Americalog

[Velvet]

Whoever coined the term "continental breakfast" was a genius. And a bastard.

[phorbesie]

i guess velvet must have somehow FORGOTTEN to mention that we are currently in the BIRTHPLACE of the DRIVE BY TRUCKERS jeez.

[Schwa.]

Daddy Needs a Drink

[jVids]

Looks like an amazing trip, can't wait to read more!

[Jaimoe]

Great reads - and pictures - Todd! I travelled the Deep South a few years ago - but not as extensively as you are doing - and wrote a piece for Jambands. I loved Nashville and Clarksdale, Greenwood MS. We found two "burial" sites for Robert Johnson. The Delta Blues Museum and some of the shops and juke joints in Clarksdale are cool (at Clarksdale's Ground Zero, I wrote "nero rules!" on a wall near the bar).

I liked some of Memphis, especially visiting Graceland, Sun Records, Stax, staying at the Peabody Hotel and its awesome lobby bar with its famous duck walk, the mighty Mississippi River (where Jeff Buckey drown)and the inspiring Civil Rights Museum, but the town itself is sketchy/dead, other than the overrated Beale Street.

I'm gleefully envious and inspired and re-inspired by your trip and can't wait to travel more extensively in the South - related to music - soon. BTW, you hit that Ali heavy-bag like a champ.

[Velvet]

BTW, you hit that Ali heavy-bag like a champ.

I'm putting too much weight on my front foot.

[The D Funk]

Wow what a read thank you so much for your wonderful writing I dream of taking this very same rock and roll roadie sometime in the near future, Your updates are fantastic and help us cooped up Canucks live through your adventure. Thanks Velvet, Safe Travels My Friend.

[Jaimoe]

BTW' date=' you hit that Ali heavy-bag like a champ. [/quote']

I'm putting too much weight on my front foot.

Not unless you are a southpaw and were throwing a jab (if so, you need to keep your left guard up).

[Velvet]

Stardate 020811

The Shoals is a small area in northern Alabama that is made up of four municipalities that run into one another: Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals. For an area with a population of less than 150,000 the Shoals has vastly more than it's share of things to be proud of.

Once again I woke up early enough that you'd think it was Christmas morning, and once again I puttered around making just enough noise to lull Heather awake so we could start another adventure. First stop was Florence Alabama Music Enterprises, better known as FAME Studios.

We pulled up at about 9:30 and I walked through the front door. “Can I help you?†This is a working studio, not a museum, so I told the guy I was down from Canada on a Rock & Roll Field Trip and could I take a look around? Being so early there was nobody recording so the fellah was happy to tell me the ins and outs of the place and show me around.

This place was the beginning of what basically became Motown South, a small independent studio that would pump out hits from acts as varied as Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and Wilson Pickett. Duane Allman worked here, and as the guy walked me back to Studio B he explained it was in this room that the Allman Brothers met and began playing together before moving to Macon. In the '70's the studio branched out into pop and country, launching the careers of The Osmonds and Mac Davis, Jerry Reed and the Gatlin Brothers, among many, many others. It was exciting to get my own private tour, and as there wasn't much going on I had as much time to linger as I liked.

There were plenty of autographed 8x10's on the wall, a glass case stacked full of memorabilia, and a hallway lined with albums that had come out of there, many of which I own, and so do you. It was here that The Swampers started, the Muscle Shoals rhythm section that created the southern sound that the rock world is so intimately familiar with. The Swampers eventually branched off and started their own studio, a little place down the road called Muscle Shoals Sound Studios with the famous address of 3614 N. Jackson Highway, our next stop.

We did some driving before finding the place, a building so famous I spotted it from blocks away. No longer a working studio and locked up tight, we had to settle for walking around outside and taking our pictures in front of the place. After continuing with such artists as Aretha and Wilson Pickett, the unmistakeably sound coming out of Muscle Shoals started attracting the biggest names in the music business. The Stones recorded some of their biggest hits here, as did Paul Simon, Cher, Bob Seger and a legion of others. It amazes me to think of the amount of celebrity that has walked the streets of this little area, and astounding to imagine all the great music made here. There must be something in the water.

If so, the water's been like that for well over a century. This is the home of W.C. Handy, recognised as the Father Of The Blues and also the hometown of one of the great American symbols of bravery and success in the face of adversity, Helen Keller. As a matter of fact the place was basically founded on fortuitousness, Keller's family home being the second house ever built in Tuscumbia.

