Meagan May
I've lived in Memphis basically my whole life! I went to Delta State University in Cleveland, MS where I got my bachelor's degree in English and met my now-husband, Keith. We just welcomed our baby girl on August 23and it has been quite the adventure so far! I'm not only a tour guide for Backbeat, I am also the Office Manager and Group Tour and Event Coordinator. I started out doing the ghost tours and then moved on to do history tours, run the ticket window, answer phones, run things when the boss man and boss lady take a much deserved break, and I also book group tours for anyone who is interested in private events! So basically, I'm the go-to gal for all things Backbeat. It's honestly one of the best jobs I've ever had--it's so much fun to meet people from all over the world and get to share our awesome city with them!
What is your favorite thing that Bill, our boss, says?
Bill sings my name. I can't even explain it, he just sings when he says my name. Literally. No matter where we are or what we are doing, he sings. It's hilarious.
What exactly is a Fighting Okra, your college mascot?
A Fighting Okra is the "unofficial" (but waaaaaaay more awesome) mascot for Delta State. Our actual mascot is the Statesmen, but like I said, how could you not love a giant boxing vegetable? We have a guy that runs around the football games in a suit and everything. There are like a million stories on how we supposedly got dubbed the "fighting okra" and I'm not sure anyone really knows how it got started. My favorite story is about the baseball field: they built the new field on top of an unused field of okra plants. Okra is an incredibly resilient plant and it kept growing up through the dirt and disrupting the games because it would trip the runners. So the opposing team started calling us the "fighting okra."
What is your favorite tour?
Definitely the Dark Side of Memphis tour. It's like a history tour and a ghost tour rolled into one. There's a little bit of something for everyone. And I have a sick obsession with murder and mayhem in general.
You have can do anything you want in the city for 24 hours regardless of money. What do you do?
I would probably just hang out at the zoo for an embarrassing amount of time. I'm like a child over there.
What is your favorite thing that Bill, our boss, says?
Bill sings my name. I can't even explain it, he just sings when he says my name. Literally. No matter where we are or what we are doing, he sings. It's hilarious.
What exactly is a Fighting Okra, your college mascot?
A Fighting Okra is the "unofficial" (but waaaaaaay more awesome) mascot for Delta State. Our actual mascot is the Statesmen, but like I said, how could you not love a giant boxing vegetable? We have a guy that runs around the football games in a suit and everything. There are like a million stories on how we supposedly got dubbed the "fighting okra" and I'm not sure anyone really knows how it got started. My favorite story is about the baseball field: they built the new field on top of an unused field of okra plants. Okra is an incredibly resilient plant and it kept growing up through the dirt and disrupting the games because it would trip the runners. So the opposing team started calling us the "fighting okra."
What is your favorite tour?
Definitely the Dark Side of Memphis tour. It's like a history tour and a ghost tour rolled into one. There's a little bit of something for everyone. And I have a sick obsession with murder and mayhem in general.
You have can do anything you want in the city for 24 hours regardless of money. What do you do?
I would probably just hang out at the zoo for an embarrassing amount of time. I'm like a child over there.
Shekinah Langford
Born and raised in Hillsboro Oregon, I started playing guitar at age 7. Later on in Jr. High and High School I became heavily involved in youth ministry and worship teams at church. I started a rock band during freshmen year and moved to Memphis shortly after graduating to pursue a career in music full time. I’m currently a full time student at Visible Music College working on my Bachelor's in Songwriting and Modern Music Ministry. During my first year here in Memphis, I went on a national tour with an alternative pop-rock band called She Said. Today, I can be found tearing up the stage at a metal show with my new band Eleutheria on a Saturday night and leading worship at a local church on Sunday morning. Besides music, I enjoy sports like snowboarding and lacrosse. Being from Oregon I also enjoys the outdoors, hiking, camping, swimming and spending time at the beach.
What was your biggest culture shock in moving from Oregon?
NO RECYCLING!!!! Being from Oregon we are crazy about our recycling, we have recycling for our recycling, RECYCLINGCEPTION! Anyway, us Oregonians are major environmentalists so it was so weird standing there with my plastic bottle and pile of shredded paper looking for a recycling bin.
What is your most embarrassing Memphis moment?
In Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. SO I have never experienced pumping my own gas. This one day I was at a gas station and realized, oh my gosh, I have to do this myself. I was at a gas station where you had to lift up the lever to get the gas to flow through the pump. I was at the gas pump for 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get gas to come through the freaking pump into my car. I had to walk inside and ask for help. I felt so incredibly stupid when the cashier walked out and flipped the lever for me and VIOLA, Old Faithful springs forth fountains of gasoline. *Palm to forehead*.....
If you could go on a date with one Memphis Musician, who would it be?
Do I have to say it? Definitely Elvis. I know, I know cliché, but his voice makes me melt and he is the King of Rock and Roll, and I am a rock and roll chick! So it totally makes sense :).
Whats the best thing that ever happened on one of your tours?
