Music Places: Tupelo, MS- Elvis Presley birthplace

 Here is another music place I stopped on vacation.

I realized we could go through Tupelo, Mississippi when I was looking at routes back from Florida. Of course, I had to go. 

There’s not a ton there, which makes sense, no one would have guessed this kid would become Elvis Presley. Not only the usual "American Idol" hardship stories, but the odds were overly stacked against the Presleys.

Elvis’s childhood home is here. It is as you may know, the “shotgun shack”, like the kind that shows up in old country songs. There are two rooms- a bedroom and a kitchen. You can buy a ticket to go inside (if you are cash strapped, you can still go to Tupelo and see the outside for free).

There is a small museum. Of course, no one was collecting memorabilia from Presley’s childhood, as the family was dirt poor. It is a decent museum, given that- on the small side with a few of his outfits and related items and the story of his youth; but it is also rather inexpensive to tour.  Most are on loan from a family friend.  The real barometer is my wife did enjoy reading about his childhood.

There are conflicting reports of what the Presley family drove, so you have to make todo with a similar car to theirs on display. There is a focus on Elvis and gospel at this landmark, so the church Elvis attended has been moved onsite. There are a couple of Elvis related sculptures. One is a lifesize of Elvis aged 13.

Tupelo is almost an anti-Graceland. The simplicity is the yin to the excessive yang.

We also stopped at the Vietnam memorial in the town park that caught the kids eye, with a F105 Thunderchief bomber jet (one of the most recognizable Vietnam War aircrafts).

Music Places: Hank Williams Museum

 I’m a huge Hank Williams fan. There were a couple of points in my life where I played Hank obsessively - around my 21st year in the golden age of CDs and a few years ago in the recent age of streaming and was able to listen to what had been harder to find recordings.

The Hank Williams Museum is in Montgomery, Alabama. I was passing through which means I didn’t have a ton of time to see everything in the town I would want to see. But I did have plenty of time to see the Museum. (There is another museum near his birthplace, which was slightly off route).

The Museum looks small but was fairly packed with stuff. There was a video room where Hank was playing. There were plenty of outfits (and related people’s outfits and instruments), gold records, a couple of written letters and a few pieces of the Williams household. Not weird to see borrowed items in a collection, but weird to see so much stuff that said “On loan from Hank Williams Jr”

The centerpiece is the blue Cadillac that was used in that now mythical drive from Knoxville to West Virginia on which Hank passed away. The staff was so friendly and it was really a cool site to see. They don’t allow pictures of the museum but they said every once awhile they will let someone take a picture, so they took one of me with it, if I put in my review to let everyone it is the Hank Williams Museum. I’m not a big influencer or anything, but I think spent enough time there and was talking enough about him and I'm guessing that is why. I already loved my visit, but really appreciate it.

Iowa State Fair Free Stage Review 2022

 There is a joke about State Fairs and bands. Now, when I talk about State Fairs, I’m not so much interested in the Grandstand acts, but here in Iowa- the acts that play on the free stage. These are usually bands that are at the very beginning of their musical career path or at the very end. I like to catch up with these forgotten pop stars to see where they have been.

First an aside about the Grandstand performers. I will note for those who are interested the three tiers of State Fair headliners. The Des Moines Register did report on sales figures and there are in order: the big "standing room only" draws (Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood) followed by the solid sales (Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Alanis Morrisette, Nelly/Ginuwine) and the “plenty of tickets left (ZZTop/Ann Wilson, Disturbed/Chevelle, Demi Lovato, Christian alt rock band Skillet and Christian comedian/YouTuber John Crist)

But now I focus on the “grinders” - those not commanding $100 front row seats and $45 “Nosebleeds” -the musical acts taking the Free Stage at the Iowa State Fair

Wang Chung
You loved them- Now probably best known for the epileptic video and the (I think) cringe
lyrics of “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” - the truth is before it was overplayed- it was a pretty good song - and I dig the other hits “Dance Hall Days” and late career hit “Praying to a New God”. I actually owned that last record.

But did you know- Oh crap, I forgot how much I liked this band. Like Howard Jones and A Flock of Seagulls (to name two) they seem to have a built in 80s Nostalgia audience, but somehow (likely because of chart success) seem to get looked over by more serious critic types. I remember now that they started out as Huang Ching but I completely forgot “Let’s Go” the Top 10 follow-up to “…Fun Tonight”. It was one of my most favorite songs of my youth and I doubt I have heard it since. Lest we forget there was also “To Live and Die in LA”. They ended up placing 8 songs in the Top 100 and deceptively are more than a one hit wonder. They showed up in the 2005 NBC Band Reunion show Hit Me Baby One More Time where they performed Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”

And, these days Singer Jack Hues and Bassist Nick Feldman split in the 90s. Hues recorded an (unreleased) solo album. Hues formed a band with Tony Banks of Genesis called Strictly Inc and released a record. Feldman formed a band with Jon Moss of Culture Club (Promised Land). The band has spent the 21st Century on the nostalgia circuit. There was a reunion album in 2012 (Tazer Up) and an orchestral working of the greatest hits in 2019.

Slaughter
You loved them- In the age of glam metal, Slaughter made a splash with “Up All Night” - an update to Kiss-style anthems. I can’t resist a good rock anthem and that’s a good one. They had rock bonafides as members of the Vinnie Vincent invasion (wiki said the band came to be when Vinnie exceeded the record label’s credit limit, so they booted him and kept the rest of the band). They had a lot of MTV presence but grunge was around the corner.

