksdale, Mississippi with Driver Switch Points at Mhoon Landing Park in Tunica, MS and Arkabutla Lake in Coldwater, MS.

At the Rum Boogie

At the Rum Boogie Cafe

The veteran car writers on the team were eager to check out the subtle, and not so subtle differences.  They were keen on features like LED tail lights, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear and side window sunshades.  A hands-free trunk was noted as was the ventilated front seat, Blue Link touch screen infotainment system, Pandora Internet Radio, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto that sends and receives text messages and can give fuel prices and movie times.  The fact that the turbo-charged ECO model with quad-exhaust comes in nine colors (I loved the Quartz White Pearl), was mostly overlooked by the men.

Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Driving along back roads we passed rusted silos and cornfields to Clarksdale, Mississippi where the Delta Blues Museum tells the story of early blues legends, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, and where we stopped to chow down at actor Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club, a funky, fried green tomatoes, BBQ-fueled roadhouse that roars with the sound of electric guitars – – even at high noon.

After a dinner of BBQ (You can eat it twice a day!), cornbread and sides at the vintage 1948 Rendezvous restaurant back in Memphis, I wondered.  With all that history and all those blues, would I find my inner Eric Clapton?  Easily!  At the Westin I was able to order up a gold vintage Gibson guitar equipped with amplifier and headphones that was delivered to my room for the night.  Sweet dreams, Mr. Clapton.  Sweet dreams, Layla.

Charles Vergo's Rendezvous

Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous

Westin Memphis Beale Street – www.westinmemphisbealestreet.com
Ground Zero Blues Club – www.groundzerobluesclub.com
Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous – www.hogsfly.com

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