A little less conversation and a whole lotta shakin’ is in order for the 86th birthday of Elvis Presley. It’s now or never, because tickets are going fast.
Some events are sold out, but fans can still score tickets to Elvis Unplugged starring Dean Z. The popular Elvis Week musician will present an evening of Elvis music live at the Graceland Soundstage. This acoustic experience will feature songs ranging from Elvis’ biggest hits to some of his fan-favorite songs.
With 200,000 square feet of Elvis exhibits and attractions, guests can spread out. All-new interactive experiences opened in August, including a virtual dress-up (like Elvis), an interactive golf cart ride, and Dean Z’s personal favorite — interactive LED dance floor trivia.
Facebook/Elvis Presley’s Graceland
“This might be my new favorite thing right here at Elvis Presley’s Graceland,” says Dean Z as he demonstrates his moves on the interactive trivia dance floor.
Take the Birthday Bash or Hidden Graceland Tour with vice president of archives and exhibitions, Angie Marchese, and Tom Brown, YouTube series host for Gates of Graceland.
Betty Harper, a licensed Elvis Presley artist who has drawn more than 20,000 images of the King of Rock-and-Roll, will be in The Guest House at Graceland gift shop daily from 1 to 4 p.m. Stop in and view the art from her collection.
As always, free walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on the mornings of January 8th through 10th will be available.
Elvis Birthday Celebration, Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley, Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 7-9, free-$79.
The Memphis City Council met on Tuesday, December 15th, to discuss more development in small areas that they hope will revitalize the city. The Small Community Planning and Development committee will target seven areas. Neighborhoods that will be focused on at the beginning of 2021 will be Klondike, South City, Orange Mound, White Haven Plaza, and Raleigh Town Center.
The topic was brought up because Councilwoman Easter-Thomas received some questions from her constituents asking about the benefits to the upgrades to their communities. John Zeanah, director of the Division of Planning and Development, was the primary point of contact, and presented a guidebook for the city planning process. Development will begin with smaller community changes in order to kick start the Memphis 3.0 plan. He referenced the Memphis 3.0 annual update, which was made available on December 2nd.
“This is supposed to be a framework for the future growth of the city,” said Zeanah.
Raleigh Town Center, Elvis Presley Blvd., and Raines were completed late last year. They have been working with the developers from HED and the Binghampton Development Corporation.
They consider whether a place needs an anchor business to help attract new residents. An anchor business in the Orange Mound Historic Melrose district, for example, can have a larger impact on the surrounding area.
Public involvement is recommended and encouraged. Council member Rhonda Logan stressed the need for oversight after the development has completed.
Caritas Village in Binghampton offers multiple programs for residents.
“Are there meetings to come back and look at where we are and continue to maximize the opportunity? Can we build that into the plan?,” asked Logan.
“We did not have a designation plan in the Raleigh Town Center but that is now a part of the guide,” said Zeanah. “When there is a regulatory measure, like a a change in the land use or change in zoning to be made obviously, that’s something that the follow up is on the collective us,” he said.
The holidays are back, and with them come the inevitable festive songs. Yet not everyone is feeling so chipper. While a “Blue Christmas” might be construed by some as an expression of great relief over the outcome of last month’s election, who can deny that one of Elvis Presley’s most cherished hits expresses no such jubilation, only an absence?
As an article on webmd.com notes, “this time of year may trigger a bout of the blues or perhaps ignite a depression that has been smoldering under the surface for months.”
And so it is that the irony and poignancy of “Blue Christmas” has touched a collective nerve for 63 years now. Indeed, the song has been one of the King’s biggest hits, and the collection from which it’s drawn, Elvis’ Christmas Album, has joined the rarefied ranks of records that the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) has certified not as gold, not as platinum, but as diamond — reserved for records that have sold 10 million units or more.
In honor of such longevity, Sony Legacy has released the first official music video for the song. Created by MoSoMoS, a New York animation studio led by Mathew Amonson, the video follows the stories of three characters who can’t be with loved ones during this time of togetherness. Like the song, the video mixes the isolation and despondency of the lyrics with the inherent beauty of the music and Elvis’ voice. It’s a lovely diversion for those of us who may find that all the tidings of joy merely mark an empty chair or bed or home, with only memories of past joy, and a hope for better tomorrows, to sustain us.
