Thursday, 23 May 2013

Memphis Famous Artists, Writers, and More

By Gary Kalona


Memphis, Tennessee is much more than just the home of many legendary country music stars. Famous artists from Memphis include a detailed list of celebs from many facets of the performing arts. Memphis famous artists include the king of rock 'n roll, an Academy Prize winning actor, and a celebrated author and historian.

Elvis Presley

One can hardly talk about famous artists in Memphis without mentioning one of the nation's most famous boys. Elvis began a humble existence in Tupelo, Mississippi. He enjoyed singing from a young age and received his first guitar at the age of 11. Elvis, his ma and pa, and extended family moved to Memphis in 1948, where he attended the LC Humes Highschool. Less than a year after graduation, Elvis recorded his first demo in 1953. By 1958, he was a well-liked vocalist, but Elvis put his career on hold to serve in the U.S. Army until 1960. By his premature death in 1975, Elvis headlined in 33 films and sold over one bn. records. Millions of liking fans from across the entire world keep his memory alive and over 600,000 yearly tour his Graceland mansion home.

Morgan Freeman

One of the most famous artists from Memphis Mr. Morgan Freeman, who was born here and raised by his mom and maternal grandmother. Freeman developed a love for acting at the young age of 12, when Freeman won top respects after a performance in his school's drama competition. After graduating high school, Freeman served in the U.S. Air Force for four years. He went to Hollywood in Los Angeles after his army discharge starring in an African-Americanperformance of "Hello, Dolly!" in 1971. Morgan Freeman didn't experience movie super stardom until the 1980s when he acquired his screen role in the flick "Brubaker". Many film opportunities followed, and Freeman enjoyed starring roles in "Driving Miss Daisy", "The Shawshank Redemption", and "Invictus". Mr. Freeman's recognizable, smooth voice also landed him a plethora narration projects that encompassed the prize-winning "March of the Penguins". Though he is amongst the famous artists from Memphis, he currently lives in Mississippi, where he created the Rock River Foundation. This charity project gives millions of dollars for academic projects.

Shelby Foote

Famous Memphis artists include this historian and writer, who did not achieve his due recognition until later along in life when he wrote the three novel series "The Civil War: A Narrative", which were published from 1958 to 1974. Shelby Foote was born in Greenville, Mississippi. Foote's pa died when he was only 5 years of age and he was raised by his single mother. His writing career started while attending the local high school where he wrote and edited the high-school paper. Foote attended the Varsity of North Carolina and wrote for the university mag. Foote served as a captain in the U.S. Army and after volunteered for a quick enlistment with the Marines. After the war, he wrote for the Sat. Evening Post. His first novel, "Tournament", was printed in 1949. Foote modeled the fictional tale after his late granddad, a plantation owner. He moved to Memphis in 1952, where he stayed till the time of his death in 2005.




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