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I am seldom surprised by anything, but on Christmas Day my daughter gave me a card that she had written in calligraphy that said, “It’s time for a little less conversation and a little more action. It’s no time for trouble! So, it’s now or never, pack your blue suede shoes because you are going to ‘GRACELAND.’ ”
All I could do was cry because I had wanted to
go to Graceland ever since
it opened in June of 1982, five years after Elvis died, but never had the opportunity. It was the gift of a lifetime.
I had been an Elvis fan since I was 5 years old. I never got to see him in concert because back then you could not order tickets online, and people who lived in the city would camp out for days at the ticket booths, so they were always sold out.
Graceland was put on the National Register of Historical Places in November of 1991, and is second only to the White House in yearly visitations, with over 650,000 visitors per year.
I loved Graceland because it was just like it was when Elvis lived there, and he had never changed anything except maybe recovering a couch or two. It still had the harvest gold appliances in the kitchen. The carpet on the walls in some rooms was a decor that defined the late 1960s and early 1970s. Larry and Billy Ray Allen, who owned a carpet and furniture store in Andrews, installed purple carpet on my bedroom walls in 1972, and I loved it.
On the morning of Dec. 29, 2022, I experienced the most historical moment of my life when I stepped into the recording room at Sun Recording Studio in downtown Memphis, where Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right.” There was a life-size picture on the left side of the room of the “Million Dollar Quartet,” which featured Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley on the piano.
Everything in the room was exactly the same as it was in the 1950s, even the original old chrome microphone that stood like a beacon of light in the center of the floor. The “X” marked the spot where Elvis and others made their debut for Sam Phillips, where dreams were made or shattered.
The tour guide was remarkably versed in the history of Elvis and other famous singers who graced the walls of this musical museum. She played the recordings of the jam sessions and the voices of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash rang out as if they were there. It was very moving to be in the place where “rock and roll” was born.
I began to tear up when I realized that my 6-year old grandson and one of my granddaughters were sitting on the piano bench where Elvis Presley sat playing in the picture of the “Million Dollar Quartet.” As I stood there and looked around the room, the same ceiling tiles that were on the ceiling and walls were the same tiles in the photograph – nothing had changed.
As the voices of the past faded, I remembered a quote from Elvis Presley: “Do something worth remembering,” to which we can all say, “Amen.”
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.