Christmas is a Dish Best Served Blue: Elvis’ Song of Holiday Longing Lives
Last week was a dark one in the history of Memphis music, as two of its legends passed away. The deaths of Stan Kesler on October 26 and Rance Allen on October 31 were noted around the world, as each of them, in their own way, had made profound marks on the musical achievements of Memphis for many decades.
In honor of their memories, we present a few of the masterpieces of the recording arts that they made possible, too often neglected in the standard top 100 lists of hit records from this city.
Rance Allen, known as the “Father of Contemporary Gospel Music” and ultimately attaining the position of Bishop in the Church of God in Christ for the Michigan Northwestern Harvest Jurisdiction, grew up in Michigan and formed The Rance Allen Group with brothers Thomas and Steve in his early twenties. In 1972, Stax Records signed the group to newly formed subsidiary label The Gospel Truth, and the combination of their vocal and instrumental talents with Stax created an unforgettably funky version of gospel that is still hard to beat.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (6)
Here they are performing that same year at the historical Wattstax festival in Los Angeles.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (2)
They went from success to success over the coming decades, eventually scoring their first gospel #1 in 1991. In 2007, the Rance Allen Group brought the house down at Stax’s 50th Anniversary celebration at the Orpheum Theatre.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (3)
Stan Kesler was born in Mississippi but moved to Memphis in 1950 and was soon playing with the Snearly Ranch Boys, who ultimately gravitated to Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records. Here’s one unforgettable track they cut there in 1955, co-written by Kesler, released on Sun offshoot label Flip Records. He went on to write many songs, including “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” and “I Forgot to Remember to Forget,” both recorded by Elvis Presley.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (9)
A multi-instrumentalist, he played bass on Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire,” among others. He also picked up his chops as a recording engineer at Sun, which he would make use of throughout his career. Growing into a producer in his own right, he developed an ear for artists and bands with character in their sound, helping to develop their distinct identities. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs was the ultimate expression of his production style, and tunes like “Wooly Bully” and “Little Red Riding Hood” have entered the pantheon of pop achievements from that era. Here are two other deep cuts, not heard often enough, from that same brilliant band.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (4)
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (5)
Later, at Quintin Claunch’s Goldwax label, he worked primarily as an engineer, but it was Kesler who assembled the crack backing band for soul artist James Carr: guitarist Reggie Young, drummer Gene Chrisman, keyboardist Bobby Emmons, and bassist Tommy Cogbill. These players were later recruited by American Sound Studio and became known for all time as The Memphis Boys. Here they are on two of Carr’s masterpieces, while still working for Goldwax.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (8)
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends (7)
Through the 80s, he joined a group of former Sun session musicians who traveled the world as Sun Rhythm Section, then retired from music. Looking back on his career in a 2014 profile in The Bartlett Express, he deemed “If I’m A Fool (For Loving You),” recorded by Presley at American Sound Studio in 1969, as his finest achievement as a songwriter.
RIP Rance Allen & Stan Kesler: Deep Cuts from the Lives of Two Lost Legends
What’s the best seller at Coletta’s restaurants during the quarantine?
“That’s very easy,” says owner Jerry Coletta. “Pizza, pizza, pizza.”
But their famous barbecue pizza — the logical choice — isn’t No. 1. Round the World, which has everything on it, is No. 1, followed by the All Meat, which has sausage and beef, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon, Coletta says. Their barbecue pizza is No. 3.
Coletta’s, which has been doing takeout, recently reopened its dining rooms with limited seating at both of its locations.
I asked Coletta about the history of the pizzas. “When Pizza Hut started advertising ‘Meat Lovers Pizza,’ we started getting deluged with orders for Meat Lover’s Pizza. So, we call it ‘All Meat.’ It’s really a Meat Lover’s Pizza.” That’s been 15 or 20 years ago, Coletta says. Round the World is much older. “My dad came up with that back in the ’50s.”
