“Jimmy Ogle’s 5 Biggest Surprises in Memphis History ”

1. The three co-founders (John Overton, Andrew Jackson and James Winchester) never lived in Memphis.  The founding of Memphis on this strategic bluff in 1819 was purely a real estate venture from three powerful men from the Nashville area.  There were 362 lots laid out over 1,390.5 acres of land (with the street system still intact) and they were selling lots like current day folks sell timeshares in Florida.
2. Four Mayors in One Day on February 22, 1916.  The State has ousted Mayor Crump in 1915 (in our own Courthouse, no less) due to his lack of enforcing the state prohibition law.  Of course, the case was contested and Crump eventually won it and the next election.  During that time (Summer, 1915 to February, 1916) William Tyler McLain served as Interim Mayor.  The morning of February 22, 1916 began with William Tyler McLain as Interim Mayor, Ed Crump was sworn in (and resigned), Vice-Mayor R.A. Utley was sworn (and resigned) and the City Commission then had to vote for a replacement Mayor, who was Thomas Ashcroft.  Quite a day!  So, forget about three Mayors in two years (2009-10) or even four Mayors in one year (1982), the wacky political mojo for Memphis politics was set in 1916. 
3. Andrew Jackson Bust & Pedestal.  Located in the south hallway of the Shelby County Courthouse, this marble bust and pedestal was originally cast in 1835 in the White House– arguable the oldest known bust of a sitting President in the United States today. And it is located in a public hallway (not in a museum, or behind glass or even with theatre ropes and stanchions to protect it!).  Completed in 1851, placed in Court Square in 1859, defaced in 1862 and removed until being put back on public display in 1921 in the south hallway (91 years ago).  [There will a 245^th birthday anniversary for Andrew Jackson this March 15^th at the Courthouse, sponsored by the Piomingo Chapter of the United Daughters of 1812, and a subsequent event in the Autumn recognizing the veterans of the War of 1812 interred in Shelby County cemeteries, and our county’s namesake– Isaac Shelby, a general in the War of 1812 and negotiator (with Andrew Jackson) for all the lands of West Tennessee in 1818. 
4. More Jackson – 4-Cent Postage Stamp.  The nation’s first 4-cent postage stamp was designed by a Postmaster from Memphis (and former resident during the Civil War, which there is another story about that), by the name of Josiah Deloach (yes, that Deloach Street out by The University Of Memphis).  President U.S. Grant appointed Deloach as Postmaster.  The stamp is fashioned in the image of Andrew Jackson, based on the bust (mentioned above) that is now located in the Shelby County Courthouse (see attached). 
5. The MGM Lion:  When you see the MGM logo appear before every movie, think Memphis– dating back to 1937.  That is a resident tiger named Volney from the Memphis Zoo roaring across the front of the logo.

Historian and raconteur Jimmy Ogle is a familiar sight in downtown Memphis as his popular tours and historical talks about everything from Memphis history through its manhole covers to the Courthouse attract residents and visitors alike.   

Jimmy starts Tuesday Tours on April 10 and this year in April and May, on weekends, he is adding a Riverfront Park Series (covering all city-owned parks managed by RDC) and a walk across the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge (sidewalk, the only legal bridge for pedestrians in Memphis across the Mississippi River) and a primer the parks of the south bluff and to the future introduction of the Harahan Greenline. 

To view a schedule of his tours and talks, click here.

In conjunction with the Metal Museum, MULYP will host an opening reception for the exhibit Weighed in the Balance: Akan Gold Weights from the Canadian Museum of Making from 6- 8:30p.m. The free event will feature hands-on activities, an educational lecture, refreshments and a gallery walk-through.

The Black History Month Year Celebration series is designed to commemorate the outstanding historical works of Africans and African-Americans that often go unnoticed.  The Akan figurative weights on display served in the commerce and the trade of gold, and are often called "masterpieces in miniature" giving visual form to proverbs reflecting Akan social and moral values. The “Weighed in the Balance” exhibit will be on display at the Metal Museum until March 4, 2012.

Memphis Urban League Young Professionals and the Ornamental Metal Museum

 Weighed in the Balance: Akan Gold Weights from the Canadian Museum of Making

 Thursday, February 9^th from 6:00-8:30pm

 Ornamental Metal Museum (374 Metal Museum Drive, Memphis, TN 38106)

RSVP Here

In her two years in Memphis, she has lived up to her advance billing as “one of the most highly praised conducting talents of her generation,” according to the description of one reviewer.

When Ms. Chen selected Memphis from a number of opportunities, most of her knowledge  came from a University of Michigan class, “American Pop Music History,” and in her reliance on FedEx.  “I really thank FedEx for playing an important role in my career,” she said.  “When I applied for an important opportunity, I only trusted FedEx and I always saw Memphis when I tracked what I was sending.”