I was at Overton Park talking about Elvis performing That's Alright Mamma and Blue Moon of Kentucky. I was getting into the part when the crowd was going nuts, the girls were screaming and throwing themselves at his feet and their boyfriends are crying and it's ya know, rock and roll. All of a sudden this older woman starts laughing really hard and smiling super big, she says "I was one of those girls!!" So all those crazy girls that were going ballistic every time Elvis performed, yeah I met one...
What was your biggest culture shock in moving from Oregon?
NO RECYCLING!!!! Being from Oregon we are crazy about our recycling, we have recycling for our recycling, RECYCLINGCEPTION! Anyway, us Oregonians are major environmentalists so it was so weird standing there with my plastic bottle and pile of shredded paper looking for a recycling bin.
What is your most embarrassing Memphis moment?
In Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. SO I have never experienced pumping my own gas. This one day I was at a gas station and realized, oh my gosh, I have to do this myself. I was at a gas station where you had to lift up the lever to get the gas to flow through the pump. I was at the gas pump for 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get gas to come through the freaking pump into my car. I had to walk inside and ask for help. I felt so incredibly stupid when the cashier walked out and flipped the lever for me and VIOLA, Old Faithful springs forth fountains of gasoline. *Palm to forehead*.....
If you could go on a date with one Memphis Musician, who would it be?
Do I have to say it? Definitely Elvis. I know, I know cliché, but his voice makes me melt and he is the King of Rock and Roll, and I am a rock and roll chick! So it totally makes sense :).
Whats the best thing that ever happened on one of your tours?
I was at Overton Park talking about Elvis performing That's Alright Mamma and Blue Moon of Kentucky. I was getting into the part when the crowd was going nuts, the girls were screaming and throwing themselves at his feet and their boyfriends are crying and it's ya know, rock and roll. All of a sudden this older woman starts laughing really hard and smiling super big, she says "I was one of those girls!!" So all those crazy girls that were going ballistic every time Elvis performed, yeah I met one...
Erica Murrell
I’m a military brat who has seen much of the United States, but no matter where I go, Memphis will always be home. After graduating from Rhodes College with a degree in Biology, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. When I’m not telling Ghost Stories for Backbeat I can be found at the Memphis Zoo, where I am the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator. I love all things haunted and creepy – which started with my obsession with Supernatural on the CW. But as much as I love the Winchester boys - that’s all make believe. When I was 19 I was approached by a medium who told me that a man was following me. From her eerily thorough description, I knew that it was a close relative that had died a few years earlier. From that moment I’ve been believer. When I’m not working, you’ll probably find me sewing or playing with my dogs. Other obsessions include reading, writing, hiking, camping, Frank Sinatra, anime, singing, kangaroos, theater, music, dancing, and other bouts of tomfoolery.
What's the creepiest thing that has happened on a tour?
All of my strangest incidents have happened at Earnestine and Hazels, and they tend to happen on nights when I have small groups. One night I was standing near the top of the staircase, and I heard someone whispering in my ear. I could literally feel the breath on my neck, but no one was near me – the closest living person was at the end other of the hall. Another night I felt someone grabbing at my ankle...and yet I still get excited every time I go inside that building!
What’s the one Memphis food you couldn’t live without?
Memphis Pizza Café’s Ultimate Cheese Pizza. I could eat it every day and never bore with it.
What’s the oddest thing I’ve seen while people watching on Beale?
When you’ve visited Beale as much as I have, noting registers as odd anymore. But watching people dance (horribly) in the middle of the street is always highly entertaining.
What is your favorite Animal at the Zoo?
The giraffes! I love each and every one of them and know them all by name. (We have nine). Of them all, Maliki, the baby, is my favorite. I was volunteering behind the scenes on the day that she was born and was lucky enough to be one of the first people to meet her.
What's the creepiest thing that has happened on a tour?
All of my strangest incidents have happened at Earnestine and Hazels, and they tend to happen on nights when I have small groups. One night I was standing near the top of the staircase, and I heard someone whispering in my ear. I could literally feel the breath on my neck, but no one was near me – the closest living person was at the end other of the hall. Another night I felt someone grabbing at my ankle...and yet I still get excited every time I go inside that building!
What’s the one Memphis food you couldn’t live without?
Memphis Pizza Café’s Ultimate Cheese Pizza. I could eat it every day and never bore with it.
What’s the oddest thing I’ve seen while people watching on Beale?
When you’ve visited Beale as much as I have, noting registers as odd anymore. But watching people dance (horribly) in the middle of the street is always highly entertaining.
What is your favorite Animal at the Zoo?
The giraffes! I love each and every one of them and know them all by name. (We have nine). Of them all, Maliki, the baby, is my favorite. I was volunteering behind the scenes on the day that she was born and was lucky enough to be one of the first people to meet her.