Coletta’s is a pizza pioneer in Memphis. “Back in the early ‘50s we had sailors coming in from the Navy base when they had the Navy base in Millington. They had had pizza in New York and Chicago and they were asking my dad why he didn’t put pizza on our menu. Of course, he didn’t know anything about pizza, but he actually went to Chicago to learn how to make pizzas.
“When he came back, he put pizza on the menu, but it wasn’t going over too well ‘cause it was a new type of food. People didn’t know what it was. Then he came up with the idea of the barbecue pizza. Of course, in Memphis everyone knows barbecue, and it sparked an interest in pizza. Barbecue pizza remains our signature item today.”
And that was Elvis’ favorite, Coletta says. The King dined on barbecue pizza at Coletta’s on South Parkway. Priscilla Presley, who likes Coletta’s lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs, used to pick up barbecue pizzas to-go.
The old Coletta’s on Summer was one of my go-to date-night places for dinner, but that restaurant burned a while back and didn’t reopen. Coletta’s has a location on Appling Road, but my all-time favorite is the restaurant on South Parkway. That was the original location of Coletta’s.
Jerry’s grandfather, Emil Coletta, opened Coletta’s in 1923. His father, Horest Coletta, ran the restaurant for years. “In three years we’ll be celebrating our 100th anniversary.”
The South Parkway restaurant originally was much smaller. “The room where the bar is used to be the whole restaurant,” Coletta says. ”The door opened on the Parkway.”
I love that iconic drinking spot with its red vinyl bar. “We put the bar in in 1971,” he adds. ”Liquor by the drink became legal in 1970.” Lots of people love that bar, according to Coletta. “Well, it’s a combination of the black tables and the red. It just lends to a relaxing atmosphere.”
But you can’t kick back with a cocktail in the bar these days. “It’s still against the rules right now to open the bar,” Coletta says. “Just the dining room may be open now.” They opened the dining room May 4th. “We’re taking out of service every other table so the people are eight to ten feet apart. All the servers are wearing gloves and masks.”
Dining in hasn’t been popular, Coletta says. “We’re not having a lot of dine-in business. Some days we only have five or six tables. It hasn’t come near what it was, but the takeout business has been good.”
Coletta never experienced anything like the quarantine during his career. “Oh, this is unreal. Every day is a challenge. I have enough sausage to last me another week. I can’t seem to get enough meat to make my sausage. It’s a challenge to find supplies.”
Patrons still can visit another unusual feature of the South Parkway location: the small dining room at the far South side. “We added on that dining room in 1971. It’s supposed to look like an outdoor patio with the blue sky and the stars at night. That’s the effect we try to make back there.”
That dining room reopened this week. “It was a good time to do some remodeling. We repainted the whole room, repainted the statues. It was just a good time to do some maintenance that had been deferred.”
If you don’t want to order one of the top three Coletta’s pizzas, you’ve got many more to choose from. “I would say the possibilities are endless, ” Coletta says. “We list only about 20.”
Is there a Coletta’s pizza that isn’t popular? “We have an onion pizza. Onion and mushroom. It’s one of my favorites, but not too many people order that one.”
His favorite is their sausage, onion, and peppers pizza.
“People ask me if I get tired of eating pizza and I tell them, ‘No, there’s so much variety. You can order a different topping and you get a different meal. I probably eat pizza two or three times a week. And no, I don’t get tired of eating it.’”
Coletta’s is at 1063 South Parkway East (901) 948-7652; and at 2850 Appling Road, (901) 383-1122.
Last year, the 50th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s triumphant first residency in Las Vegas was memorialized with an extravagant 11-CD box set, Elvis: Live 1969, and it was a revelation. While “Las Vegas Elvis” suggests a rather kitschy affair to some, these recordings (remixed by Memphis’ own Matt Ross-Spang) revealed a crack band, a quintet fired up by new arrangements, embellished with a small orchestra and background singers, with a new lease on rock history, post-’68 Comeback. It was the first iteration of the soon-to-be-legendary TCB Band.
It’s such an intense listening experience, one can’t help imagining hearing it live. Astoundingly, in that embarrassment of riches that Memphians know well, the classic version of the TCB Band will be in our midst this week, when guitarist James Burton, pianist Glen Hardin and drummer Ronnie Tutt appear together at the Soundstage at Graceland on January 11.
