Yesterday I went on the Memphis Mojo Tour by Backbeat Tours. It was the final of Backbeat’s regular tours I had been asked to take in order to understand how to sell and promote the tours.
The Memphis Mojo Tour is unique among the company’s offerings in that the 90-minute tour is led by a local musician who serenades guests with Memphis music.
Musician/tour guide Kathryn Brawley Suda gets the crowd fired up with a song at the beginning of yesterday’s Mojo Tour
Some of the places we saw yesterday included
- Early homes of Elvis and B.B. King (only a few blocks from each other)
- Sun Studio, where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis first recorded
- Stax Museum and the Soulsville neighborhood
- Overton Park Shell, where 19-year-old Elvis opened for Slim Whitman in July 1954
- National Civil Rights Museum
- Chisca Hotel (now apartments), where DJ Dewey Phillips became the first DJ to play Elvis (and tricked him into an interview)
Some of the songs we heard included
- “Li’l Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (did you know Sam the Sham is still alive?)
- “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
- “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins
- “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett
- “Respect” by Aretha Franklin (did you know another artist recorded it first?)
- … and, of course, “That’s All Right, Mama” by Elvis
I couldn’t believe how much information and entertainment they packed into that 90-minute tour (well, 95 – it went a few minutes over). What an incredible value for the price they ask!
The tour wrapped up at 3:05 and I stopped by the Blind Bear for a visit. While there, I checked my Gmail and was delighted to see an email giving me my work schedule for August 8-21! I’m gonna get some hours!
This week, I’m free except for training with the company VP on our computer systems on Wednesday. Of course, if she wants me to pick up any other shifts this week, I’ll happily agree. Saturday is the only day I have firm plans.
Monday-Thursday of next week, I’ll be at our company’s kiosk on Alfred’s patio from 11 AM to 2 PM. The idea there is, if we have someone out there who can talk to passersby and answer questions, we’ll make a lot more sales on the spot. So I’m gonna get PAID to talk to tourists during ELVIS WEEK! Love it!!!
… And yeah, it’s outside. The heat index will probably be around 109 most of the time I’m at the kiosk. I’ll probably get soaked by a torrential rainstorm walking to or from work one of these days. But you know what?
- I’ll log zero hours a week sitting in a cubicle;
- There are no stupid corporate “Agile” or “Six Sigma” practices for selling tours. You just have fun selling them; and
- I have 0% chance of a lengthy commute home because some dumbass drove 80 MPH through ponding water and slammed into a retaining wall
Another perk of the new job: I have the most interesting co-workers imaginable! So far I’ve met
- a semi-retired stand-up comedian
- a retired Navy vet who just may be the best storyteller I’ve ever heard
- the co-worker I already knew, who spent years in a business promoting regional music and culture
- a musician who sits on historic preservation boards
… And I’m the blogger of Downtown Memphis for the past 19 years. Really, I fit right in. I’ve found my people.
I’m not yet scheduled to lead tours, but I’ve been told I will be soon. At least a dozen friends have said they can’t wait to take a tour from me. I will probably steer them toward the Discovery Tour because of the air-conditioned bus and the Central BBQ snack, although the Beale Street Tour and the Historic Downtown Memphis Tour are options too.
Yesterday I found out a couple of pieces of information I wanted to pass on to my readers…
I got to Beale Street about 25 minutes before the Mojo Tour was scheduled to begin, so I decided to stop in A. Schwab and look around a bit. You may recall that the new owners installed an old-fashioned soda fountain after they bought the place from the Schwabs in 2011. There you can get sundaes, shakes, malts…
And you can also get the cheapest beer on the street. I saw people carrying around plastic cups of 16 oz. domestic beer (didn’t catch what variety) for only $3. Not only does that price beat touristy Beale Street bars, but it also beats some of the Downtown bars locals frequent, including Bardog and Max’s Sports Bar.
While I was riding the bus on the Mojo Tour, I solved a recent mystery that was on this blog. I had been told there was a restaurant – “something bistro” – at Jefferson and Manassas, known for really good craft burgers and street tacos. Yet I couldn’t find it on Google Maps or StreetView, and people who worked in the area told me no such restaurant existed on that corner.
Yesterday I saw the restaurant from the bus window, and it’s called BT Bistro and it is at Jefferson and Pauline, not Manassas. I found the menu and they do indeed have craft burgers and street tacos at very reasonable prices.
Let’s see what other news we’ve got…
Cocozza, the red sauce Italian restaurant on Mud Island, now has online reservations through their website. However, if your party is 5 or more, they ask that you call 901-609-1111 to make reservations. You can also call the number to get put on the wait list. The bar and patio areas are first-come, first-served.
The Memphis Tigers rolled to an exhibition win in the Dominican Republic yesterday. The Tigers were short-handed for the game, several players apparently having eaten some bad salmon.
Today is the first day of school for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Action News 5 has a look at the Jehovah’s Witness convention at Renasant Convention Center this week. The theme of this year’s convention is exercising patience.
Also from Action News 5: Oh Sweets Skincare opens in Downtown Memphis
Check out this TikTok about the new Downtown Mobility Center.
Here’s a list of golfers who will be playing in the FedEx-St. Jude Championship in Memphis later this week. Want to watch the tournament without the Memphis heat and stupid golf course dress codes? The place to be is Birdie’s on South Main.
And finally, let’s wrap this post up with wisdom from a barmat.