With all this progeny it's no wonder the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame made it's home here. We spent about an hour touring the collection and learned a lot. Donna Godchaux is an inductee, and they had the dress she wore at the famed Grateful Dead Egypt gigs and a picture of her with Elvis from when she sang on his sessions for Suspicious Minds and In The Ghetto(!). There was a Sam Phillips exhibit and one of the four remaining Hank Williams suits (the third we've seen on this trip). You could walk through Alabama's first tour bus, which was a pretty sweet ride for an up-and-coming band, as well as exhibits honouring Nat King Cole, Lionel Richie, The Temptations and tons more. Surprisingly there was no mention of Jimmy Buffett (born in Mobile) or the Drive-By Truckers, who are from the immediate area, but the place definitely has some growing to do.

We got out of there around 1pm and stopped at Subway for lunch before heading east for a couple of hours. I had a bit of a different stop planned for the rest of the afternoon in Scottsboro.

Have you ever lost luggage flying to or from the USA? If so your luggage ended up at Unclaimed Baggage in northeast Alabama. Since 1970 Unclaimed Baggage has been contracted to all the airlines in the States to purchase and resell everything they get stuck with. Lots of stuff gets thrown out, lots is given to charities, and the rest ends up for sale in two buildings in Scottsboro. Books, suitcases, cameras, ipods, souvenirs, videocams, camping gear, and clothes, clothes, clothes. New stuff hits the shelves constantly as people rifle through the lost treasures. The prices are good, but not astounding. I went straight to the music section and came close to pulling the trigger on an Ibenez electric 7-string for $149, but in the end I decided I have problem enough with six strings so I saved my money.

I walked out with some Kurt Vonnegut books while Heather bought some jeans and a few jackets. It boggles the mind to think how much drugs they must find, though I saw none for sale. I wonder how many people get home with their new clock radio or campstove and find a surprise inside?

Daylight was getting short by the time we got out of there so we called it a day, drove a couple of pretty hours through secondary highways until we reached Atlanta, where pizza and beers where on the menu as we tuned into Rocky II on the idiot box.

This was Heather's first trip to Alabama and we both like it a whole lot. The people are friendly as hell and we love the accent. And of course the music is fantastic.

[c-towns]

Sounds like you may be heading to Macon to check out the Big House, if so, make sure you hit the H&H restaurant (sweet potato pie ), Nu-Way Weiners (snappiest dogs in the south) and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

[RobL]

Great Stories. Makes me want to hit the road again real bad. if you are coming back up the east coast try and hit the john coltrane house http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coltrane_House

we got lost in philly once trying to find a small ass tavern to see a band and stumbled upon this house. Awesome vibes.

[Velvet]

Stardate 020911

I woke up this morning too late for the continental breakfast but went to the lobby for a coffee and a look around. I waited while a man from Tennessee checked in. He and the lady behind the counter were having just the friendliest of conversations, each in their own thick-as-country-gravy southern accents. At one point the man told the lady she had to slow down, he could barely understand a word, which I found quite funny. Then they started talking about the Indians and how they were so hard to understand.

“They don't like to be call 'Indians',†she said, “but Hindu, Pakistani, Indian, they all come from India so they're all Indians as far as I'm concerned.â€

They guy turned to me and actually gave me a little hug. “If they don't talk American,†he laughed, “I don't wanna hear from 'em.†The constant drawl made the absurdity of the conversation especially pointed.

The customer then said he was going down the road to McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich and the lady immediately piped up, “Oh, would you grab me up a breakfast sandwich too? Just one of whatever you're having.†He readily agreed to pick her up something and then she asked what I was looking for.

“I guess breakfast is done?†I asked. “You just tell me what you need, sugar,†and she pulled out the eats so I could make toast. She even went so far as to explain the toaster to me. “You just push down that lever and it pops up all by itself.â€

So very friendly and so obviously racist. Such is the duality of the Southern thing, as the Drive-By Truckers say.

Today was our latest start of the trip so far, we didn't get going until about 11:30. We stopped for coffees (hadn't seen a Dunkin Donuts in days) and made it to Macon in about an hour.

We drove straight to The Big House, even though we knew it was closed on Wednesdays. The house that the Allman Brothers Band rented and used as a rehearsal spot when they first began was easy to spot with its beautiful Graceland-style gates decorated with a huge mushroom. The gates were closed, but there was room for us to pull in so we did, with the intention of walking around a bit. A lady came up and asked if she could help is. We explained the Rock & Roll Field Trip and that though we knew the place would be closed we just had to make the stop anyway.

“Well, you wanna come in then?†she asked.