Described as “a special concert experience featuring amazing on-screen performances from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the footage will have the distinction of being backed live on stage by the TCB Band, plus Terry Blackwood & the Imperials, who also sang with the King in that first residency in Las Vegas. Then, none other than Priscilla Presley and long-term Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling will make appearances.
It’s all part of Graceland’s grand celebration of what would have been Presley’s 85th birthday. With such a focus on the passage of time, one can’t help reflecting on the fact that Elvis was 34 when the iconic Las Vegas concerts began: seemingly washed up to the youth-fixated rockers, but in truth more full of energy and wit than he had been for many years previous.
Now, with a generous segment of the TCB Band still alive and picking, such concerns with time seem meaningless. See them now before time rears its ugly head again.
Other grand events for this special anniversary “birth week” include, on the morning of January 8th (the King’s birthday), the Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony on Graceland’s North Lawn. Of course there will be a birthday cake.
Later, The Auction at Graceland will feature artifacts authenticated by Graceland Authenticated. (All the items in the auction will be offered from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction will come from the Graceland Archives).
Then, on January 10th, the full dynamic range of Elvis’ repertoire can be heard in force, when The Memphis Symphony Orchestra brings their annual Elvis Pops Concert home to the Graceland Soundstage. Musician and singer Terry Mike Jeffrey and his band will join the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for a birthday salute that will “take you from Memphis to Las Vegas to Hawaii all in one evening.” It’s a fitting tribute to the King, as we imagine how he might be celebrating this milestone if things had worked out differently.
When Elvis Costello and the Imposters took the stage at Graceland last Friday night, the irony was palpable. As it should be, given that this other Elvis is a songsmith and wordsmith of subtle twists and turns of phrase. The fact that he’s also a dedicated fan and historian of Memphis music only gave the irony a more heartfelt touch. This show was nothing if not soulful.
Indeed, when the lights went down and shadows gathered on the stage, the first sounds we heard were exhortations to give our hearts to Jesus and the ecstatic sounds of a genuine gospel band. Then the lights came up and we saw that was all simply a recording, and the band launched into the thundering tom toms of “Strict Time.”
Given that this is the “Just Trust” tour, starting with a track from that LP was not a complete surprise. Nor was the follow-up, “Clubland,” in which the haunts of music scene-makers are cast in a kind of sardonic Cuban son. It’s a tune that allows consummate keyboardist Steve Naive to shine, and shine he did, eclipsing even the glitter laden jacket and hat of Elvis himself.
The bandleader’s whimsical outfit was just one manifestation of the playfulness he brought to the evening, perhaps inspired by the meta-irony of playing literally in the King’s backyard. Dodges, feints, and witty asides were the order of the evening, and such looseness was a perfect foil to some of the thornier content of his back catalog. Brigitte Billeaudeaux
Elvis Costello & the Imposters at Graceland
Take, for example, song four, coming after a propulsive “Green Shirt.” As Elvis said, “I once found myself sitting next to a woman, and I sang this to her…” With that, he launched into the evening’s first nod to the King. Singing the chorus and song title plaintively, “Don’t…Don’t…Don’t…” Elvis then abruptly cut off the tune with a curt quip, “So I didn’t.” Ba-dum-bum!
Later, he revealed that “the woman” was none other than Priscilla Presley, whom he met on a talk show, as he revealed in his generous between-song banter. Other bits of the King’s history found their way into the set from then on: “Mystery Dance” gave way to a bit of “His Latest Flame;” the coda to “Alison” became a stylized interpolation of “Suspicious Minds;” and the old chestnut “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love & Understanding” even had a bit of “Mystery Train” thrown in.
Other gems of Memphis music history were also present: a full-on rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Cry, Cry, Cry;” a quote from “Mr. Big Stuff” at the end of “Everyday I Write the Book;” and an especially gospel-drenched treatment of a Sam & Dave tune Costello put his stamp on decades ago, “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down.”
If those references weren’t entirely surprising, the new songs from this composer’s composer certainly were, and they revealed a deeper Memphis influence than any lyrical quotations could. The first new, so far unreleased song was a “campaign song” in a gospel vein, with the chorus of “Blood and hot sauce!”
