Drive South
Despite overflowing schedules at home, Dan and I are hitting the pause button and heading south for a road trip. We will start things off in Memphis for some BBQ and music. I’m hoping to check out Beale Street plus a few other fun happenings and get a peek at the Jungle Room over at Graceland. I am currently reviewing this list from Travel and Leisure for best Memphis BBQ joints and will give you a review of our chosen one.
After Memphis we are heading to northeast Mississippi to watch American Idol Season 15 winner Trent Harmon perform in concert as part of the Tupelo Elvis Fest.
The Elvis Fest is a musical celebration designed to honor Elvis Presley, Tupelo’s native son, and the impact that his music has on the world, according to the fest’s website. Each year regional, national and local artists perform at a main outdoor stage where Trent will perform. A second, indoor stage is for the preliminary rounds for contestants in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. I’m excited to see that hoopla almost as much as I am to watch Trent at his first show!
In honor of our approaching road trip to the south, I’ve compiled my list of 5 Favorite Road Trip Songs:
- I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash. According to Wikipedia, the popular song with an amazing rundown of towns – Davenport made the list but Tupelo and Memphis did not – has been recorded 130 times. It was written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959 and adapted a few years later by Canadian singer Hank Snow. I was surprised to discover Johnny Cash’s version wasn’t recorded until 1996.
- On the Road Again. Well, that was easy. This song was a big ol’ hit for Willie Nelson in 1980. He wrote it for the movie Honeysuckle Rose. After seeing that movie all the girls at my sorority wanted to have a cowboy hat and long curly locks like Dyan Cannon.
- Driving My Life Away, a hit performed by Eddie Rabbitt. The song was released in 1980 and was written by Rabbitt along with Even Stevens and David Malloy. “Windshield wipers slappin’ out a 10-fold!” can’t be beat for rhythmic song lines if you ask me.
- Walking in Memphis written by singer-song writer Marc Cohn who described it in the website Song Facts as a “spiritual awakening” and “journey to be baptized in the world of blues music.” Not really a road trip song but definitely a Memphis song so it has to be on the list.
- Drive South written by John Hiatt. Love this! His version was recorded in 1988 for his classic album Slow Turning available on iTunes here. Suzy Bogguss raced up the charts in early 1993 with the song. I like her performance from a May 14, 2014, show at Music City Roots at the Lovelace Cafe.
The video was posted to YouTube by Music City Roots – I claim no rights.
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