BackinMemphis

“Graceland Presents Elvis” was a short-lived attraction inside the former International Hotel, an off-strip resort that hosted hundreds of performances by the legend. The exhibit opened in April of 2015, and closed the following February. The 28,000-square-foot exhibit offered visitors the chance to view 350 pieces of Elvis memorabilia, the largest collection outside of Graceland. The artifacts included stage outfits, jewelry, letters, guitars, and other relics that were loaned to the casino from his estate in Tennessee. But with the exhibit poorly attended, Elvis Presley Enterprises threatened to abandon its 10-year lease agreement less than a year after opening . Westgate, which claimed to have invested over $9 million in preparing the space for the spectacle, subsequently closed the attraction and locked the memorabilia as ransom.     Despite a lawsuit filed in March of 2016 that sought for the items to be returned, the Westgate has maintained their possession. ...

As he held a loaded .38 revolver on Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper recalls, “The little devil on my shoulder said, ‘Shoot him. What a great story. Don’t kill him, just shoot him.’” The king of shock shooting the king of rock 'n roll in 1971 would have, no doubt, made international headlines. But seconds later, Cooper said, he found himself on the floor in Elvis’ hotel suite kitchen, the gun knocked far away and Elvis saying, “That’s how you take a gun out of somebody’s hand.” Cooper recounted this first meeting with Elvis during an interview with The Clarion-Ledger . Cooper recalled pantomiming Elvis in front of a mirror years before he joined a rock band and says Presley was a musical and theatrical influence, as were the many Southern blues musicians who influenced other top rock acts of the 1960s and ‘70s. “I had a great relationship with Elvis,” Cooper said. “… In 1971, I was in Las Vegas, and I get a call: Elvis wants to meet you … I went to the Hilton, got in an el...

Video - If you forward to 5:38, you will see some amazing footage of the back of the home as it appeared just ONE WEEK before the fire. Pretty Cool! According to The Commercial Appeal , Saturday morning's fire caused "extensive" damage to the former home of Elvis Presley on Audubon Drive, but ongoing renovations meant no Presley artifacts were in the house at the time of the blaze. Memphis Fire Lt. Wayne Cooke said the department responded to the home just after 7:30 a.m. The fire was under control by 7:52, he said. Fire personnel were on scene for several hours. The cause was electrical, Cooke said, and started in the wall between the living room and dining room. The one-story home was unoccupied and undergoing renovations . Rhodes College is the steward of the house, now owned by music industry veteran and philanthropist Mike Curb. As an extension of the Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes, the home hosts small VIP events and private music concerts. John ...