The second, “Face in the Crowd,” revealed the provenance of the new material: “This is from a show coming your way,” Costello explained, describing a live theater event he’s collaborating on, based on the classic film of the same name. As the songwriter noted, “It’ll be like The Sound of Music, with less Nazis.” Brigitte Billeaudeaux
Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee with Elvis Costello & the Imposters at Graceland
Throughout the evening, the sound was a welcome improvement over the murk experienced at last year’s Imposters show. And, if the front man himself was a bit winded at times by the stream of lyrics composed by his younger self, the band was sharp and on point. Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee on background vocals seemed more integrated into the sound than last year, Davey Faragher on bass and vocal harmonies was better than ever, and original Attractions Steve Naive on keys and Pete Thomas on drums rekindled the old driving intensity with aplomb. It was a spirited evening, in which Costello’s vocal chops only got better and better. Once again, he showed that one can find a perfect balance between punk energy and musical craftsmanship, between history and innovation, between irony and soul.
Priscilla Presley — actor, producer, and one-time wife to Elvis Presley — still fields a lot of questions about her former husband. One question she gets with remarkable frequency is, “Why didn’t Elvis stay in Hollywood?”
“I get asked that quite a bit,” Presley muses. “It all comes down to not only is it his home, but it’s in his blood, the South. It’s in him as far as the friendships [and] his history in Memphis.”
That’s why Presley is hosting an Elegant Southern Style Weekend at Graceland Friday, September 27th, through Sunday, September 29th. Presley realized the best way to answer that recurring question once and for all was to show fans what drew the King of Rock-and-Roll back home time and again — the friendship, familiarity, and food (for starters) that Memphis is known for. “I just want to share that,” Presley explains. “I want to share that with our visitors.” The event will celebrate the fashion, food, architecture, design, and culture of the South with expert-led seminars, lively parties and events, workshops, and more.
Priscilla Presley
“We have five seminars, every one of them including somebody that touched Elvis’ life in many ways, his friendships. I know he missed that very much when he was here in Hollywood,” Presley says.
“When I first arrived in Memphis on Christmas 1962, all of his friends were there to greet me at Graceland. It was my surprise, all the people that he talked about in Germany were there. I was overwhelmed by the hospitality; I was overwhelmed by the warmth.”
That first show of Southern hospitality struck a chord with Presley, a chord that still resonates. “I’ve lived quite a few places because my father was in the military. I never really had that kind of bonding because I was a young kid going every three years, sometimes two, to a different school. So I embraced that and still do.”
The jam-packed lineup of Presley’s weekend includes several of her friends, as well. Presley’s longtime friend, Memphis fashion icon Pat Kerr, will be a special guest. “I went to Patricia Stevens’ finishing school. I just turned 18 and met Pat Kerr there,” Presley says. “We became instant friends, and she actually taught me how to [wear] makeup back in the day.”
Fashion plays a prominent role in the proceedings, as well it should. As recognizable for his jet-black hair and Lansky Bros. suits as for his voice and hips, Elvis was, after all, one of the first American performers to shatter the mold when it came to crafting his signature look. “I helped Elvis with a lot of his clothing, not that he needed it because he had such style. But I would out go out and get things that I felt that he would like, especially in Vegas. I brought him the belt that he wore in his jumpsuit. I would shop in SoHo in New York. I would take a couple of trips a year and look for things for him that he might want to include in his style and his wardrobe.”
Priscilla Presley
Hitting a little closer to home is special guest Hal Lansky of Lansky Bros. “We know the story about Elvis,” Presley says. “That was his favorite place on Beale Street, Lansky Bros., and he went in because the styles were so different. I really am looking forward to talking about that and what was important to him and why. He never wanted to look or be common in dress. He knew that style really was a part of not only yourself but expression.”
Another cause for excitement for Presley is the selection of guests. Emmy Award-winning costume designer Janie Bryant is scheduled to attend the event. “She is just the perfect person for our first time out,” Presley says. “She did Mad Men and HBO’s Deadwood.” Additional guests include Chef Kelly English of Restaurant Iris, motivational speaker and the inspiration behind the film The Blind Side Leigh Anne Tuohy, and Zoe Gowan, senior home editor for Southern Living magazine.