Peggy is the curator and we were lucky to catch her there. She and her friend Wes were there doing some work and letting their dogs run around the grounds. We walked up the steps of the century-old Tudor house and admired the lovely mushroom-themed stained glass entranceway while we waited for Peggy to let us in.

We didn't get the whole tour, but Peggy talked us through the front few rooms that are covered with ABB memorabilia of all stripes. She says the foundation has an astounding 300,000 artifacts related to the band and their offshoots, though only about 10% of their collection is on display at any one time. She was just so nice and we were so appreciative of her letting us in for a little private tour that Heather and I both made a point of spending some money in the gift shop.

Peggy told us the story of how when the Brothers first came to town they went to a local restaurant to eat. Though there were six of them they could only afford to order three plates to share, and when the owner came out and saw these poor skinny hippies waiting on their food she brought out six plates. “When y'all get some money together,†said Mama Louise, “you can come back and pay me then.†Well, that act of kindness created a bond, and when the Allmans embarked on their first major tour they brought “Vittles†Louise along with them as their tour cook. The bond is still strong – everyone made a point of coming to town recently to help celebrate Louise's 80th birthday.

We stopped into H & H for lunch and found the place just as they would have found it 40 years ago, except now the walls are lined with ABB paraphernalia, much of it signed with much love from the band. When the food came we were treated to some fantastic authentic southern soul food; fried chicken, collared greens, okra and tomato, rice and gravy, mac and cheese, and even some sweet potato pie for dessert.

After lunch we went to the stunningly beautiful Rose Hill cemetery, located in the heart of Macon. Peggy had given us a marked map of Rose Hill so we easily found our way around. First stop was the grave of Elizabeth Jones Reed Napier, where legend has it Dickey Betts had an 'encounter' that became immortalised in his tactfully instrumental composition, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.

Next we found the graves of Duane and Berry resting side by side. Such monstrous talent taken so early. It's really amazing that Duane Allman had played on all those sessions with the likes of Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, provided such masterful slide work on Clapton's Layla album and helped propel his own band to stardom, developing an entire genre along the way, and he didn't even see his 25th birthday.

We found the pretty monument of Martha Ellis, who passed in the late 19th century at age 12. I sat on the grass beside her and played Duane's 'Little Martha' for her. As the final harmonics slowly faded to oblivion I was struck by how peaceful of a place it was. I could have sat there all afternoon.

Back on the street we drove through the downtown area, another city with more than its share of musical history. The bus station on Spring Street is where a young 'Little' Richard Penniman wrote 'Tutti-Frutti' while he was washing dishes. Around the corner on Mulberry Street is where an as-yet-unknown James Brown was preparing himself for Godfather status. Macon is also the hometown of the great Otis Redding, and we found a nice statue of him down by the river.

Our last stop in Macon was the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame, which houses a modest collection dedicated to the greatest of the state, which includes the B-52's, Widespread Panic, Ludicris, Ray Charles, and many others. Most impressive was a special exhibit featuring the art of Steve Penley, huge portraits painted with thick swaths of colour, every piece worthy of praise.

The afternoon was nearly gone so we got out of there and hit the highway south, leaving Macon behind us. Next time we'll make a point of staying longer. Heather is currently at the wheel. We just crossed the Suwannee River, the highway sign sporting the sheet music written by a man who had never even been here. We are heading to my mom's winter spot near Tampa for the night. The temperature is rising as we get further south despite the rain that has started to fall. We are currently hovering at 12 degrees. It's nice to finally get some warmer weather, this whole trip we have experienced significantly lower than usual temperatures, staying a day ahead of snow everywhere we've stopped. Only once getting above five degrees, and we're looking forward to some nice weather at the bottom of the boot.

[edger]

I think this is my favourite entry so far. Can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps in part due to my love for the Allmans... But your words sure paint a cozy picture.

[Northern Wish]

I love that DBT reference. Perfectly placed!

You'll get some nice weather- I'm burned to a crisp from Day 1 in Fort Myers.....

[bouche]

Don't you guys have a camera with you? I want PICS with the awesome narrative!

[Velvet]

Don't you guys have a camera with you? I want PICS with the awesome narrative!

Yeah, we feel kind of dumb - we both forgot our cameras and haven't taken a single picture.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

sis,k

[peipunk]

Wow bouche, you are really blowing my mind lately. Thanks for this. You too Todd.

[Schwa.]

[backbacon]

Great reads Velvet! Pictures schmictures!

[gentlemonkey]

Thanks for the great logs Todd..

[peipunk]

Thanks for the great logs Todd..

