BackinMemphis

Sun Records Pioneer Sonny Burgess To Perform At The 1st Annual Elvis Birthday Bash. Memphis , TN , November 23, 2010 —Elvis would of turned 76 years old in January and what better way to celebrate his birthday than in his hometown with fellow Sun Records Contemporary, Sonny Burgess.  Sonny Burgess recorded at Sun Studio from August 1956 to August 1958 releasing 5 singles including Red Headed Woman and We Wanna Boogie.  Sonny even opened for Elvis in October 1955 when Elvis came to his hometown of Newport , Ark. Joining Sonny on stage will be pumping piano player Smoochy Smith who with his group The Mar-Keys had the first top ten hit on Stax Records in 1961 with Last Night.  Smoochy also got his start at Sun Records as a session player backing up such legends as Billy Lee Riley, Ace Cannon and Warren Smith.   This won’t be the first meeting between Sonny and Smoochy.  Sonny and Smoochy were part of The Sun Rhythm Section along with Paul Burlison, Marcus V...

Megan, thank you for your interest in me, and most importantly, my radio show, Elvis Only.  We’re heard for an hour once a week on radio stations across the US and Canada.  Our latest station lineup is available at http://www.elvisonly.com/ .  I hope your readers enjoy my story. In the spirit of Elvis’ 1969 monologues, I started out  – as a child.  I grew up in the early 1970s in Worcester, Massachusetts. My father was into Elvis, and he owned a small collection of the most recent albums.  We had one of those console stereos that were popular at the time.  He’d come home from work and relax by stretching out on the living room floor, with his head between the two speakers, listening to Elvis.  I was in grade school at the time, and I couldn’t help but hear the music that he played night after night.  I wasn’t an Elvis fan at that point, by any stretch, but I certainly knew more of Elvis’ contemporary music than my friends at May Street Sch...

On March 4th Sherrill and Brenda performed their last performance. Because of a blood clot in Sherrill’s leg, they flew home to Alabama where he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Brenda never left his side as Sherrill went through all the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and she was by his side at 11:06 Friday morning (Dec. 10, 2010) when he passed away. Attached is a brief history. Now more than ever, Brenda is facing monumental medical bills and expenses that have accrued since their last performance on March 4th (the last time she has seen an income) and she needs our help! Please help: 1. Pray for Brenda 2. Spread the word to others 3. Digitally download http://cdbaby.com/cd/christmaswithvoice as well as “Distilled Gospel” http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sherrillnielsen2 . We are now in the process of manufacturing two additional albums which will also be placed on cdbaby.com as soon as possible. They are: “Voice Reunites,” and “Sherrill Nielsen and Voice.” Brenda will receive...

Even if you’ve never heard Big Mama Thornton, born 84 years ago today, you’re probably familiar with some of her best-known songs. She was the first to record “Hound Dog”, written for her by Lieber and Stoller and later a big hit for Elvis Presley, and her song “Ball and Chain” later became a chart-topper for Janice Joplin. Born on the outskirts of Montgomery, Alabama as one of seven siblings in 1926, like many entertainers of her generation, Willie Mae Thorton got her start singing in church. Her father was a Baptist minister and her mother sang in the choir. After winning a local singing contest at the age of 14, Thornton came to the attention of promoter Sammy Green and soon began her professional career by landing a spot on Green’s Georgia-based “Hot Harlem Review.” Billed as “The New Bessie Smith” she would tour the southeast with the group for 7 years. Thornton relocated to Houston to get of the road and take advantage of their burgeoning club scene. There she met bandleader ...

Ticketmaster has opened the ticket sales for Elvis Presley In Concert @ Radio City Music Hall in NYC on February 15, 2011 to the general public a few minutes ago. If you have the chance to come to the big apple and see the show, be sure to order your tickets now! You won't regret it, New York loves Elvis! Buy Tickets Now P.S. The handicapped seating issue has been resolved! Be sure to arrive at least an hour before the show because they will be searching bags. See you at the show!

The following email came in from Donnie Sumner: I regret to inform you that MY FRIEND Sherrill (Shaun) Nielsen passed away this morning at about 11:00 A.M. Sherrill fought a good fight and has now received his new body I will miss MY FRIEND. Remember Brenda in your prayers I haven't heard about the funeral arrangments yet But Sherrill and Brenda have a home in Cullman AL and I assume the memorial service will be in Cullman I'll let all of my friends know as soon as I am informed God bless you all Your friend Donnie

Actor who played James Dean in 2001 movie could write and direct the new project. James Franco is returning to Rebel Without a Cause. Franco, who won a Golden Globe for playing James Dean in a 2001 TV movie, has optioned film rights to a just-released biography of Sal Mineo, the enigmatic actor who shared memorable scenes with Dean in the 1955 classic. Mineo led a freewheeling lifestyle and became the youngest performer nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar (for Rebel) before being murdered at age 37. Franco optioned the property himself for his Rabbit Bandini shingle as a potential writing-and-directing vehicle. He currently does not plan to star but that could change. Sal Mineo: A Biography, by artist and photographer Michael Gregg Michaud, was published in November by Random House. It details Mineo’s rise to fame in such films as Rebel and 1960’s Exodus, his conflicted sexuality and friendships with Dean and Natalie Wood, as well as his 1976 death in West Hollywood after...