Memphis Self Guided Driving Audio Tour

Singer Ma Rainey II is buried there. Her father, a pastor, forbade her from singing, so Ma Rainey ran away and joined a traveling circus-type show. She worked as both the show’s fortune teller and as a ragtime performer on Beale Street. Note: The tour is over 11.2 miles long, with more than 25+ audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

She took to singing in her father’s church. Everyone recognized her immense talents. Her father even took her along with his “gospel caravan,” where they performed in churches all around the area.

If we kept driving straight, we’d reach Beale Street. That’s the beating heart of this city’s downtown. If you want to check it out, you can find parking and walk through the pedestrian-only area straight ahead. I have a few fun bonus stories there if you decide to go.

Welcome to Memphis! Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll, this musical city has no shortage of sights and sounds for rhythm-loving pilgrims.

Coming up on our right at the end of this road will be the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. And boy does it have soul—Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and even the Reverend Jesse Jackson recorded here. If you want to check it out, turn into the parking lot coming up on our right. You can tap Learn More for more about soul music once you park.

In a few minutes, we’ll pass by a brick building with a massive guitar hanging in front of it. That’s Sun Studio, also known as “the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll.”

This historic recording studio actually began as a movie theater showing silent films all the way back in 1915. It was converted into the Royal Recording Studio in ‘57, and became the official recording studio for Hi Records.

In ‘56, Elvis and his family lived on a relatively quiet street—until his fans discovered it. Soon, they were camped outside of his home, desperate to get a glimpse of their favorite rockstar. While Elvis’s neighbors had no personal beef with him, they did have a problem with hordes of screaming fans parked on their street.