You always did like a good log. Thank you Sault Ste Marie!

[Velvet]

Thanks for the great logs Todd..

You always did like a good log. Thank you Sault Ste Marie!

One of my top ten nero stories right there.

[Hartamophone]

So rad that you played Little Martha at her grave.

[Velvet]

Stardate 021011

When I started planning the Rock & Roll Field Trip so many months ago I discovered the perfect coda to our journey. If we worked it just right we could be in Naples to catch one of the pioneers of rock & roll, Jerry Lee Lewis live in concert. Tickets were already on sale as early as last fall but it was too soon in the planning stages to get seats then. I watched the sales closely and found tickets were going pretty slowly. In late January things were getting finalised and there were still plenty of tickets available; no need to panic.

When Heather confirmed her vacation days she gave me the go ahead to start booking everything. My second call was to the Naples Philharmonic Center, only to find that the Jerry Lee Lewis concert had sold out an hour before. I was crestfallen, but the person on the phone told me they keep a waiting list, tickets are commonly returned, and as there was as yet nobody on the waiting list we would be first in line. We were still a good three weeks from showtime so I figured it was a lock.

Long story short when I awoke this morning we still had no tickets, a call to the Center informed us that the waiting list becomes null and void on the day of the show, and if any returns were to come back today they would be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

My mom made us a delicious breakfast and we were on our way well before noon. We had it in mind to stop at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg but as we made our way south we decided to give it a pass for now. I had been before, though the museum had recently relocated to a new building, and Heather had been to Dali's home and museum in Spain. The tipping point was that we'd feel a little rushed going through it today, and with my mother having a place nearby we are quite likely to be back sometime, so we kept on driving.

In Naples we pulled off the highway towards the Philharmonic, passing a steady stream of hoity-toity retirement compounds along the way. We found the venue smack dab in the middle of Geriatric Central and discovered there were still no tickets, so we took a number (1) and waited. Heather pulled out a book and I grabbed my guitar to while away the time on a warm afternoon and in less than a half hour badda-bing badda-boom we had a pair of premium tickets in hand. Walking on air with the sweet feeling of victory we drove to our hotel to warm up for the show.

We made it back to the venue just before 8pm which was good – the show started bang-on time. There was an opening act, two-time Grammy award winner Frankie Ford, (semi-)famous for his hit 'Sea Cruise'. Looking around the audience I noticed that Heather and I were the youngest people there, the mean age of the crowd was probably 70 or so, no kidding. These were Frankie's people, he spent much of his set telling jokes older than Moses and the crowd ate it up. Ford was using a pickup band that did a great job of covering his extremely sloppy piano playing, but I will concede he still has the pipes.

After a very short intermission Jerry Lee Lewis' sister Linda Gail Lewis warmed up the crowd a little more, pounding the ivories in a very-Jerry style. After a few songs too many she let the band take over for a couple more until the crowd started getting belligerent. It was a refreshing dose of rebellious rock and roll hearing the aged crowd croak for Jerry Lee. Everyone's bedtime was looming, let's get the show on the road!

Finally Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis took to the stage, looking every bit his age, just over three-quarters of a century. He shuffled over to the piano, sat down and with the first chord transformed into a man less than half his age. He still has it; that unmistakeable voice and those world-famous chops. As he rollicked through his short set it occurred to me how perfect this was for the end of our Rock & Roll Field Trip. With the most subtle of turns Lewis illustrated perfectly how closely the blues and country music became rock & roll. One minute we're in Nashville, the next we're in Clarksdale, but in the end it's all Memphis. With covers ranging from Ma Rainey and Gene Autrey to his one-time rival Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee led us on an audio tour of where his sound came from, and when he closed the show with Sun Records' two biggest hits, Great Balls Of Fire and Whole Lotta Shakin' back-to-back, the cronies that made it to the end cheered as wildly as a hall full of eighty-somethings could. When Lewis stood up and kicked the piano bench away I thought the ladies were going throw their Depends onto the stage.

After closers like that there could be no encore, and as he ambled off the stage Jerry Lee Lewis went back to looking like the man he is, old and high on mileage. I stood and clapped as loud as I could, happy to have seen a walking, talking piece of history, $250,000 of the Million Dollar Quartet and the last man standing from the Sun Studios revolution.

And thus ends the Rock & Roll Field Trip. Though we saw so much there is much left to see, and as I meander through this world I will continue to chase these ghosts of three chord glory, but for now we will be switching gears. This vacation still has several twists to go, I hope you'll stay tuned.