Memphis Music Tour

Tour Details

We’ll meet at 197 Beale Street, where we’ll board a bus and set off on a route to discover the musical soul of Memphis. Are you ready to get started?

During the tour, a musician will set the rhythm, and we’ll let ourselves be carried away by their riffs, anecdotes, and the electric pulse that turned blues, rock ’n’ roll, and soul into a universal language. First, we’ll pass by Sun Studio, a true birth place of legends. We’ll admire its brick walls, which shelter the first notes of some songs by Elvis, Johnny Cash, and B. B. King.

Next, skirting the Mississippi River will feel like peering into a source of inspiration for lyrics, laments, and dreams that still beat today in almost immortal chords. We’ll pass along Beale Street, admiring its architecture, and it’ll be easy to imagine blues pioneers playing on its corners.

We’ll then continue on to Stax Studio, the temple of Southern soul. Did you know its sessions began without sheet music, relying only on pure improvisation? The route will then head to the Lorraine Motel, now part of the National Civil Rights Museum. A place where history changed forever and where we’ll understand how Memphis music also became a banner of struggle and hope.

Later, we’ll reach Cotton Row to witness the city’s former commercial heart. We’ll also pass by the Peabody Hotel as we make our way to Overton Park, a green lung where entire generations found inspiration.

The Memphis music tour will then take us past St. Jude's Children's Research and the first homes of Elvis Presley and B. B. King, reminding us that every legend starts in an ordinary neighborhood.

Finally, we’ll wrap up this 1.5-hour tour by returning to the starting point.

Sun Studio Tickets

When booking, you can choose the option that includes tickets to Sun Studio. In this case, after finishing the Memphis bus tour, you’ll be able to make your own way to Sun Studio on Union Avenue.

Once inside, you’ll see a wide collection of photographs, analog recording equipment, and original microphones. Did you know this studio is considered the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll thanks to the recording of That’s All Right by Elvis Presley? You’ll be able to explore the main recording room, a modest space whose acoustics made all the difference at the time. You’ll also learn about the former office of Sam Phillips, Memphis’s great music producer.

To end your visit, you can stop by the shop, filled with vinyl records, special editions, and exclusive memorabilia.