pulling in the anchor and pushing off with an -...
3
pulling in the anchor and pushing off with an oar, then cranking the motor. “I’m not a baby,” I said. I was twelve and big for my age. I was almost as big as he was, I thought. I was about the same age Danny had been when he and his mother moved away. “Are you stupid then?” he said as we con- tinued down the river. I remembered my dad saying I looked a lot like Danny and my uncle threatening to shoot him if he ever said it again. “No,” I said. “No what?” he said, speeding up again and maneuvering around a log. He was still frown- ing but not as hard as before. “No sir,” I said. The sky was a deep blue, and the sun felt warm on my skin. I took out my knife and polished the green pearlized handle with my shirt. “Okay,” my uncle said, steering toward a shady spot. “Let’s fish.” He handed me a rod and got out the bait. “If we get enough, we’ll have a fish fry tonight. You can eat a fish right down to the bone, like a cat,” he chuckled, trying to put us both back in the good mood we’d been in when we started out this morning. I plunked my baited line into the water and watched the circles it made spread further and further apart until they had disappeared and the surface was smooth and still. I could see my re- flection in it, the reflection of a silly boy, so filled with hope he could hardly breathe, imag- ining the fish we would catch, the celebration we would have tonight. Hoping my uncle would smile the way he still did once in a while, his eyes twinkling like a sky full of sunshine. sts ___________________________________________________________________________________ 64 Arkansas Review 49.1 (April 2018) Rockabilly Rides: 1959 Ford Fairlane. Photograph by Lisa Chaney.
Transcript of pulling in the anchor and pushing off with an -...
pulling in the anchor and pushing off with anoar, then cranking the motor.
“I’m not a baby,” I said. I was twelve and bigfor my age. I was almost as big as he was, Ithought. I was about the same age Danny hadbeen when he and his mother moved away.
“Are you stupid then?” he said as we con-tinued down the river.
I remembered my dad saying I looked a lotlike Danny and my uncle threatening to shoothim if he ever said it again. “No,” I said.
“No what?” he said, speeding up again andmaneuvering around a log. He was still frown-ing but not as hard as before.
“No sir,” I said. The sky was a deep blue,and the sun felt warm on my skin. I took out myknife and polished the green pearlized handlewith my shirt.
“Okay,” my uncle said, steering toward ashady spot. “Let’s fish.” He handed me a rod andgot out the bait. “If we get enough, we’ll have afish fry tonight. You can eat a fish right downto the bone, like a cat,” he chuckled, trying toput us both back in the good mood we’d beenin when we started out this morning.
I plunked my baited line into the water andwatched the circles it made spread further andfurther apart until they had disappeared and thesurface was smooth and still. I could see my re-flection in it, the reflection of a silly boy, sofilled with hope he could hardly breathe, imag-ining the fish we would catch, the celebrationwe would have tonight. Hoping my unclewould smile the way he still did once in a while,his eyes twinkling like a sky full of sunshine.sts
___________________________________________________________________________________64Arkansas Review 49.1 (April 2018)
Rockabilly Rides: 1959 Ford Fairlane.Photograph by Lisa Chaney.
___________________________________________________________________________________65Arkansas Review 49.1 (April 2018)
Rockabilly RidesMemphis, TennesseeBy LaDawn Lee Fuhr
Memphis, Tennessee is renowned for itsmusical and cultural contributions to the world.This famous quote ‘the Mississippi Delta beginsin the lobby of the Peabody Hotel and ends onCatfish Row in Vicksburg’ is a good descriptionof Memphis’s diverse and eclectic heritage.From W.C. Handy bringing the blues to BealeStreet, Sam Phillips of Sun Records discoveringMusical phenomena in his own backyard, orJim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton creat-ing the Stax Records sound by integrating thesounds of all people, Memphis has been at theepicenter of American musical history. Imaginea young man who would later become the Kingof Rock and Roll dancing at his high schoolprom, or a vacuum salesman with a low, silkyvoice who would go on to become the leg-endary Man in Black: Memphis has a great dealof heritage that cannot be missed. And Rocka-billy Rides will drive you there, and beyond, instyle.
