Memphis Calling - So you wanna be a rock 'n' roll star?

Sun Studio credit: Justin Fox Burks

Start your shopping trip at Lansky, located in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel. For more than six decades, Bernard Lansky, the nephew of infamous crime boss Meyer Lansky, has made his name outfitting musicians such as Count Basie and Bobby Blue Bland in trendy gear like Batman jackets and Hi-Boy collared shirts. When Elvis Presley got the call to do the Ed Sullivan Show, he bought his wardrobe here on credit; soon after, the clothier whipped up a certain gold lamé suit as a thank you present for the King. Today, Lansky offers exclusive Elvis-inspired togs, jeans by 7 For All Mankind, Citizens Of Humanity, and Blue Tattoo, and designer wear that looks as good on stage as it does on the streets of downtown Memphis. Keep your eyes peeled for celebrity customers such as Robert Plant, Billy Bob Thornton, and Johnny Rotten, who have dropped wads of cash at Lansky’s store.

In the trendy Cooper-Young neighborhood, Tear It Up offers plenty of rock ’n’ roll attitude with punk tees, retro rockabilly shoes, skinny jeans, and studded belts galore. A few doors down is Light Years Vintage, a showplace for owners Kristen Rutschman and Dale McNeil, who scour off-the-beaten-path thrift stores, rag houses, and yard sales for singular clothes and accoutrements that can transform the biggest nerd into an indie rock hipster. Just blocks away is the paradisiacal Flashback, which has clothed and accessorized Memphians (as well as in-the-know avatars of coolness Bob Dylan and El Vez) in authentic, gently worn, or dead stock ’40s to ’70s couture for more than two decades.

At Xanadu Music & Books, store owner/inventor John Lowe sells Lowebows as fast as he can make them. Constructed from a cigar box, a broom handle, and a homemade pick-up, the modified Lowebow is both a piece of folk art and a fun, easy-to-play guitar that will have you picking the blues in no time. If traditional axe grinding is more your speed, drop into Taylor’s Music, where Telecasters, Epiphones, and Gretsch electric guitars hang like Christmas ornaments on every wall. Store owners Mark Stuart and John Argroves, the rhythm section behind local groups the Secret Service and the Lights, will let you plug into a vintage amp and crank up the sound inside their minuscule shop, which, thanks to its high ceilings and plaster walls, has great acoustics. Or, for the ultimate made-in-Memphis souvenir, head back downtown to the Gibson Guitar Factory, where you can tour the assembly line and purchase your own B.B. King-model Gibson SG.

In Midtown, independently owned record shops Goner Records and Shangri-la Records stock old-school vinyl (think R&B 45s, blues and rock albums, and pricey Elvis 78s) and CD titles from regional iconoclasts like R.L. Burnside and Charlie Feathers. Be sure to forage through the bins containing the latest recordings from contemporary exports Harlan T. Bobo, the River City Tanlines, and the Tearjerkers. Nearby, Burke’s Book Store, Inc., more than a century old, is the place to go for music biographies such as Robert Gordon’s It Came from Memphis, Peter Guralnick’s Last Train to Memphis, and Stanley Booth’s Rythm Oil, tomes by regional faves William Faulkner and Peter Taylor, and bestsellers by Burke’s most prominent supporter, onetime Memphian John Grisham.

To jumpstart your musical mojo, visit the voodoo counter at A. Schwab’s, a dry goods store on Beale Street since 1876. Pick through the High John the Conqueror root, Seven African Powers powder, and bars of Fast Luck soap to create a signature potion all your own. The entire three-story store, which offers everything from Fiestaware and knick-knacks to ladies’ dresses and men’s overalls, is worth exploring. Don’t miss the bargain souvenir department, where your spare change will buy gee-gaws for everyone back home.

Hone your Memphis music knowledge via trips to Sun Studio, where many of the city’s blues and rockabilly greats, including Howlin’ Wolf and Elvis Presley, cut their biggest hits, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, erected on the footprint of Stax Records (home to Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Booker T. & the MGs) in the heart of Soulsville, U.S.A. Memphis’ musical and civil rights histories are forever intertwined, so don’t miss the National Civil Rights Museum, built on the site of the former Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. To see how the “other” King lived, drive down to Graceland, where garishness and grandiosity go head-to-head.

After sunset, it’s time to boogie. Start your night at the tiny Lamplighter, a Madison Avenue landmark. Southern chanteuse Cat Power recently shot a music video here, and White Stripes frontman Jack White is a regular, but regardless of your fame, a five spot will buy you a few songs on the jukebox, a mouthwatering cheeseburger, and a frosty beer. If rock’s your bag, try the fare at the Hi Tone Café, located in Elvis’ onetime karate dojo, or the Buccaneer Lounge, a pirate-themed Midtown institution. For blues, don’t miss Wild Bill’s Social Club or the Blue Worm, where 40-ounce beers and propulsive house bands are de rigueur every weekend. The best soul DJs in town spin records at the pint-size Big S Grill, while bluegrass and country fans will enjoy the sounds of the Lucy Opry, staged monthly at the Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, located just north of the city limits.