Finishing up with our congratulatory Memphis Music History for the 200th anniversary we needed to mention a few more legendary people and events. Swinging back around to a few more Elvis Presley tidbits.
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So as we remember the history Please remember All N One Bail if you enjoyed this 4 part walk through our cities Musical background and accomplishments. be sure to check our Blog pages frequently as we answer most questions you could ever have about Posting a Bond in Memphis. Thank you and Enjoy.
Taking place on what would’ve been Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday in 2015, the singer’s first recording, a 78 mm acetate of the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” cut at the Memphis Recording Service in 1953, was auctioned off at Graceland. The disc sold for $240,000 and was won by an online bidder who “wishes to remain anonymous” — but turned out to be contemporary rock star Jack White.
A musical giant, cultural icon and pre-eminent influence on guitarists for more than 60 years, B.B. King was singularly synonymous with the blues music he loved and helped turn into a global touchstone. The Mississippi-born legend died at his home in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.
In 2015, Memphis singer-songwriter Julien Baker releases her solo debut, “Sprained Ankle.” The disc — which will make Baker one of the most acclaimed talents to emerge from Memphis in years — was recorded while she was still a student at Middle Tennessee State University.
Farewell to Ben Cauley. Though he may not have been as well-known as some of his Stax Records brethren, the trumpeter and longtime Bar-Kays member seemed to symbolize so much about the label and the city of Memphis itself. Cauley was the sole survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed eight people, including Stax star Otis Redding, and the rest of his fellow Bar-Kays bandmates. Yet, despite the crash and subsequent setbacks, Cauley’s life was not defined by tragedy, but rather overcoming it. Cauley died in 2015 at the age of 67 — but his joy for life and music were plentiful, and his triumph absolute.
Justin Timberlake becomes the youngest member of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Cannon Center in October 2015. He accepts his award to a standing ovation. “I never prepared a speech for anything,” he said, by way of introduction. “But this is the (expletive) coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
One of the foundational figures in rock ‘n’ roll, a profoundly influential guitarist, and the musician who helped Elvis Presley become The King, Scotty Moore dies in Nashville on June 30, 2016, after a period of ill health. He was 84.
Yo Gotti got his start in the mid-’90s as one of the city’s quintessential street rappers before transforming into a mainstream star. That unlikely chrysalis came about with partnership between his label CMG and Epic Records and the release of “I Am” in 2013. But it was “The Art of Hustle,” released in 2016, that finally gave Gotti wings. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard album charts, hit No. 1 on the R&B/hip-hop charts, and quickly proved a breakthrough for the veteran MC.
Memphian William Eggleston releases “Musik” in 2017. The disc is a rather auspicious debut, coming as it does from the 77-year-old Eggleston, a man widely hailed as the father of color photography and one of America’s greatest living artists. Eggleston’s music credentials include use of his photographs on album covers by Big Star, Primal Scream, Jimmy Eat World and Spoon, among others. “Musik” finds him creating behind a keyboard rather than a camera.
In March 2017, Graceland officials formally opened a new entertainment complex. Public ceremonies marked the start of a four-day grand opening celebration for “Elvis Presley’s Memphis,” a 200,000-square-foot, $45 million project across from Presley’s mansion in Memphis’ Whitehaven neighborhood.
In October 2017, the first Mempho Music Fest marks the return of major concerts to Shelby Farms Park. the event is highlighted by a mini-reunion of Booker T. & the MG’s alums Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper. Cropper notes, somewhat poignantly, that the deaths of the other MGs — drummer Al Jackson Jr., bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn and Lewie Steinberg — had left them as the last men standing. “It’s just Booker T and the MG now,” Cropper said.
Amazon Music launches its “Produced By” series, pairing notable producers with popular artists, both old and new. Inaugurating the project is multiple Grammy-winning Memphis engineer/producer Matt Ross-Spang. Spang produces four new tracks with Memphis soul legends Rev. Al Green and William Bell, singer-songwriting great John Prine and Americana darling Margo Price.