Rockabilly Rides is a Memphis Tour expe-rience that takes the visitor back in time alongthe streets of Memphis, Tennessee when someof the biggest names in music were only dream-ing of the future. Visitors experience those sto-ries and landmarks in a classic car that was instyle at the same time history was being madein the home of the blues, and the birthplace ofrock and roll. Brad Birkedahl and BrandonCunning are the owners of Rockabilly Rides.Both are accomplished and popular musicianswho perform on historic Beale Street in down-town Memphis. Like so many others, they lovethe sounds that came out of iconic Sun Studioand share those tunes from the stage regularlywith audiences from around the world. But they
felt the stories behind the musical gems woveninto the fabric of American music history de-served to be told in full.
Working for a local touring companytelling Memphis history to a multitude oftourists inspired Birkedahl and Cunning to offera more intimate insider tour experience by pre-senting a realistic, up close and personal her-itage tour of the River City. And what betterway to spark the imagination than in a shinytwo-ton time machine identical to those vehi-cles rocking the streets of Memphis back in theday. With both company founders owning vin-tage cars, Birkedahl’s a 1959 Ford Fairlane Sky-liner retractable convertible, licensed forSunday driving only, and Cunning’s 1955Chevy Bel Air, stored and collecting dust in hisformer Pennsylvania hometown, the idea forRockabilly Rides was born.
Rockabilly Rides booked their first cus-tomer in June 2015. Six hundred and fifty tourslater, reservations have nearly doubled everyyear. The company now sports four classic ve-hicles that take visitors on their Elvis 101 tourand a Memphis history tour. The Elvis 101 Tourbegins downtown at the former site of LanskyBrothers clothing store, a favorite Elvis shop-ping spot. Next, to the historic Peabody Hotel,home of the Peabody ducks, where Elvis at-tended his senior prom; then a cruise to Elvis’shome in Lauderdale courts, government hous-ing where he lived as a teenager, Humes Highschool, where he graduated in 1953, and othermust see hot spots.
The Rockabilly Rides Memphis 101 tourcovers important aspects of the historical Deltaand the South including tours on the blues, theCivil War, the mighty Mississippi River, and theCivil Rights era. By request only is the MillionDollar Quarter Tour, visiting the sites as seenby the original Southern fab four Sun Record-ing artists Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee
Delta Sources and Resources
___________________________________________________________________________________66Arkansas Review 49.1 (April 2018)
Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Rockabilly Rides hasexpanded the business with custom transportservices such as weddings and hosting VIPs whowant to be in a sweet ride while in Memphis.Rockabilly Rides has a 5-star rating from TripAdvisor which frequently ranks them as the topcity tour in Memphis. The company is featuredin the book 100 Things to Do in Memphis Be-fore You Die, and has hosted customers from allover the world.
The real secret weapons of RockabillyRides are the owners/tour guides, BradBirkedahl and Brandon Cunning. Birkedahl isa native of Tacoma, Washington who beganplaying guitar at age twelve and transplanted toMemphis twenty years ago to play rock and roll.He has been a mainstay on Beale Street andplayed the world with legends like Carl Perkins,Wanda Jackson, Billy Lee Riley, The StrayCats, and DJ Fontana. He is also known for hiswork with the rockabilly trio, The Dempsey’s,with whom he appeared, as legendary guitaristScotty Moore, in the 2005 Johnny Cash bio-picWalk the Line.
Cunning also boasts an impressive musical
resume. He grew up in Washington, Pennsylva-nia with a love of all things from the decade ofthe fifties, especially the music. He also beganplaying guitar at an early age, and after years ofplaying in Pittsburgh moved closer to thesource, relocating to Memphis in 2007. Hespent several years as a radio personality beforepursuing music full time. Like Brad, he foundhimself playing stages with his idols such asSmoochy Smith, J.M. Van Eaton, and the lateSonny Burgess. He is also a well-known BealeStreet musical performer.
Rockabilly Rides provides a one of a kindheritage tour experience in Memphis, and is asunique as the city itself. From the birth of theblues and rock and roll music, to the Mississippimud, Rockabilly Rides, fronted by Birkedahland Cunning, unveils the classic sights andsounds of the River City. You can follow Rock-abilly Rides on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.Their web address is www.rockabillyrides.com,and their phone number is 901-264-0819.
They can also be reached at [email protected]. sts
Rockabilly Rides: 1955 Plymouth Belvedere.Photograph by Brad Birkedahl.