But did you know- Slaughter were able to follow up the success of that debut single with a Top 20 record and the even more successful ballad “Fly to the Angels “. The follow up album debuted at #8 and its singles hit the rock charts. The band seemed to do their best at bucking trends joining the CMC International label trying to keep 80s glam alive. 1995’s Fear No Evil still made the Top 200 but releases in 97 and 99 didn’t chart.

And, these days- I don’t see a new album listed in the last 20 years but Slaughter has stayed active and been a mainstay on the glam nostalgia circuit. Though at their peak, the members experienced drug issues and motorcycle accidents, their current history is rather devoid of tumult with the current lineup including all of the original members (minus the late Tim Kelly)

Country Gold with LeRoy VanDyke featuring TG Sheppard and Kelly Lang-
You loved them-LeRoy has been doing this for a long time. He is now 92. He is well known for the Auctioneer Song which I loved as a kid and Walk on By which is a country classic. TG Sheppard was huge when I was a kid. He was part of the Urban Cowboy movement with Mickey Gilley and Ronnie Milsap. I doubt any new listeners these days know how big he was. “I Loved Em Every One” is this great guilty pleasure song driven by some great instrumental accompaniment. Lang is Ms. Sheppard and a country singer herself.

But did you know-Sheppard had an amazing run 14 # 1s on the country chart starting in 1974 through 1986. Seven songs that crossed over to the Billboard 100. Three albums went Top 10 on the country chart (in 1979, 81, and 82).


And, these days-Sheppard ran a small chain of restaurants in Tennessee (now defunct). A friend of Elvis (as an A&R Man, he helped break "Suspicious Minds"), he hosts an Elvis themed radio show on Sirius XM.

Bulletboys-
You loved them- a talented but much hyped band of the glam rock era. Since they were produced by Ted Templeton, they were blessed and cursed as the “next Van Halen”. They had a hit in “Smooth Up in Ya”- that was probably the best example of the dichotomy of hard rock talent and glam lyric silliness. They had at least two albums of relevance (the second weirdly had a cover of Tom Waits “Hang on St Christopher”).

But did you know- Glam metal always did better on MTV and FM Radio than the Billboard charts, so two albums cracking the Billboard at 34 and 69 and two singles in the Top 100 are quite an accomplishment. Third album Za-Za by all accounts was a bomb in 93 and effectively ended their heyday

And, these days- In 95, dropped from Warner Bros, the band tried a new look and sound makeover and released Acid Monkey. The band has stayed fairly active now 9 albums in via genre labels like Cleopatra and Frontiers. Looking online, these albums seem to be well regarded and received. Bulletboys today are mainly just singer Mark Torien and band. Wikipedia lists 36 former members including Guns N Roses drummer Stephen Adler

Stephen Pearcy from Ratt
You loved them- Ratt were one of the bands that bridged the 70s hard rock of Ted Nugent, Nazareth and AC/DC to the 90s hard rock of Guns N Roses, Skid Row and AC/DC. Perfect for MTV, unlike their peers (Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, WASP) they actually maintained a solid run of success without major changes to their sound (Motley Crue). “Round and Round” was such a huge hit though that it overshadows everything else. Lest we forget, there was an instantly classic GEICO ad in 2020.

But did you know- Their chart success was every bit as succesful as I remember it, with five albums in the Top 30 from 1984 to 1990. They had six charting singles on the Billboard 100 and were still getting lot of play post-Appetite for Destruction/ Dr Feelgood with their Detonator album through 1991. Even post grunge- Pearcy joined Cinderella drummer Fred Coury for a successful venture (and more FM play) in the band Arcade.

And, these days- Unlike most of these stories, Ratt actually were able to climb on the charts and back on rock radio with comebacks in 1999 and 2010. Then there’s a familiar turn in these tales, Pearcy going one way and drummer Bobby Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini the other with the “Ratt” moniker. (Blotzer and DeMartini subsequently had the same issue with Blotzer ultimately winning the use of the band name). The Wikipedia entry ends with a hopeful note of one last Ratt album with Pearcy at the helm.

I can't help but mention- Pearcy’s online bio is ridiculous. While “Round and Round” may have outperformed
contemporary singles by David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna and Prince in 1984, any implied thoughts of artistic superiority seem ludicrous.

Quiet Riot-

You loved them-No doubt, an important band in the transition of rock in the MTV age. On one hand, they are defined by three songs (two of which- and their most famous- were covers of Slade). On the other, their legacy goes back to 1973, when it was co-founded by legendary metal guitarist Randy Rhoades. Lead singer Kevin DuBrow passed away in 2007.

But did you know- Metal Health and Condition Critical were big hits. Metal Health went to #1 and sold 10 million copies knocking Synchronicity out of the top spot. “Cum on feel the Noize” went to # 5. But 1986s “QR3” and 1988 “QR” (with DuBrow booted out of the band) are disappointments in comparison, but at least kept the band on MTV and radio.

And, these days- The band never rested long. Their discography is at 14 albums over their 42 year career. The band has had several lead singers over the years including the guy who played Duke Pearl in This is Spinal Tap and a Top 5 American Idol finalist, but the main singer has been Jizzy Pearl from Love/Hate. With Pearl and Bassist Rudy Sarzo (from the classic QR lineup) rounding out the current incarnation of Quiet Riot is guitarist Alex Grossi (who has played in bands with Guns N Roses alumni Dizzy Reed and Stephen Adler separately) and John Kelly (formerly of Type O Negative and for the last 20 years, Danzig).

I can't help but mention- Although I normally would dunk on bands with one remaining member, it sounds as it was long time drummer Frankie Banali’s wish that the band continue on (Banali died in 2020). I’m not crying. You’re crying.