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USA Guide

The South

Memphis

• Accommodation
• Eating
• Nightlife

Perched above the Mississippi River, Memphis welcomes visitors to celebrate the city that gave the world blues, soul, and rock ‘n' roll, as well as to chow down in the unrivaled barbecue capital of the nation. If it's the Elvis connection that draws you here, you won't leave disappointed. But even the King represents just one small part of the rich musical heritage of the home of Sun and Stax studios.

Culturally and geographically, Memphis has always had more in common with the delta of Mississippi and Arkansas than with the rest of Tennessee. Founded in 1819 and named for Egypt's ancient Nile capital, its fortunes rose and fell with cotton. The Confederate defeat that ended slavery briefly plunged the city into economic chaos, but thanks to its potential for river and rail transportation it soon bounced back. The nation's second largest inland port became a major stopping-off point for black migrant farmers and sharecroppers escaping the poverty of the Delta, and many stayed, significantly shaping the city's identity.

In the 1950s and 60s, Memphis had a confidence that belied its size. The city reached its lowest ebb, however, when Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated here in 1968, and for a couple of decades thereafter it tottered on the brink of terminal decline, with downtown blighted by white flight. In the 1990s the city regenerated itself, pouring money into projects like the transformation of Mud Island and the construction of the 321ft stainless-steel Pyramid. More recently, downtown has seen the arrival of not only the huge Peabody Place mall, but also a handsome minor league baseball stadium – Autozone Field, home of the Redbirds – and a major performance arena, the Fed Ex Forum. The fabled blues corridor of Beale Street is booming once more, while the recent Rock'n'Soul Museum, Gibson Guitar Plant and Stax Museum keep true to the city's musical heritage. Then there is Graceland – a refreshing change from the usual "gracious southern home" – which provides an intimate glimpse of the city's most famous son.