Memphis on a budget: Beale Street, Sun Studio and everything ElvisMEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis is where you go to celebrate everything Elvis. Sun Studio is where Presley got his start as the King of Rock’n'Roll, and Graceland is a few miles south of downtown. But other styles of music — the blues and soul — also have deep roots in this city on the Mississippi River, with legendary Beale Street and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music among the must-sees for any visitor. Sam Cooke’s music, business acumen take center state at Mississippi music festivalJACKSON, Miss. — More than 40 years after his tragic, violent death, Sam Cooke is still known as the legendary soul and gospel singer who penned “A Change is Gonna Come,” which found a new audience with the election of America’s first black president. Tony Bennett takes a break from Jazz Fest to donate instruments to New Orleans schoolNEW ORLEANS — Jazz crooner Tony Bennett handed out dozens of new instruments Thursday to students at a charter school founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hoping the tubas, trumpets and trombones would be used to carry on New Orleans’ vibrant musical tradition. |