The many homes of Elvis Presley
Elvis left the building. Many times. Although only two of Elvis’s many homes, his birthplace in Tupelo and deathplace of Graceland, get sustained publicity, the King spent much of his abbreviated life...
View ArticleThe Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch
The Lewis Ranch | 1595 Malone Rd |Nesbit, MS | (About 30 minutes south of Memphis) When I pilgrimate to Jerry Lee Lewis’s home in Nesbit, Mississippi, I’m never sure whether I want The Killer to be...
View ArticleChitlin’ Circuit Landmark: Currie’s Club Tropicana
Memphis music geography centers on Beale Street downtown, but blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and soul have spilled out onto Thomas Street in the section of North Memphis called New Chicago since before...
View ArticleChitlin’ Circuit Landmark: The Hippodrome
The vacant lot at 500 Beale Street has stories to tell. The site of a skating rink-ballroom called the Hippodrome, it was the scene of many a wild night. It figures significantly into The Chitlin’...
View ArticleBeale Street Stories: Sweet Willie Wine
I’m deep into the Beale Street story and finding much delicious dirt. I’ll share little sprinkles here and there, keeping the richest of it for the book. One of the great characters of Beale Street...
View ArticleAl Green
I hear it’s Al Green’s birthday. I repost a classic article in his honor. This has been by far the most popular and frequently viewed item, now on my third website. Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle...
View ArticleAl Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle Church
787 Hale Road Memphis, TN 38116| 901-396-9192 After cementing countless encounters with a voice that speaks directly to the genitals, in 1976, Al Green found Jesus. While Green reports his conversion...
View ArticleChitlin’ Circuit Landmark: W.C. Handy Theatre
The broke-down orange building at 2535 Park in Orange Mound is one of the silent witnesses to Memphis music history. It opened in 1946 as the W.C. Handy Theatre, with investors including future Holiday...
View ArticleOn Isaac Hayes’ 70th: Remembering Currie’s Club Tropicana and Isaac Hayes’ debut
Memphis music geography centers on Beale Street downtown, but blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and soul have spilled out onto Thomas Street in the section of North Memphis called New Chicago since before...
View ArticleMemphis vs. New Orleans: Essay and Playlist
I pit my two favorite cities in a music celebrity death match for Virginia Quarterly Review. I would not want to get between Barbara Lynn and Memphis Minnie. Enjoy!
View ArticleA Cheap Idea
William Faulkner and I have both written trashy books about Memphis. Here’s where they intersect: A Cheap Idea
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