Memphis Photographs

2019

Is there a suitable hill to look down from onto the whole of this town?

Blue tinged Beale Street in Memphis, TN

Memphis

Red traffic light over the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN
Tunnel view of Beale Street in Memphis, TN, with tufted clouds (altocumulus) and sun highlights.

Tennessee

 
 
 
Beautiful quilted white puffy clouds (stratocumulus)over Beale Street in Memphis, TN
 
Rosa Parks Sitting in the Bus Exhibit at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN.

Rosa Parks

 

This collection of photos from January 2019 celebrates a journey into Memphis —
made of marvel, music and memory.

View of Main Street Trolley Line in the South Main Arts District in Memphis, TN. Curving towards the Civil Rights Museum.

South Main Arts District

 
Driving by the Blues Hall of Fame on Main Street in the South Main Arts District in Memphis, TN.

Home of the Blues

 
 
Green tinted photo of the Arcade Restaurant, Memphis, TN oldest cafe in the South Main Arts District.

Memphis’ Oldest Cafe

Lookin down S. Main Street towards the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN
 
Martin Luther King Jr signature on a dark brick wall — from an exhibit at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN
Lorraine Motel Marquis with words "I have a dream MLK" in Memphis, TN
An ominous sky cracked with light over the infamous Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN

Martin Luther King made it to his “mountaintop” on the eve of the last day of his life, April 4, 1968.

 
 
National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Motel
Stormy sky over a wide view of The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN
 
 
A semi-submerged gate with a STOP sign near the shoreline of the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN, with an overcast sky and a lone fisherman on a small point across an inlet
A moody darkening sky — a tree-lined shore — the muddy Mississippi River — with the Hernando de Soto Bridge in the background
 
 

In January 2023, Tyre Nichols went over to “the other side” of his sacrificial rise,
confronted in consummating struggle with similar competing visions of doom and promise.

 
 
Tree-lined shore of the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN — on an overcast mid-winter day

Mississippi River

 
Mid-winter — subtly striated blue-gray sky — Memphis, TN — Mississippi River tree-lined shore — Hernando de Soto Bridge in background

It’s been reported that Tyre liked to take in sunsets and to take photographs of images that moved him.

sparsely populated Mid-America Mall, a pedestrian mall, in Downtown Memphis, TN — blue skies and sun-topped buildings — trees and shrubs along the sidewalk
Green trolley car on the Riverfront Shuttle Line — Downtown, Memphis, TN — sunlit tall buildings

Downtown

A long shot of a nearly deserted Main Street in Downtown, Memphis, TN, receding toward the Orpheum Theatre — a group of women wearing pink t-shirts standing in the street seemingly rehearsing for a performance
 
 
 
Registration desk in the empty lobby of the historic Residence Inn by Marriott in Memphis, TN — appointed in the style of art deco.

Residence Inn 1930

 
Art Deco designed elevators in the lobby of the historic Residence Inn by Marriott in Memphis, TN — view of a balcony above the elevators — and a striped square pillar

Echoes of Deco

 

Music can be a form of sacrifice.

Portrait of a mature B.B. King hanging in his blues club in Memphis, TN — with a string-bending grimace in a context of fiery colors holding his signature Lucille guitar

B. B. King

 
Beale Street home of B.B. King's Blues Club in Memphis, TN — two story brick building on the corner — traffic light and street name overhead
Portrait of a young B.B. King hanging on the wall of his blues club in Memphis, TN — colors are greens and blues — holding his hollow-bodied Gibson guitar

Young B.B.

 
 
View of Graceland across the front lawn with sparsely leafed trees in Memphis, TN
a blue billboard advertising Graceland with picture of Elvis — raised high above the rooftops of a shadowy set of buildings
 

True sacrifices, in whatever form and of whatever size, seek each other and grow.

Roger Lienke seen playing the piano with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN in 2019.

The Million Dollar Quartet
A quintet in a parallel universe ;)

 
Sun Studio Bldg in Memphis, TN. Brick building decked with a large guitar, Sun Studio logo, and large photos of Sun recording stars.
Roger Lienke seen leaning into a rockin' pose with a vintage microphone on a stand, with the encouragement of Sam Philips and Elvis Presley on the wall.

Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley on backup vocals ;)

 
 
Copy of a photo of Elvis and his early band.

Elvis on lead vocal

 
Copy of a photo of Roy Orison, peering out from behind his shades and plucking his git-fiddle.

Roy Orbison

 
 
A long view of Front Street in Downtown Memphis, TN — approaching the skybridge to Mud Island River Park — skybridge is draped with a banner advertising “A New Century of SOUL”
 
A view inside the STAX Recording Company featuring a historical photo of the Capitol Theatre which STAX renovated as a recording studio (Memphis, TN)

from Moviehouse to Music Studio

 
STAX Museum marquee with a tall stack of giant vinyl records atop in the forefront — with a long view of the sidewalk receding past Satellite Record Shop (Memphis, TN)

Soul Music Capitol

 
 
A tall colorful display of STAX record covers. (Memphis, TN)

A Talent Powerhouse

Multi-colored SEEBURG Jukebox with a Booker T. and the MGs 45 cover for “Time is Tight” featured as Artist of the Week

10 cents a play

 
Looking down on 2nd Street from the Historic Residence Inn towards the Mississippi River banked on the far side with an orange, gray and yellow sunset (Memphis, TN)
 

I offer these assembled pictures
in honor of Tyre Nichols,
held in context by the inspiration of
Martin Luther King and others,
whose blood of sacrifice runs toward and back from
the indomitable heart of Memphis.

 
Colorful Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, TN lit up at night
 
 
Looking out from the historic Residence Inn in Downtown Memphis, TN across the rooftops toward The Peabody hotel — with a juxtaposed reflection of the hotel room projected on the building facing the hotel and dominates the right half of the photo

something to reflect on

Kathleen and Roger in front of the Hard Rock Cafe sporting a large neon guitar and reflected lights
 
View from above Downtown Memphis, TN at night

from above

 

and one more sunset

Sunset with layered clouds and light — across the Mississippi — with gray rooftops in the foreground (Memphis, TN)