Memphis a music mecca for rock, soul lovers

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Memphis is a mecca of sorts for fans of rock and the blues. Gallery focuses on three museums: Graceland, the Rock n Soul museum and Sun Records.

Blues and Beale Street have attracted visitors to Memphis for decades. But a trip to Memphis is more than just a vacation. For some, it's a pilgrimage to pay homage to the birth of rock 'n' roll. They come to explore the complex history of Memphis music and the culture from which it grew at the city's music-themed museums: Graceland, the Rock 'n' Soul Museum and Sun Studio.

The B B King exhibit at the Rock 'n' Soul Museum. Popular radio announcer, Riley B. King, sang and spun records at WDIA. His on-air name, "Beale Street Blues Boy," was later shortened to "B.B." He has been known as B.B. King ever since.

The Elvis display at the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum. There's no doubt the king of rock 'n' roll was influenced by the king of the blues. In the 1950s and '60s white teenagers, including Elvis, started tuning in to WDIA, preferring the raw, rough-edged sound to "white" music on other stations. Elvis' style was so shaped by black musicians that when his first single, "That's All Right (Mama)," was played on Memphis radio station WHBQ, many listeners assumed he was black.

WDIA exhibit at the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum. It's a popular exhibit that tells the story of the first black-formatted station in the country.

The Rock 'n' Soul Museum traces rock 'n' roll to its blues, country and gospel roots. Barriers fell, and a cultural revolution was born.

Music fans can tour Sun Studio, where many legends got their start, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis.

Fans from all over the world have taken the tour of Elvis Presley's home, Graceland. Three new exhibits at the rock 'n' roll legend's home will give new and returning visitors a chance to view never-before-seen memorabilia.

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Blues and Beale Street have attracted visitors to Memphis for decades. But a trip to Memphis is more than just a vacation. For some, it's a pilgrimage to pay homage to the birth of rock 'n' roll. They come to explore the complex history of Memphis music and the culture from which it grew at the city's music-themed museums: Graceland, the Rock 'n' Soul Museum and Sun Studio.

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