Posted on 11/29/2013 3:00:45 AM PST by Dysart
I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Memphis on a muggy evening just before eight p.m. in late May 1955. Two months later, my father’s very first single, “Hey Porter,” backed with “Cry, Cry, Cry,” was released on Sun Records, a small record label and recording studio at 706 Union Avenue in downtown Memphis. Sun was owned by Sam Phillips, a young music entrepreneur, recording engineer, and record producer. The building still stands, essentially as it was in the early 1950s when my dad, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins created their first recordings. Now it is a thriving tourist destination but still a fully functioning recording studio. Musicians come from all over the world to genuflect at the altar of the birthplace of rock & roll.
During my mother’s pregnancy, my dad made half-hearted attempts to work as a salesman for the Home Equipment Company on Summer Avenue in Memphis. He was also studying to be a disc jockey. My parents lived in a tiny, bare apartment within walking distance of Dad’s workplace. His lackluster performance as a salesman may have had something to do with his reluctance to cajole or manipulate a sale. He once even talked a potential customer named Pat Isom out of buying a refrigerator in the store because it was “too expensive” and didn’t carry a good warranty. Pat was so impressed with Dad’s honesty that she engaged him in conversation and found out that he and his pregnant wife, Vivian, needed a new apartment that didn’t have stairs. Dad was afraid my mom might fall in her delicate condition, so Pat offered my parents half of her duplex at 2553 Tutwiler Street in mid-Memphis.
(Excerpt) Read more at oxfordamerican.org ...
Good stuff, thanks for posting. She can write.
Very interesting article.
Old memories. I was born in Memphis, 1944. My father was district manager of Bond clothes, on Main street.
I spent many Saturdays on Main street. In the late 50s, Elvis lived not far from me. I had three friends in my youth that lived within one or two houses of him.
Sadly, Memphis is “Gone With the Wind”, and I have been long gone from Memphis and the USSA.
I refuse to let you get away with trashing Memphis with just about every posting. This is “HOME” to thousands who were born, grew up and raised their families. YOU choose to give up your country, we choose to stay. I remember when I used to defend you to Mike Fleming. I don’t know what happened, get over it.
I was stationed for military training near Memphis in 1971 and went to the Memphis zoo often. I still have many pictures from there. The gorillas and chimpanzees were some of the “happiest” zoo animals I are ever saw. They seemed to have smiles on their faces every time I saw them. I oftened wondered if we weren’t their entertainment in stead of the other way around. Downtown was rocking the leisure suit look at night. I suspect Elvis embraced that look, Johnny not so much.
“I refuse to let you get away with trashing Memphis”
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Memphis is not the city, and America is not the country that I grew up in. I love America of the past, but there is nothing that you or I can do to bring it back.
I let the present and the future dictate how and where I live.
The country that elects a filthy Communist from Kenya to be its leader no longer deserves my respect.
You may choose to wallow in the filth. I choose to live my few remaining years as I wish...Get over it.
Even though I grew up a short distance in Little Rock I only visited Memphis once in my salad days skipping school on a hedonistic tour, partaking of the famous Pub Crawl and all that entailed. And, yes, I understand secondhand that Memphis is now far different now from the late 80’s when I experienced it. Devolution.
It looks to me like his sales skills were just fine. Not many people can leverage a failed sale of a refrigerator into a new apartment.
It does takes a sense of salesmanship to make it in the music business. The world is full of exceedingly talented people who never make a decent career with their talent because they cannot sell themselves.
I’m not sure exactly why, but I was a bit surprised with her impressive narrative. No doubt she has a rich history to tell.
“I understand secondhand that Memphis is now far different now from the late 80’s when I experienced it. Devolution.”
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Yes, nothing last forever. I was once very proud of Memphis, my family living there from the early 30s, but it has now Gone With the Wind.
Some that live there must defend it, as they have no other options. I chose to spend my senior years traveling the world, but it really irritates the dogs in a manger, as I am not their to share their pain.
The Memphis Zoo today is a far cry from the one that you visited in the 70’s. It is listed as one of the finest in the country.
Wonderful read.
Thanks for the post.
I have lived in Memphis for over 40 years. This story with different names has been told over an over. A great music town with a rich history.
If I read between the lines correctly the differences between yesteryear Memphis and today is the rise and establishment of modern black culture?
“yesteryear Memphis and today is the rise and establishment of modern black culture?”
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Not only that, but Memphis in my days was 60w/40b.
It had the nations finest utility departments, fire department, as well as other public services.
It has now flipped to 60b/40w, and the blacks now rule the government.
The other problem is that Memphis is pretty much landlocked with Mississippi on the south and Arkansas on the west, and small incorporated towns on the east.
I doubt that it resembles the city that I grew up in.
I am certainly not irritated that you are not here. I am not in any cultural pain living in Memphis. I could live any where that I might want to. I just don’t look at Memphis with bitter eyes.
Roseanne seems very intelligent and has certainly had diverse experiences. I hope I’ll have time to look for performances of the songs mentioned in the article.
I understand what you mean. There are some basic narratives in the music business - the rags-to-riches story, the rural-meets-urban story, the addiction-and-recovery story, the family-drama, and so on. The names and details change, but it seems as if the people kind of fall into the stories.
I’ve been through Memphis, but never “to” Memphis!
“I could live any where that I might want to. I just don’t look at Memphis with bitter eyes.”
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OK, and I decided to spend my senior years seeing the world.
I do not mean to disparage Memphis. I was born there in 1944.
I still have a daughter living there.
I simply state that it is not the city that I grew up in, but neither is America.
As long as you are happy with it, that is fine with me.
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