Rachel Koch
I am a self-proclaimed Southern Belle. Being Southern is more than where you’re born; it’s a state of mind and a privilege. Growing up I loved everything about the South and its history. That being said, my best subject in school was always Social Studies. I loved answering random historical questions. When I attended the University of Memphis I tried multiple majors, but I always came back to loving my History courses the most. I graduated in May of this year with a Bachelor’s in History with a Minor in American Studies. While in college I was the Feature Twirler for the U of M’s Mighty Sound of the South Marching Band. (Yes, I can twirl batons that are on fire.) In my post-grad days I give History Tours by day and Ghost Tours by night. My favorite Southern things are monograms, pearls, overusing y'all and magnolia trees. I also do a lot of the social media and blogging for Backbeat, so if ya'll have any tips or stories you'd like to share send 'em my way at [email protected]
What’s the craziest story you've been told by someone taking your tour?
A man once told me that he hit Tom Cruise with his car while they were filming The Firm in Memphis.
If you could spend one night hanging with any Famous Memphian (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Ginnie Moon. She was a Civil War Spy for the Confederacy and supposedly she kept a Colt revolver under a slit in her skirt in her petticoat. If that isn’t awesome enough, she also saved a number of people during the 1870s yellow fever outbreaks in Memphis.
What is your favorite thing about Ghost Tours?
I love that I get to freak people out and make them uncomfortable. For the daytime tours its all about Memphis’ musical history but after-dark the city is all about former brothels, gangsters and voodoo. If I can make a grown man uncomfortable and leave a haunted room quickly, I feel like I've really done my job well.
What is the best kept secret in Memphis?
Howard’s Donuts on Summer Ave. I know Gibson’s Donuts stays open late and you can get donuts for the cheap, but Howard’s Donuts is so delicious that it wins best Donut in the City hands down. For a time I went there more than once a week.
What’s the craziest story you've been told by someone taking your tour?
A man once told me that he hit Tom Cruise with his car while they were filming The Firm in Memphis.
If you could spend one night hanging with any Famous Memphian (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Ginnie Moon. She was a Civil War Spy for the Confederacy and supposedly she kept a Colt revolver under a slit in her skirt in her petticoat. If that isn’t awesome enough, she also saved a number of people during the 1870s yellow fever outbreaks in Memphis.
What is your favorite thing about Ghost Tours?
I love that I get to freak people out and make them uncomfortable. For the daytime tours its all about Memphis’ musical history but after-dark the city is all about former brothels, gangsters and voodoo. If I can make a grown man uncomfortable and leave a haunted room quickly, I feel like I've really done my job well.
What is the best kept secret in Memphis?
Howard’s Donuts on Summer Ave. I know Gibson’s Donuts stays open late and you can get donuts for the cheap, but Howard’s Donuts is so delicious that it wins best Donut in the City hands down. For a time I went there more than once a week.
Dylan Holzemer
I was born and raised right here in Memphis. My parents were both teachers, so I grew up constantly learning, especially history. My dad always had old records playing, so I learned to love the sounds of Memphis at a young age. I picked up the guitar at 13, right before I started high school. I actually ended up in my school’s Rock and Soul Band, which was an enlightening experience and helped me explore the musical culture by playing around Memphis. I’ve even had the honor of playing at the International Freedom awards held here in Memphis on two occasions. Nowadays, when I’m not rocking out on the Backbeat Bus or showing people around town, I’m finishing up my history degree at the University of Memphis, watching classic movies, or playing around town with musicians from campus, usually in coffee shops and such.
If you could spend one night hanging out and jamming with any Memphis Musician (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
I’d have to pick Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MGs and Stax Studio fame. He’s got some of the coolest grooves. He makes whatever song he plays on sound so good, even if he’s not really playing that much. Plus maybe I could convince him to do a Blues Brothers reunion.
Did you lose any super powers when you shaved your beard?
I did, actually. I can’t chop down trees with my axe or eat pancakes nearly as fast as I used to be able to. Plus, my pet ox no longer recognizes me. But I’m slowly bringing the beard back so I’ll be up to full capacity soon.
What’s the craziest story you've been told by someone taking your tour?
I once had a man tell me about how he saw Elvis on the Louisiana Hayride when he was first coming up in the music scene. That was cool.
What is your favorite thing that Bill, our boss, says?
“Cool Beans!” I don’t know why, but the way he says it is just too funny.
If you could spend one night hanging out and jamming with any Memphis Musician (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
I’d have to pick Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MGs and Stax Studio fame. He’s got some of the coolest grooves. He makes whatever song he plays on sound so good, even if he’s not really playing that much. Plus maybe I could convince him to do a Blues Brothers reunion.
Did you lose any super powers when you shaved your beard?
I did, actually. I can’t chop down trees with my axe or eat pancakes nearly as fast as I used to be able to. Plus, my pet ox no longer recognizes me. But I’m slowly bringing the beard back so I’ll be up to full capacity soon.
What’s the craziest story you've been told by someone taking your tour?
I once had a man tell me about how he saw Elvis on the Louisiana Hayride when he was first coming up in the music scene. That was cool.
What is your favorite thing that Bill, our boss, says?
“Cool Beans!” I don’t know why, but the way he says it is just too funny.