Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum set to reopen
Graceland isn’t the only Memphis music attraction back in business this week.
Like the Elvis Presley estate, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum is set to reopen to the public Thursday under guidelines for phase two of the city’s back-to-business plan, as developed by Mayor Jim Strickland’s office and the Shelby County Health Department.
To give local visitors extra incentive to emerge from self-isolation to eyeball such wonders as Sam the Sham’s turban and Ike Turner’s piano, admission to the museum and hall of fame will be half-price through the end of June for Shelby County residents. Regular tickets are $13, or $10 for kids, ages 5 to 17.
Located in the plaza at the main entrance to Fedexforum, the Smithsonian-developed Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum houses a wide variety of artifacts that tell the history of the popular music that emerged from the sharecroppers’ cabins, juke joints, church socials, nightclubs and recording studios of Memphis and the Mid-south, from the 1930s to the present day.
In compliance with social distancing guidelines, no more than 60 guests will be allowed inside at a time, and the temperature of each visitor will be taken before admission is allowed. The usual protocols will be in effect: disinfectant stations, “hands-free” ticket purchasing, masks (visitors who don’t arrive with a facial covering will be given a disposable mask to wear while inside the museum) and so on.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, located at Beale and Second next to the Hard Rock Cafe, remains closed, but likely will reopen soon, according to Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum Executive Director John Doyle. Operated by the museum, the Hall of Fame focuses on the 8-year-old hall’s annual inductees, who range from A (Aretha Franklin) to Z (ZZ Top), with stops on the way for John Lee Hooker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Justin Timberlake and close to 50 others.