In short, Presley puts it best when she says, “I really believe that making something an event really makes memories.” Priscilla Presley hosts A Southern Style Weekend at Graceland Friday, September 27th, through Sunday, September 29th.
George Klein will be honored at “The George Klein Tribute Show” on August 11th at 4 p.m. at Lafayette’s Music Room.
It’s fitting that Klein will be honored during “Elvis Week.” He and The King were close friends from the 1950s until Elvis’ death in 1977.
Klein, who died February 5th at the age of 83, was a radio and TV personality. He was a deejay, had his own TV shows, made personal appearances seemingly everywhere, and was in Elvis movies, including “Jailhouse Rock.”
Jerry Williams, a friend of Klein’s for 71 years, put the show together. “He’s a Memphis icon,” Williams says. “He deserves it.”
The lineup includes Carla Thomas, Joyce Cobb, Merrilee Rush, T. G. Sheppard, Ronnie McDowell, Kelly Laing, Wendy Moten, William Bell, Royal Blues Band, and Jason D. Williams. “I didn’t get one ‘no.’ When I would call them, literally every one of them had their stories about George and what he meant to their career – from playing their first record to putting them on the TV show. No conversation was without tears.”
Williams says he could have had 100 people perform, but he stopped at 10.
He specifically picked the date for the show. “It’s on August 11th, the first Sunday of Elvis Week. And, you remember, George always had his events on the first Sunday of Elvis Week. That was sort of George’s day.”
Klein did 37 “George Klein and the Elvis Mafia” shows and 42 “George Klein Christmas Charity Shows,” Williams says.
Williams met Klein in the spring of 1948 “because of the Memphis Chicks baseball team.”
Klein was 11 and Williams was 8. “When the Chicks would start spring practice for the season, we would make 30, 35 cents a day. We would shag balls. We were batboys. We got to know all the guys.”
Their friendship continued after Williams moved to California in 1964 to manage Paul Revere & the Raiders.
And it continued after Williams returned to Memphis. “I came back in ‘69 and built Trans Maximus (TMI) Studios. And from that we had TMI Records.”
TMI was a success. “We stayed on charts at TMI for seven years without coming off. Steve Cropper was in charge of production.”
They cut records for Poco and Charlie Rich, among others. They also cut Jeff Beck’s Going Down album, which was Beck’s signature album with the title song written by Don Nix.
Klein played those albums on his radio show, Williams said. “Absolutely. He played every one of them. George was fabulous about playing anybody local. Anything recorded by local artists and by international artists who recorded in Memphis.”
He and Klein would talk daily after Williams permanently moved back to Memphis in 1971, Williams says.
“Somebody asked me, ‘What do you miss most about George Klein?’ I said, ‘George Klein.’ The reason is very simple. He was always a what-you-see-what-you-get kind of guy. No airs to George Klein.”
Klein “didn’t really know he was important to the world-wide music industry. Did you know he was the first person with a live broadcast show to put an African-American on live in Memphis? Fats Domino.”
He also invited African-American couples to dance along with the white couples on his TV show, Williams says.
“George Klein was a special guy because he did things he thought were right at the time that the world thought was wrong. And he went across the grain.”
Williams will host the “The George Klein Tribute Show,” which will be a first for him. “This is not a wailing wall kind of thing. This is entertainment.”
And, he says, “This is not a sad occasion. This is 10 acts who loved George.”
Tickets to “The George Klein Tribute Show” are $50. VIP tickets, which includes a “swag bag,” are $100. Tickets may be purchased at Lafayette’s Music Room. For more information, call (901) 207-5097 or go to lafayettes.com/mwmphs/event-tickets/
Pop metal may have lost the spotlight when the glammy 1980s gave way to the alternative 1990s. Poison frontman Bret Michaels got his share of hits in before the party went underground — “Unskinny Bop,” “Talk Dirty to Me,” “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn,” to pick a few. He proved to be more resilient than his genre, too, forging a solo career before moving into reality TV with a three-year run as the star of his own dating show, Rock of Love.
