Two New Elvis Markers
On August 11, the Shelby County Historical Commission will be dedicating another two markers as part of Elvis Week. The commission will be commemorating Elvis’ hangout the Poplar Tunes record shop as well as the Lauderdale Courts, where the Presley family once resided.
The markers are part of an “Elvis trail” of sorts that the commission has been developing over the last few years. In 2014, the commission placed a marker at the Family Dollar store at Chelsea and Thomas. The former location of American Sound Studios was where Presley recorded his 1969 “comeback” sessions, and where producer Chips Moman and the studio’s house band conjured up over a 100 chart hits.
The August 11 ceremony at the Poplar Tunes site – 308 Poplar, now home to ASAP Bail Bonds – will take place at 10 am and be followed with a second ceremony at the west side of the Lauderdale Courts (282 North Second Street) at 11 am.
There will be a special "Walk in the Footsteps of Elvis" tour between the two locations, which are four blocks apart. The SCHC has plans for several other music-related dedications in 2016, including markers for the former radiostation WHBQ at the Chisca Hotel and a Johnny Cash dedication in the Cooper-Young neighborhood.
(Source: Elvis Travle Service / ElvisMatters)