Top travel destinations for rock’n’roll enthusiasts (part 6)

So we’ve finally reached our final article in which we’ll talk about top destinations for rock’n’roll enthusiasts, it’s been quite a long series and we’ve looked at a bunch of places, but today we’ll be mentioning the absolute greatest there can be.

Memphis – Graceland

Any rock’n’roll fan must pay their homage to The King, and the best place to do this is by visiting his very kitchy mansion in Memphis. This is a place where one can see the era’s extremes in all the possible ways. This is also where Elvis is buried and you can pay your respects to the one they called Elvis the Pelvis.

Memphis – Sun Studio

Staying in Memphis, this is pretty much ground zero for music, this is where in 1951, Sam Philips recorded Ike Turner doing ‘Rocket 88’ which is considered by many to be the absolute first rock’n’roll song. The studio has been graced by many other great names including Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and obviously, Elvis Presley.

Cleveland, Ohio – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A lot of people have been wondering why Cleveland was chosen to host this most ‘holy’ of rock’n’roll sites, since Memphis would’ve been a good option.

The answer is that a Cleveland DJ, Alan Freed used the term “rock’n’roll” for the first time in 1952, and also because it was the first city to put up the required seventy million dollars required to build the hall. Another consideration is that the city really does ‘rock’, featuring a huge number of live venues – more than the famously music-filled Austin actually.

Visiting the hall will start you off with a 14-minute film that chronicles the origins of rock music and then moves you onto Elvis’ cars, Beatles suits, Beastie Boys handwritten lyrics and Jimi Hendrix’s drawings of football players. The visit will surely take some time but you’ll find a bunch of fun little bits to look at and smile at.

St. Louis, Missouri – Seeing Chuck Berry live

This is by far the most time-critical destination because Chuck Berry is 86 years old, and he’s still playing and that’s why we’re finishing with this one. He plays a 300-capacity basement stage every second or third Wednesday in St. Louis, a true gift to rock’n’roll fans. Chuck doesn’t need an introduction, he just needs to be seen while he’s still around rocking.

All of the top travel destinations for rock’n’roll enthusiasts are best seen with the help of some car rental services.