Michaels followed Rock of Love with a 2010 win on Celebrity Apprentice (starring a certain US President). Life as I Know It, focused on home and family life. Now Michaels is back on the road with a new single that he wrote with his daughter Jorja Bleu, and he’s stopping in Memphis to headline Graceland’s military appreciation weekend.
The concert is free to active military, vets and first responders.
Graceland Hosts Poison Singer, Reality Star Bret Michaels
Memphis Flyer: You’re coming to town and to Graceland for a show that’s part of a big military appreciation weekend — marking the anniversary of Elvis’s army service — can you just tell me a little about that for starters?
Bret Michaels: Two things that are very important to me: I love Memphis and I’ve been to Graceland many times on my own, for personal reasons. I’m just absolutely honored to do this and for this really important reason: I’m the son of a veteran. A lot of the staff on my road crew are veterans. Every night on stage I honor our vets, and our first responders. I’ve been doing that every single night since the beginning of my career. And I think that’s why so many people know it’s the real deal for me. I never bring politics into it. It’s just simply a big thank you for the freedoms that we get and the sacrifice that the veterans and their families made so that we get those freedoms. This is the most important thing, and I say this every night. My crowd is very diverse. Three generations. But we all come together because I don’t use it as a political stance. It’s just a big thank you — a thank you for the freedom of opinions that we get.
MF: And the concert’s not just for military, it’s for everybody. It’s just part of this special military week event.
BM: This is for everybody. It’s a big party. I’m bringing all the Poison hits. I’m putting on the show I put on every night. I give 1000 percent energy, as does my stellar band. We play all the Poison hits. We play other Bret Michaels songs. We’re going to do the new single “Unbroken.” It’s just an absolute party. I’m a details guy. I want to show that from the minute the show opens. We’re going to have guys handing out picks guitar picks. We got people at the front of the stage greeting people. We go out of our way. It’s just a party, no matter what. And that night will celebrate our veterans too.
MF:You’ve got a new single, “Unbroken.” And you’re back on the road. Is that good? I know everybody has a different opinions about touring.
BM: I love the road. It’s a part of my life. I’m one of those guys, and if you’re around me, this is the real me. I don’t become two different personalities. I literally live my life and am a very grateful person. I get to do what I love to do. I get to travel. I get to play music. And then I go home. And when I’m at home, I’m at home. I’ve got a family. I’ve got kids. And my kids are music-oriented. They play music. They love music. They go on the road with me a bunch. It’s a difficult combination, but I love the road. When I hit that stage, you’ll see I’m still excited to be out there.
Graceland Hosts Poison Singer, Reality Star Bret Michaels
MF: That’s great that you still get excited about it, because it can be tough, particularly if you have any kind of special circumstance.
BM: I’ve been a type-1, insulin-dependent diabetic since I was six. First thing I do when I roll out of bed in the morning is check my blood sugar. Second thing I do is take insulin. Then I eat and get in some form of exercise. I work out at a gym if I can, but whatever is available I make do with it. In Memphis, I’ll go out in the area and probably work out in a local gym there. I like to take in the scenery.
MF: So do fans. It’s good to get out, but after all that TV, I’m sure you get recognized. Do you like interacting with fans?
BM: 1000 percent. If I’m grabbing a bite to eat, or at the gym, people will come up for different reasons. Some because of the music. Some because of Apprentice or Rock of Love. There’s different reasons they know me. I’m grateful.
MF: You’re bringing up the TV — is there more of that? Has that phase passed? Are you back doing music full time now?
BM: I’m a creative person. I like to create stuff and see it through. There are a lot of creative people. My blessing is being able to bridge the gap. Once you create something, then you got to go get it done. You can create a song, but you’ve got to lay it down. You’ve got to record it. You got to make sure it gets out then for sale on iTunes. You shoot the video. There’s a lot of hard work. Being creative is what turns me on. Getting it done is where I’m blessed. I’m a hard worker and I constantly write and record music. In the Great digital world we live in, you don’t have to go in for 6-months and plow it all out at one time. You can go in and write “Unbroken,” and put that out right then. When you feel something like this, it hits you, you write that, you record it, you put it out digitally. That’s the great thing about the world we live in now.
