Believing in Memphis — Gerald Duff

In Believing in Memphis (a selection from the short story collection Fire Ants and Other Stories by Gerald Duff), a ruined ex-songwriter on his way down, literally and figuratively, from Nashville to Memphis picks up two hitchhiking female singers, Arizona Star and George, who are working to break into the music business. He tries to disabuse them of the possibility of achieving their dream (don't believe in Nashville, he says, believe in Memphis), but discovers the strength of imagination over reality as he drives his aged Buick past the Sun Studio, Elvis Presley's launching pad to fame.