Aug. 16 marks 47 years since the death of Elvis Presley. Elvis Week 2024 offers fans from near and far a number of ways to commemorate his legacy.

“Not enough of us understand or respect what Memphis truly is. The Mississippi River is a confluence of 10 to 12 rivers that become one. Memphis is a confluence of cultures. Rich and poor. City and country. Religious and secular. Black and white.”

The mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery where Elvis Presley was interred shortly after he died in 1977 opens again to the public this month after being closed for the last seven years. 

Given how much music the city has produced, it’s not much of a surprise that the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll punches well above its weight as a music subject.

A country star comes to Snowden Grove, a rock star hits Live at the Garden, a rap star celebrates 25 years of the song that brings women running to the dance floor, and an annual gathering celebrates blues.

Local preservationist Anasa Troutman purchased the house in a foreclosure sale. 

In 2013, one of Memphis’ best bassists came out with a surprising solo album, his wry humor and welcoming warmth conveyed in a pinched but homey delivery. This month, he’ll release his fifth — and perhaps best — album since then. 

The performance is a live score of William Eggleston’s “Stranded in Canton” film.

On his newest album, Whalum says he refuses to “fall prey” to a common trend in modern smooth jazz.

The rare classic car has spent the past decade on Beale Street but will return to Mississippi as part of the “Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch Experience.” 

A feasibility study for a Memphis hip-hop museum is underway.

Also in July, Texas rappers take the Minglewood Hall stage, a New Orleans jazz band comes to The Green Room at Crosstown Arts, and celebrated rockers play Minglewood and Radians Amphitheater.

The two-day festival celebrating hill country blues music will be held June 28-29 in Marshall County, between Holly Springs and Oxford.

The beloved group, known for vocal harmonies and radio hits, has sold 64 million albums. 

“The Bikeriders,” which opens in Memphis on Friday, June 21, features music from a stalwart Memphis rock and roll band that’s been a local scene staple since the late 1990s.

Soul and opera singers, civic promoters and recording-session aces are among the latest class of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, which will surpass 100 inductees this year.

Memphis-area native and Grammy Award-winning Justin Timberlake was arrested while driving on New York’s Long Island.

Horseback rides and the chance to hear live music were some of the ways attendees enjoyed themselves during the Tone Juneteenth Festival. 

Zak joined Eric Barnes on this week’s episode of The Sidebar along with Dr. Lynn Dobrunz, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at the UT Health Science Center, where the Ozmo Institute is based.

“We want to offer a quality tour so that when people leave, they’re mesmerized by Jerry Lee’s career, his accomplishments, his home,” Todd Allen Herendeen, the property’s potential buyer, said.

One event, Tone’s music festival, features Memphis rap legend Juicy J and Memphis producer HitKidd.

The portable bookstore will have pop-ups through the rest of the year as the owners prepare to open a brick-and-mortar shop in Memphis.

Lamonte Cunningham, owner of ER Entertainment, is launching The Source 104.1 FM, a Southern soul and R & B format station, Saturday, June 1, hoping to give new talent a boost.