MF: Every artist I know has a mixed relationship with how digital recording and marketing changed the business. You seem to really like it.
BM: It’s where the world is going and went. Go look at “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Queen. Look at the rebirth of that catalog. It’s amazing that this music gets a complete rebirth. And it’s the same with Bret Michaels and Poison. No matter how digitally advanced we get, it still comes down to people. It comes down to hard work, and embracing people. Even if you do EDM you’ve got to go out there and do concerts. You got to mix. I warn every artist out there, no matter what your art genre is, you can be easily exposed in a digital world, and easily disposed. But you got to go out there and take your music to people.
MF: Truth.
BM: The “gatekeepers” went away with digital. So it opened up the world of creativity. The “gatekeepers,” if they didn’t like the shoes you were wearing, could stop you from putting a record out. I’m telling you the truth. The “gatekeepers” are like, “I don’t like that guy’s record. I don’t like the way his shoes are. So we’re going to shelve the record.” That’s all over. So the ability to be talented and creative is now wide open. The downside is there so much — the floodgates opened. The “gatekeepers” went away and the floodgates opened. And when the floodgates opened, the world itself can’t possibly take all of it in. So you, as an artist, have to learn to work even harder now to stand out.
MF:We haven’t talked about the new single yet.
BM: I co-wrote this with my youngest daughter Jorja Bleu.
MF:That is awesome.
BM: She’s my youngest daughter and she goes to a music school, and she’s 13. She was going through a tough time in her life and I’ve gone through a lot of adversity of mine, being diabetic, going through the brain surgery. So we wrote the song “Unbroken,” to be inspirational. It’s about seizing adversity and being stronger than our storms sometimes. It really is resonating with people. It’s exploding organically. It’s helping people, no matter what they’re going through in their life.
MF:Nice. I have musical twins and one’s a songwriter. We’ve done stuff together and it’s like the most fun, rewarding thing younger you never saw coming.
BM: Yes — you said it exactly. It’s a joy this bonding that is unexplainably great.
Graceland Hosts Poison Singer, Reality Star Bret Michaels (2)
What is Military Appreciation Weekend? Via Graceland:
WHAT: Graceland will celebrate the 61st anniversary of Elvis’ military service March 23 – 24, 2019 with its annual Military Appreciation Weekend. This two-day celebration will showcase salute and commemorate Elvis’ patriotism. WHO: Along with honoring active military, retired veterans and first responders, Graceland will also recognize special guests currently serving in the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, which was previously activated as the 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor Regiment where Elvis served in his military career.
On Saturday the 23rd at 8:00 p.m. the weekend will be highlighted by a Graceland Live concert featuring Bret Michaels performing live at the Graceland Soundstage. WHEN: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday March 23 and 24 WHERE: Elvis Presley’s Memphis
Highlights: Free Entry to Museum Exhibits (with Valid Military ID) Daily Flag Ceremonies
Guests are invited to observe flag ceremonies led by troops from Fort Campbell’s 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment at 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. both days at Elvis Presley’s Memphis. Care Package Donation Stations
Graceland will be collecting care package items for deployed service members, veterans, recruit graduates and first-responders throughout the weekend. Letter Writing Campaign
In the Hollywood Backlot Exhibit. Letters will be sent to our nation’s heroes through Operation Gratitude. Photo Opportunity with Elvis’ Presidential Medal of Freedom Veteran & Active Duty Member VIP Gathering
Graceland’s Archives Department will provide stories and an up-close and personal look at special artifacts from Elvis’ time in The US Army. Patriotic Mansion Lighting
Graceland mansion is lit up in red, white and blue all week to showcase our appreciation for Active Duty and retired U.S. Armed Forces members. Kids Crafts and Activities
A family friendly activity where kids of all ages will learn how to create a variety of fun military-themed crafts out of everyday household items.
Graceland Hosts Poison Singer, Reality Star Bret Michaels (3)
Facebook/Elvis Presley’s Graceland 
Sony Music Entertainment 
Coletta’s Italian Restaurant/Facebook 
Photo Courtesy Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises 
Stephen Done 
Brigitte Billeaudeaux 
Brigitte Billeaudeaux 
