Where to celebrate B.B. King's and Elvis Presley's birthdays
Posted: October 28th, 2025, 10:40 am
https://www.usatoday.com/story/studiog/ ... 349864007/
Kinsey Gidick Studio Gannett
In Mississippi, the months of January and September feel like bookends to a musical revolution. On Sept. 16, 1925, Riley B. King — better known as B.B. King — was born on a cotton plantation outside tiny Itta Bena, destined to reign as the undisputed king of the blues. Just nine years later, on Jan. 8, 1935, in a modest Tupelo shotgun shack, Elvis Presley arrived — an unlikely future king of rock ’n’ roll. Two Delta sons, worlds apart, yet forever intertwined, their music echoing across decades and genres. Together, they didn’t just change the sound of the South — they changed the sound of the world.
What better moment to celebrate these icons than on their 100th and 90th birthdays respectively? To truly experience their sounds and stories, you need the right itinerary. To help decode their legacy, we turned to Scott Baretta, a longtime instructor of sociology at the University of Mississippi, where he teaches a celebrated course on blues history and serves as a leading voice on the state’s musical heritage.
Baretta provides a journey that takes you from the backroads of the Delta to the hallowed halls of Graceland, with plenty of blues-soaked juke joints and rock ’n’ roll landmarks in between:
Tupelo, Mississippi
Elvis Presley Birthplace
Before Graceland, there was a shotgun shack in Tupelo where Elvis drew his first breath and took his first steps toward rock ’n’ roll royalty. From this modest beginning, you can almost feel the spark of the boy who got his first guitar in 1946 at a local hardware store. The music that shaped him — especially the blues — echoes here, too.
“B.B. was one of the many bluesmen who influenced Elvis,” says Roy Turner, executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum. “When someone called Elvis the ‘King of Rock & Roll,’ he said B.B. was the real king.”
Johnnie's Drive-In
Tupelo’s oldest restaurant is celebrating a milestone of its own this year: 80 years of serving up crispy fries and its Depression-era signature creation known as the Dough Burger. But it’s even more famous as one of Presley’s favorite places. Just before he became a household name, Elvis stopped by Johnnie’s Drive-In — a moment immortalized in a black-and-white photograph. Today, diners can slide into the very booth where the King once sat, a humble corner that now draws fans from around the world. “In this era of fast food, it’s nice to visit a classic spot like this,” Baretta says.
Tupelo Hardware Company
Gladys Presley, Elvis’ mother, is credited with steering him toward his first guitar — a savvy swap for the .22 rifle he originally had his eye on. During a visit to the Tupelo Hardware Company, she gently nudged him toward the instrument that would change music forever. Stop in to browse for your own keepsake or swing by as part of the 14-stop Elvis self-guided driving tour.
Tunica, Mississippi
Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center
About 125 miles west-northwest of Tupelo, Baretta recommends making a pilgrimage to Tunica for the Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center. Set along the legendary Highway 61 — better known as the Blues Highway, stretching from Nashville, Tennessee, to New Orleans, Louisiana — this essential stop delves into the haunting, soulful sound born from the struggles and resilience of Black communities in the rural Delta.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Delta Blues Museum
“Clarksdale is the perfect home base for exploring the Delta blues,” Baretta says. With more than a dozen Mississippi Blues Trail markers nearby, the town offers an immersive sense of place for music lovers. The Delta Blues Museum is a natural first stop.
“Here, we tell the stories of the Delta blues men and women who created and shaped this music,” says Shelley Ritter, the museum’s executive director. “Many of the artists featured in our gallery were B.B. King’s colleagues — some his mentors, others his mentees. A visit provides not only a deeper understanding of the music’s origins in the Mississippi Delta, but also its profound global influence.”
Ground Zero Blues Club
Clarksdale has worked hard over the past decade to promote and preserve its live music scene, ensuring there’s live blues seven nights a week—even during the pandemic. “Don’t miss Ground Zero Blues Club, cofounded by Morgan Freeman in 2001, which remains one of the town’s most iconic venues,” Baretta says.
Red’s
Fun fact: The legendary Red’s juke joint lives on thanks to Orlando Paden, son of the late proprietor Red Paden. A state representative and now Clarksdale’s newly elected mayor, Orlando has stepped in to carry forward his father’s iconic legacy. This is where true blues lovers go to hear the best musicians, according to Baretta.
Cleveland, Mississippi
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
“The GRAMMY Museum showcases the outsized influence Mississippi had on American music,” Baretta says. “We love celebrating their extraordinary legacies,” says the museum’s marketing manager Brittany Hill. “The museum offers an immersive experience that highlights Mississippi’s unmatched impact on the music world, connecting fans to the artists, sounds and stories that shaped generations.”
