Memphis, the lost files

It was the summer of 2010. I was heading off the Airborne School in Ft. Benning, GA. On my way I stopped in Memphis, TN. Unknown to me, it was biker week in downtown Memphis. Thousands of riders come out each year. In one of those rare circumstances, I just so happened to walk right into the middle of it. There was everything you could imagine, bikers of all kinds, from your leisurely day job riders to people who lived on the road. There were hippies, tourists, metal heads, a ton of police, and passer bys like myself. Most importantly there was musicians, so many I couldn't even tell you. It was a week of serious blues music and I was loving it. I'm not sure if its because of the music or the fact that I wasn't expecting what I had found. It was, and still is, one of the most memorable places I've ever visited. To see all my pictures check out my Memphis page here.

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I call this entry the "lost files because even though I had posted my pictures up fairly quickly, I had some videos which never saw the light of day....until now that is. I stumbled upon them on my hard drive and kicked myself for not sharing them because they are at the least entertaining and really give you a feel for the experience more than the pictures alone. I don't remember much from that night, but I do know I had a great time, and these videos seem to piece the whole thing together a bit.

The amount of people packed into one small street was a feat in itself. The amount of police packed into that same street was equally impressive. In fact, it isn't hard to find the police in the videos I took.

As you can see there was thousands of bikers out that night and nearly every bar had live blues music playing. As the evening when on things got more and more interesting.

Before I hit the music scene I had the chance to stop by this one of a kind shop called "Tater Reds Lucky Mojo". This shop is right on downtown Beale St. and hard to miss. It featured everything TN. The blues culture as well as a voodoo feel shined through this place with some of the coolest figures I've seen. It also featured signed guitars of everyone from Pink Floyd to Justin Timberlake.

At some point throughout the night I came across a blues concert and it was a mess. Beer bottles and trash everywhere, people annihilated, and music loud enough to deafen everything else going on.

After this I made my way back to the main street  and into some of the great blues bars. Each musician seemed more talented than the next and I even managed to get a few games of pool in as well.

One band that I found to be particularly good was "Delta Highway (below).

In the words of my "Best and Worst Places to Drink" entry, I have no problem easily placing Beale St. Memphis, TN as one of the top ten places in the United States to  have a drink. From the cobblestone streets to every whiskey stained bar stool, Beale Street has a rich blues vibe running through it and a distinctive character all its own. And if you are an avid biker this is definitely worth your time.