The Best Music City In Tennessee That Isn't Nashville

Nashville is known as "Music City" for good reason. With the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Grand Ole Opry, the National Museum of African American Music, record labels, and live music somewhere every night, this city has long played a vital role in the proliferation of popular American music across the globe. However, plenty of significant developments in music stem from another Tennessee city: Memphis.

Just three hours west of Nashville, Memphis is considered by many music historians as the birthplace of rock and roll, a genre born out of jazz, blues, gospel, and country. Rural to urban migrations and varied demographics allowed these genres to thrive in this Mississippi River city. Memphis became important to the business side of music as well, with many record labels starting here. The perfect place to learn it all about this is the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate. Here, you'll see exhibits on how rural farmers brought their music to Memphis and how radio helped different music styles spread across the region. More exhibits highlight some of the specific songs from these music scenes. You'll leave the museum ready to compile your own Memphis-inspired playlist like I did.

Another great option to visit is the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, which is just around the corner from Beale Street. This is where prominent African American musicians like B.B. King, Louis Armstrong, and more performed in the 1950s. Even before that, "Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy penned "Beale Street Blues" in 1916. Today, Beale Street is as vibrant as ever. Hear live music at popular restaurants like B.B. King's Blues Club, where you should definitely try the shrimp and grits, or Silky O'Sullivan's, a dueling piano bar with climbing goats that is a staple of its street. 

Just minutes from Beale Street is Sun Studio. Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats recorded "Rocket 88" here in 1951, a song often regarded as the first rock and roll song ever recorded. Studio owner Sam Phillips then launched Sun Records out of this building, and after hearing Elvis Presley lay down some tracks here just for fun, Phillips signed him to his record label in 1954. Others who recorded with Sun Records include Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison. Sun Studio tours let you see the largely unchanged recording studio used by all of these legends. Given its humble appearance, it's incredible that this building was the site of such key moments that forever changed American music.

To learn about another famous Memphis record label, head to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. In 1960, Memphians Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton founded Stax Records, which partnered with Atlantic Records soon after. Soul and gospel influenced Stax hitmakers like Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, and Carla Thomas. The museum's exhibits discuss the origins of these genres and celebrate the songs and artists who were part of Stax Records. When you sample the music at the museum, dancing is encouraged!

A music lover's vacation to this beautiful but overlooked Nashville alternative would be incomplete without a stop at Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley. Aside from being an eclectic home, and even though thousands of tourists have flocked to Tennessee in record numbers to see it over the past few decades, Graceland retains a uniquely peaceful atmosphere. No wonder why Presley retreated there after filming movies and performing sold-out shows. Another must when visiting Graceland is Elvis Presley's Memphis across the street. This exhibit complex features his most iconic outfits, Grammys, gold records, testimonies from music industry A-listers who count him as an influence, and much more.