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Shamrock Tour®: Tupelo, Mississippi
Sweetgum Trees and Cold iced Tea
Yesterday's soupy clouds have dissolved in Mississippi blues. Nearby, two boys playing tag dart past, disappearing around a signal corner – one side of the shotgun shack in which Elvis Aaron Presley entered this world on January 8, 1935. As their shouting fades the sound of rustling leaves returns. Resting in the shade of the trees under that clear spring sky, I can't imagine a finer spot has ever been created for anyone about to dine on a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Saying that "The King of Rock and Roll" sprouted from humble roots is an overstatement. For ample evidence of this newborn's extremely straitened circumstances, you only have to look around – the tiny house that is the centerpiece of the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Park is so small it's easily outsized and contained by any number of the prefab tool sheds found in a Home Depot lot. Heck, I'm sure some litters of Great Danes have started out better. And though the Presley family moved to Memphis when Elvis was only 13, he always maintained close ties with relatives and friends in his hometown. In 1957, after playing a sold-out show at the local fairgrounds, the King-in-Waiting donated the proceeds to the City of Tupelo in order to purchase his birthplace and the surrounding property. He wanted the neighborhood children to have a safe place to play. Today, the site provides me with welcome respite from the road and shaded haven for the thousands who visit each year to reflect on all things Elvis: his early years, the timeline sparkling with fame and despair, and, yes, these raw beginnings that gave him voice. ...
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