25-JUN-2009
061: Memphis
These guys in the kitchen knew exactly what they were doing, and they did it really FAST for a whole gang of people who were in the Blues City Cafe for lunch.
25-JUN-2009
062: Memphis
Addison: Grooving on lunch.
26-JUN-2009
063: Memphis
Staying true to the Elizabethtown route and our wonderful Shirley-prepared guide, we went in search of Ernestine & Hazel's bar on South Main. Found it; it's right at the bottom of the Main Street trolley line.
I doubt this place looks any different than it did when the movie was filmed. Probably not much is different here in years! It was an experience...and one of those few, almost surreal, experiences that became one of the highlights of this trip.
26-JUN-2009
063: Memphis
While I was taking Addison's picture next to this photo of Orlando Bloom on the wall, Russell, the owner of E&H's, who was deep inside the jukebox making some sort of unknown repairs, informed us that he's had 14 minutes of speaking parts in Elizabethtown, but that they'd all been edited out except for in the bonus features. Addison had, of course, recognized him immediately from the DVD bonus features. Russell told us numerous tales of the movie making; he said Orlando Bloom and especially Cameron Crowe were just really nice guys.
Twelve movies have been filmed at Ernestine & Hazel's, including 21 Grams and My Blueberry Nights.
26-JUN-2009
064: Memphis
Russell then invited us up to his office upstairs. He toured us through the ancient brothel, the tiny piano bar, and the "other" rooms, now all sitting rooms for the music upstairs, then we went into his office.
26-JUN-2009
065: Memphis
The piano bar. Three stools and a little table overlooking South Main Street.
26-JUN-2009
066: Memphis
More of the upstairs.
When we went with Russell into his office, he autographed a copy of the Elizabethtown sound track that he pulled from a big box, saying that Cameron Crowe had sent him this whole box of them. He also gave us an 8"x10" photograph of "The Two Kings," Elvis Pressley and B.B. King, that was taken at Ernesting & Hazel's. He gave Addison a snapshot photo of Nora Jones, who was in My Blueberry Nights, one of the movies recently filmed in E&H's.
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So this turned out to be a major "Elizabethtown Moment" on the trip. Nobody could have been more friendly than Russell. And he seemed to be enjoying himself as much as we were!
26-JUN-2009
067: Memphis
The Rules. Painted on a breaker box at Ernestine & Hazel's.
26-JUN-2009
068: Memphis
We spent the afternoon at Sun Studios. Took a great tour there and visited the place where so many of the old rockers have been recorded: Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers, and even some more contemporary bands like U2, to name a few.
26-JUN-2009
069: Memphis
The Original--the huge, one track recorder Sam used in the studio in the early days. These days, you can make a quality digital recording with something the size of an Ipod. This was more the size of a small refrigerator.
26-JUN-2009
070: Memphis
Upstairs in the studio is a veritable museum. Guitars and memorabilia from many of the early recording artists who recorded at Sun.
26-JUN-2009
071: Memphis
Addison stood on the "X" on the floor where Elvis and Johnny Cash and others (where the best acoustics were for recording) and tried out the original microphone used in the studio to record both of them and many others.