After breakfast, check out of your hotel and begin your journey to your embarkation city. Memphis played a pivotal role in the early years of rock ‘n' roll. During the 1950s, the city was home to several influential record labels, including Sam Phillips's Sun Records, which released what is arguably the genre's first song—Ike Turner's Rocket 88. The label was also home to legendary artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Memphis also had a vibrant club scene, with venues like the Cotton Club and the Palace Theater hosting performances by African American musicians, many of whom had a profound influence on the genre's nascent development.
Rosedale is in Bolivar County, where the surrounding Delta region is known as 'the land where the blues began.' The town was immortalized in Robert Johnson's 1937 recording 'Traveling Riverside Blues.' The song—as well as the rest of Johnson's recorded repertoire—had a major influence on rock 'n' roll; Cream incorporated the mention of Rosedale in their remake of another of Johnson's classics, 'Crossroads.' Today, the town has become associated with the legendary bluesman, and as such, features a commemorative marker in his honor on the historic Mississippi Blues Trail. Embark your ship and settle into your stateroom.
Viking River Cruises
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