Dockery, Mississippi
Dockery Farms
Considered the spiritual birthplace of the blues by none other than King himself, Dockery Farms was once a sprawling cotton plantation and the crucible for a musical revolution. Located just outside Cleveland, “it was where Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton — who influenced legends such as Howlin’ Wolf and Mavis Staples’s father, Pops Staples — got their start,” Baretta says. Today, visitors can explore the preserved agricultural buildings, see how the cotton gin once operated, and listen to the haunting recordings of Patton, whose sound laid the foundation for modern American music.
Indianola, MS
B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center
Allan Hammons, president of the B.B. King Museum & Interpretive Center, explains that the museum embodies a powerful truth: “No matter your station in life, hard work and determination can pave the way to success.”
Baretta says, “People might be surprised by the cosmopolitan nature of the museum in a small town in Mississippi.” The institution is chock-full of incredible ephemera. There is B.B. King’s tour buses and Rolls Royce, not to mention his famous “black book” that’s filled with names, addresses and cryptic symbols and notes documenting his worldwide travels. The king was buried on the grounds of the museum, so this really is hallowed ground.
Memphis, Tennessee
Graceland
For music journalist Kelly Rae Edgar, a pilgrimage to Graceland is a requirement for anyone who claims to be a student of rock and roll. “Graceland, and really the whole of Memphis, is the mothership for all Elvis freaks,” Edgar says. “My mama raised me on Elvis, and I am lucky I was able to take her there in 2008, fulfilling not one but two lifelong dreams. It was always a must for us, to pay our respects at his grave, behold the infamous TV room, and tour the Lisa Marie, the Presley plane named after his first and only child
Edgar says that Elvis fans might feel like they are stepping back in time reliving the Christmas parties held inside the pristine, white living room and the songs sung around the piano. “Pro tip: Listen to Elvis Radio on SiriusXM when in Memphis,” Edgar says. “It's broadcast live from Graceland.”
Sun Studio
No trip to Memphis is complete without a stop at Sun Studio, the hallowed ground where Sam Phillips launched the Memphis Recording Service in 1950 — and later Sun Records in 1952. This unassuming space gave rise to legends, from blues greats to rock-and-roll icons such as Presley and Johnny Cash.
“Just a mile from Beale Street, it’s an easy drive,” Baretta says.
Today, Sun Studio still operates as a recording space, and the guided tours are a highlight — led by storytellers who know the lore and aren’t afraid to dish out a little rock history gossip.
Kinsey Gidick Studio Gannett
In Mississippi, the months of January and September feel like bookends to a musical revolution. On Sept. 16, 1925, Riley B. King — better known as B.B. King — was born on a cotton plantation outside tiny Itta Bena, destined to reign as the undisputed king of the blues. Just nine years later, on Jan. 8, 1935, in a modest Tupelo shotgun shack, Elvis Presley arrived — an unlikely future king of rock ’n’ roll. Two Delta sons, worlds apart, yet forever intertwined, their music echoing across decades and genres. Together, they didn’t just change the sound of the South — they changed the sound of the world.
What better moment to celebrate these icons than on their 100th and 90th birthdays respectively? To truly experience their sounds and stories, you need the right itinerary. To help decode their legacy, we turned to Scott Baretta, a longtime instructor of sociology at the University of Mississippi, where he teaches a celebrated course on blues history and serves as a leading voice on the state’s musical heritage.
Baretta provides a journey that takes you from the backroads of the Delta to the hallowed halls of Graceland, with plenty of blues-soaked juke joints and rock ’n’ roll landmarks in between:
Tupelo, Mississippi
Elvis Presley Birthplace
Before Graceland, there was a shotgun shack in Tupelo where Elvis drew his first breath and took his first steps toward rock ’n’ roll royalty. From this modest beginning, you can almost feel the spark of the boy who got his first guitar in 1946 at a local hardware store. The music that shaped him — especially the blues — echoes here, too.
“B.B. was one of the many bluesmen who influenced Elvis,” says Roy Turner, executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum. “When someone called Elvis the ‘King of Rock & Roll,’ he said B.B. was the real king.”
Johnnie's Drive-In
Tupelo’s oldest restaurant is celebrating a milestone of its own this year: 80 years of serving up crispy fries and its Depression-era signature creation known as the Dough Burger. But it’s even more famous as one of Presley’s favorite places. Just before he became a household name, Elvis stopped by Johnnie’s Drive-In — a moment immortalized in a black-and-white photograph. Today, diners can slide into the very booth where the King once sat, a humble corner that now draws fans from around the world. “In this era of fast food, it’s nice to visit a classic spot like this,” Baretta says.
