Elvis’ birth house | ~Lori Hobin~

Posts Tagged ‘Elvis’ birth house’

•Road Trip Day 6!•

Posted in Awesome, Road trip, tagged Birthday, Elvis Presley, Elvis' birth house, Graceland, Road Trip, Sam Phillips, Sun Studios, Tupelo on April 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

What can I say about day 6? ….Like Day 4 (Graceland day!) it was more amazing than words can say.

Day 6 was the day we were supposed to start heading home (by ways of heading South first to Tupelo! lol) but instead we decided we couldn’t leave Memphis without touring Sun Studios. And thank God we did! What an experience! The tour was about an hour and a half long. It started through the gift shop now to the right of the actual studio. It takes you upstairs to what used to be an apartment, and is now a little museum. It displays some of Sam’s old recording devices and memorabilia from the musicians who recorded there. Everyone from Rocket 88, to Howlin’ Wolf right and right up to The Million Dollar Quartet! Our tour guide’s name was Cora. She was really funny and SUCH a great guide. If you ever go ask if she’s working…she was a lot of fun!

After the museum part they take you downstairs to the actual studio…that has NOT CHANGED since Sam opened it on January 3, 1950. Marion Keisker’s reception area still looks like she kept it. The studio itself is 100% untouched. Of course they upkeep it, but the floors, walls & ceilings have not been changed. It was totally surreal to be standing in that studio!! I stood on the exact spot where Elvis recorded “That’s Alright”. I held his freaking microphone that he used to record it too!!! Fucking AWESOME. I even played the piano that was used by Elvis, Johnny & Jerry Lee Lewis (amongst others!). Seriously…just…wow. In 2003 Sun Studios was named a National Historical Landmark and will remain there forever! Meaning they’re doing evening/night recordings again! Makes me wish I had some musical talent…lol

After Sun Studios the day just got better. We drove the 2 hours down to Tupelo to visit Elvis’ birth house. I was totally overwhelmed by the whole experience. First to be in the house he passed away in, and then to be in the exact location, in the exact house, in the exact ROOM where he was born!? WOW. We first went into his childhood church. It was used as a 2 bedroom house for awhile but was bought & brought to the park and rebuilt to look exactly as Elvis & his family would have remembered it. They showed us a little movie/recreation of what a mass would have been like. Complete with a little Elvis singing a hymn. So cute!

The church was pretty cool, but what floored me was his home. His actual house….unmoved from it’s original location. Elvis always drove past his birth house when he came through Tupelo. When he came to Tupelo for a concert and drove past it he noticed the house and 15 acres of land around it was for sale. He talked to city and asked that all money made from the concert go towards purchasing that land & his house. He wanted to turn it into a park where everyone could come together and enjoy the space. And they did just that. They fixed up his house to how it would have looked when he lived there (until he was 3 years old) and decorated the inside to look like what it might have looked like back then. Eventually they moved the church there and added a memorial chapel and a statue of 13 year old Elvis.

The house is so small. It’s only 2 rooms. The front bedroom area is about 10×10. The back kitchen area is about the same. Talk about humble beginnings… Elvis and his twin brother Jesse (still born) were born right there in that front room. I stood in that room….and wept like a little girl. I know it sounds so silly, but Elvis has been a huge part of my life…for ALL my life. To be there made me feel like I was a part of his life too….and it was all so overwhelming and moving. I was so happy, but so sad at the same time. There will never be another Elvis Presley.