BackinMemphis

On tonight’s episode of ‘American Idol,’ Scotty McCreery and his fellow contestants were challenged to sing a song from over 650 listed as shaping rock ‘n’ roll, as defined by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was not a shock that McCreery would sing pick an Elvis Presley song from the canon, since the singer revealed in earlier episodes that he used to entertain schoolmates on the bus by impersonating the King. McCreery went with ‘That’s All Right.’ Beforehand, will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas mentored McCreery and told him to give the song an edge. So while it might have seemed like a safe choice, McCreery said he that his performance would not be “the country Scotty. I am going give it that rock feel.” And that’s just what he did, as he showed us a whole other rockabilly side to his voice. We’re so used to his deep drawl, but he demonstrated several different ranges and had fun while doing it. Judge Jennifer Lopez asked the teen if he listens to hip-hop at all, because she felt some “f...

Interview with Alfred Wertheimer

My dear friend Jan Shepard played Elvis' sister in King Creole.I had the opportunity to spend time with her in LA. And here we bring you part one of many with my dear friend Jan. Jan and her husband Ray are amazing people!

Million Dollar Quartet, Broadway's hit musical, is pleased to announce that Cowboy Jack Clement, will join the cast of the Tony nominated Best Musical for a special performance during the finale of the Thursday evening, April 21 performance at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Cowboy Jack Clement is a legendary songwriter and record producer. On the date of the 1956 Million Dollar Quartet sessions at Sun Records, Jack was the engineer. Without Cowboy Jack, Presley, Cash, Lewis & Perkin's impromptu recording session would never have been documented on tape. Cowboy Jack has worked with such legends as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Bobby Bare, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cliff Richard, Charley Pride, Tom Jones, Dickey Lee, Hank Snow, and Waylon Jennings. The cast of Million Dollar Quartet features Eddie Clendening (Elvis Presley), Lance Guest (Johnny Cash), Jared Mason (Jerry Lee Lewis), Erik Hayden (Carl Perkins), James...

Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, and her daughter, Francesca Hilton, are locked in an increasingly public battle over the care the ailing actress has been receiving. Through a spokesman, Hilton called it a "shameless publicity stunt" after Von Anhalt told media outlets including The Times that Gabor was stricken after hearing of Elizabeth Taylor's death and had to be admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after her blood pressure spiked. Hilton spokesman Edward Lozzi said a UCLA medical center official said Gabor had not been placed under the hospital's care and that Gabor suffered from dementia and was unable to speak. He took particular issue with a statement that Von Anhalt said about Gabor being concerned she could be the third in a series of  celebrities who had recently died. "His latest stunt of my mother and Elizabeth Taylor's death allegedly putting her in the hospital, (untrue) keeps destroying the true legacy of Zs...

Sheriff William N. Morris Jr., second from left, and deputies process James Earl Ray, at right, in the Shelby County Jail. This is one of the newly discovered photographs released by the Shelby County Register of Deeds office. Among the new files are letters Ray wrote to his lawyers and family from the Shelby County Jail, where he spent eight months before pleading guilty to King’s murder. Ray spent the rest of his life in prison and died in 1998. (Photo by Gil Michael/Shelby County Sheriff's Office) The Commercial Appeal recently published these never before seen photos of James Earl Ray, the man who killed Dr. Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. In the photo above is also Sheriff William N. Morris, best known to Elvis fans as ElvisPresley's friend and former mayor of Memphis. Sheriff William N. Morris Jr., escorts James Earl Ray into the Shelby County Jail in Memphis before dawn July 19, 1968. Ray, who was protected by a bulletproof apron, had been ex...

Priscilla Presley keeps her namesake orchids in ornate decorative pots that further enhance their beauty and keep the heavily laden flowers from tipping over.Seedlings of the Cattleya Priscilla Presley bloom during January and February. The one word that best describes the world of orchids is glamour. No group of plants has ever captured the imagination like this strange, exotic and beautiful flower. When they were discovered in the late 1700s and early 1800s, orchids became sought after by European royalty. Cattleyas were especially revered by collectors and were eventually given the title "Queen of the Orchids." From the late 1920s through the 1950s, women wore corsages of cattleya flowers whenever they wanted a touch of glamour. President Eisenhower's wife, Mamie, was never seen in public without her corsage of two or three cattleya flowers. In the 1940s, teenage boys gave their junior or senior prom dates cattleya corsages, because the girls expected them. Holl...