Photo: Mike Miley
	B.B. King’s Blues Club is a popular Beale Street eatery and entertainment venue in Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis-based receptive showcases Beale Street and Graceland

Tennessee,
© 2012 Group Tour Media
February 2, 2012

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With so much musical heritage and culture centered in the Memphis area, particularly iconic Beale Street, it takes a special tour company to get to the heart of it all.

That means going beyond the point-and-describe approach from the front of the bus. There needs to be a certain energy and enthusiasm to make it all come alive, to experience the magic conjured by some of the greatest musicians ever to take the stage and record No. 1 hits.

Enter Backbeat Tours, a Memphis-based receptive operator that hits all the right notes.

Founded in 2006 by author and historian William Patton, the company specializes in offering interactive experiences that does justice to Bluff City’s musical legacy.

“We wanted to change the whole nature of sightseeing tours,” Patton said.

“Our goal has always been to give visitors and locals alike not simply a traditional tour with stories, dates and a lot of talk, but a unique and special interactive experience they’ll never forget — something that truly brings Memphis to life.”

The company’s tour guides are all Memphis-based musicians who play familiar songs by artists who have helped shape this destination as a mecca of music. There are plenty of humorous anecdotes and comedy woven throughout as well.

Among Backbeat’s more popular tour offerings are its Memphis Mojo, Haunted Memphis, Historic Memphis Waking and Memphis Cocktail tours.

The Mojo Tour, Backbeat’s bread and butter, takes visitors through iconic Beale Street and showcases iconic Sun Studio, Stax Records and more.

The Big Mojo Tour is a beefed up version, and features a guided tour of Sun Studio, developed by Sam Phillips to capture that unique Beale Street sound. Groups can stand on the same floor where Elvis Presley cut some of his first songs as a teenager. 

	Photo: Tennessee Tourism Department
	Graceland is hallowed ground for fans of Elvis Presley.

And if they’re longing for more of the King’s influence, a four-hour Graceland tour is just the thing.

During the 35th anniversary year of his untimely death, Elvis Presley Enterprises has launched three new exhibits.

The “Elvis on Tour Exhibit” takes an in-depth look at the multi-city concert tour undertaken in April 1972. The limited-time display, based on the 1972 MGM documentary, features artifacts such as the producer’s Golden Globe award and clothing worn by Presley on stage.

“ICON: The Influence of Elvis Presley Exhibit” opened March 1 at the Sincerely Elvis Museum.

The third special exhibit, “Elvis...Through His Daughter’s Eyes,” is part of the Graceland VIP Tour, which also includes an audio tour of the mansion and grounds and special access to many of the Elvis exhibits.   

Beyond Graceland, other stops that can be fit into a customizable Backbeat Tours itinerary include the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, National Civil Rights Museum, Gibson Guitar Factory and the WC Handy House Museum. For nightlife lovers, a pub crawl lasting anywhere from three hours to all night long often hits the spot.

Backbeat’s Memphis ghost tours also have drawn considerable group business, Patton said. The tours explore themes of vice, voodoo, phantoms, ghosts and lost souls, exploring some of the city’s eeriest legends.

Backbeat Tours can be reached by phone at (901) 272-2328.

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