Tupelo Hardware Company
Gladys Presley, Elvis’ mother, is credited with steering him toward his first guitar — a savvy swap for the .22 rifle he originally had his eye on. During a visit to the Tupelo Hardware Company, she gently nudged him toward the instrument that would change music forever. Stop in to browse for your own keepsake or swing by as part of the 14-stop Elvis self-guided driving tour.
Tunica, Mississippi
Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center
About 125 miles west-northwest of Tupelo, Baretta recommends making a pilgrimage to Tunica for the Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center. Set along the legendary Highway 61 — better known as the Blues Highway, stretching from Nashville, Tennessee, to New Orleans, Louisiana — this essential stop delves into the haunting, soulful sound born from the struggles and resilience of Black communities in the rural Delta.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Delta Blues Museum
“Clarksdale is the perfect home base for exploring the Delta blues,” Baretta says. With more than a dozen Mississippi Blues Trail markers nearby, the town offers an immersive sense of place for music lovers. The Delta Blues Museum is a natural first stop.
“Here, we tell the stories of the Delta blues men and women who created and shaped this music,” says Shelley Ritter, the museum’s executive director. “Many of the artists featured in our gallery were B.B. King’s colleagues — some his mentors, others his mentees. A visit provides not only a deeper understanding of the music’s origins in the Mississippi Delta, but also its profound global influence.”
Ground Zero Blues Club
Clarksdale has worked hard over the past decade to promote and preserve its live music scene, ensuring there’s live blues seven nights a week—even during the pandemic. “Don’t miss Ground Zero Blues Club, cofounded by Morgan Freeman in 2001, which remains one of the town’s most iconic venues,” Baretta says.
Red’s
Fun fact: The legendary Red’s juke joint lives on thanks to Orlando Paden, son of the late proprietor Red Paden. A state representative and now Clarksdale’s newly elected mayor, Orlando has stepped in to carry forward his father’s iconic legacy. This is where true blues lovers go to hear the best musicians, according to Baretta.
Cleveland, Mississippi
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
“The GRAMMY Museum showcases the outsized influence Mississippi had on American music,” Baretta says. “We love celebrating their extraordinary legacies,” says the museum’s marketing manager Brittany Hill. “The museum offers an immersive experience that highlights Mississippi’s unmatched impact on the music world, connecting fans to the artists, sounds and stories that shaped generations.”
Dockery, Mississippi
Dockery Farms
Considered the spiritual birthplace of the blues by none other than King himself, Dockery Farms was once a sprawling cotton plantation and the crucible for a musical revolution. Located just outside Cleveland, “it was where Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton — who influenced legends such as Howlin’ Wolf and Mavis Staples’s father, Pops Staples — got their start,” Baretta says. Today, visitors can explore the preserved agricultural buildings, see how the cotton gin once operated, and listen to the haunting recordings of Patton, whose sound laid the foundation for modern American music.
Indianola, MS
B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center
Allan Hammons, president of the B.B. King Museum & Interpretive Center, explains that the museum embodies a powerful truth: “No matter your station in life, hard work and determination can pave the way to success.”
Baretta says, “People might be surprised by the cosmopolitan nature of the museum in a small town in Mississippi.” The institution is chock-full of incredible ephemera. There is B.B. King’s tour buses and Rolls Royce, not to mention his famous “black book” that’s filled with names, addresses and cryptic symbols and notes documenting his worldwide travels. The king was buried on the grounds of the museum, so this really is hallowed ground.
Memphis, Tennessee
Graceland
For music journalist Kelly Rae Edgar, a pilgrimage to Graceland is a requirement for anyone who claims to be a student of rock and roll. “Graceland, and really the whole of Memphis, is the mothership for all Elvis freaks,” Edgar says. “My mama raised me on Elvis, and I am lucky I was able to take her there in 2008, fulfilling not one but two lifelong dreams. It was always a must for us, to pay our respects at his grave, behold the infamous TV room, and tour the Lisa Marie, the Presley plane named after his first and only child
Edgar says that Elvis fans might feel like they are stepping back in time reliving the Christmas parties held inside the pristine, white living room and the songs sung around the piano. “Pro tip: Listen to Elvis Radio on SiriusXM when in Memphis,” Edgar says. “It's broadcast live from Graceland.”
Sun Studio
No trip to Memphis is complete without a stop at Sun Studio, the hallowed ground where Sam Phillips launched the Memphis Recording Service in 1950 — and later Sun Records in 1952. This unassuming space gave rise to legends, from blues greats to rock-and-roll icons such as Presley and Johnny Cash.
“Just a mile from Beale Street, it’s an easy drive,” Baretta says.
Today, Sun Studio still operates as a recording space, and the guided tours are a highlight — led by storytellers who know the lore and aren’t afraid to dish out a little rock history gossip.