MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Overton Park Shell, the historic Memphis outdoor music venue where Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert in 1954, is celebrating its 75th birthday this year.
The concert season begins Sept. 15 at the venue, which was named the Levitt Shell at Overton Park after Memphis businessman Mortimer Levitt 's foundation helped fund a $1.3 million renovation that allowed it to re-open in 2008 after a few years of inactivity.
The Shell was built for less than $12,000 in the 1930s by the city of Memphis and the Works Progress Administration . Over the years, it has become a cross between a popular music venue and communal gathering space, buoyed by support from the community and the Levitt Foundation . On Oct. 15 , one month after its concert season starts, the Shell is scheduled to play host to a 75th anniversary benefit, The Memphis Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/pmpAkY).
"It's a pretty monumental thing that this venue in Overton Park has been here for 75 years, and that's only because of the support it receives from the community," said Levitt Shell executive director Anne Pitts . "So that's a real important message for us this year."
Recent shows have included a free concert in July by Amy LaVere to tout her new album "Stranger Me," which was recorded and produced in Memphis by Craig Silvey . Silvey also mixed Arcade Fire's Grammy-winning album "The Suburbs."
In early August, British musician Pete Best — the Beatle who was replaced as drummer by Ringo Starr — played the Shell.
The concert season set to begin later this month also has some notable names, including Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers band and folk singer Sara Hickman .
The second Jim Dickinson Folk Festival will be held Sept. 19. The event is a free tribute to Dickinson, who died in 2009. He was a producer, musician and father of two members of the North Mississippi Allstars.
The first time the Dickinson festival was held in 2009, it brought about 4,000 people to the Shell. This time around, headliners will include the North Mississippi Allstars, Lucero, Mojo Nixon, Jimbo Mathis & Tri-State Coalition, Sons of Mudboy and Shannon McNally .
For the Oct. 15 birthday bash, organizers plan to go back to the beginning. Pitt says the tagline for the event is "Party Like it's 1936."
"We'll have an orchestra with some of the best musicians in Memphis on stage, and then a series of special guests coming out and performing the songs of 1936," Pitt says. "That means everything from Billie Holliday to Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby . It's going to be a wonderful celebration of 75 years of incredible music history at this beautiful venue in Memphis."
Information from: The Memphis Daily News, http://www.memphisdailynews.com
(AP) — The Overton Park Shell, the historic Memphis outdoor music venue where Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert in 1954, is celebrating its 75th birthday this year. The concert season begins Sept. 15 at the venue, which was named the Levitt Shell at Overton Park after Memphis...
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