“It is destiny,” she said.  “There is a purpose for my gift.  I came to Memphis to make a difference.  I wanted to take what I learned and go to a smaller city and give back in the same way that people gave me opportunities along the way.”

Ms. Chen has injected new energy, enthusiasm, and joyfulness into the orchestra, reflecting qualities that she brings to her 12-hour work day.  In her first concert, she surprised the audience with a marching band and the next one featured 50 children from the Campus School singing “Simple Gifts,” the Shaker song made famous in Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.

It’s the sort of jubilant musical embrace that she brings to every concert, not to mention to her life as a Memphian.  Her job didn’t require her to move to Memphis, but she did.  “To be an effective music director, I have to be committed,” Ms. Chen said. “I really wanted to know the city.”  In addition to serving as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s fourth music director, she will also serve as the Chicago Sinfonietta’s music director, beginning in its 2011-12 season.

Prior to accepting the job in Memphis, she was assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony, assistant conductor at the Atlanta Symphony from 2007-9, and prior to that, she was the widely celebrated leader of Portland Youth Symphony for five years.  Despite the recognition, she not only breaks the glass ceiling as one of the small number of women conductors but as one of the handful of conductors from a youth symphony background.

“As I pushed for them (youth symphony) to find their voice, they pushed me to find my calling,” Maestro Chen said.  “I could stay comfortable there or I could walk through the door where women are a minority.”  In addition, her musicality is rare in Asian culture where technical proficiency overrides personal interpretation and passion, she said.

“I never knew how proud I would be to be call myself an American musician,” she said.  She also is in a line of great Memphis musicians, and because of her distinctiveness, her innovation, and her ability to see things in new ways, she is the perfect model for Memphis leadership.

Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4, St. Blues is hosting an Open Jam at their workshop and showroom, 645 Marshall Avenue, just down the street from Sun Studio. General Manager Teri Cox says they hope anyone with interest in guitars, Memphis music and the region’s culture come out and share in the experience.

“I just hope visitors come out and hear our story, and then we’ll let them loose in the Workshop,” she says. “Word of mouth is better than a sales pitch to me. I just like introducing artists from all over the world to our instruments.”

Greg Mitchell, luthier and lead tech, says a slew of guitars will be laid out and ready for playing. “All the cool St. Blues guitars are out, all the different models,” he says. “We’ve got five guitar amps and effects rigs set up, a couple bass amps and an actual 1983 St. Blues bass, which is really part of our historic collection. That one is a pretty rare instrument.”

During the Open Jam, Mitchell and the other artisans will be assembling instruments at the Workshop’s Whammy Bar, a sort of open-air gathering spot allowing the public to watch the final stages of assembly and talk shop with the builders and other guitar enthusiasts.

St. Blues will be giving away T-Shirts every hour, and attendees can enter to win one of two Cigar Box Guitars, quirky but fully playable instruments crafted at the Workshop. These guitars are the modern cousins of a Delta tradition borne out of necessity; a cigar box acting as a resonator body, with a neck and strings attached. The St. Blues versions are fully wired for amplification, and tuned to an open chord and played with a slide, they produce an ancient, bluesy sound.

The Open House runs 10:00 to 6:00 on Friday and 11:00 to 5:00 on Saturday. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the St. Blues Guitar Workshop at 901-578-3588. 645 Marshall Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103.

“Erik Jambor’s 5 Indie Films Every Memphian Should Watch ”

Mystery Train (Jim Jarmusch, 1989)

The Poor & The Hungry (Craig Brewer, 2000)

Forty Shades of Blue (Ira Sachs, 2005)

Team Picture/Open Five (Kentucker Audley, 2007/2010)

Undefeated (Dan Lindsay & TJ Martin, 2011)
Currently up for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature

Erik Jambor is executive director of Indie Memphis.

Culled from on-camera interviews conducted by a group of Swedish journalists more than three decades ago, Black Power Mixtape captures the leaders of the Black Power Movement – including Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, and Angela Davis – at the height of their influence.

However, the 16mm film footage containing intimate moments and remarkably unguarded exchanges went forgotten for 30 years, until Göran Hugo Olsson discovered the tapes languishing in the basement of Swedish Television. Through a mosaic of images, music and narration chronicling the evolution one of our nation’s most indelible turning points, the Black Power movement, Olsson and co-producer Danny Glover bring this footage to light. Music by Questlove and Om’Mas Keith, and commentary from prominent African- American artists and activists who were influenced by the struggle, including Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Peebles, give the historical footage a fresh, contemporary resonance and makes the film an exhilarating, unprecedented account of an American revolution.

“It provided insight from the outside looking in – a different viewpoint from the European perspective,” says Scott Patterson, the Brooks’ public programs manager since 2010. “What kept coming up over and over again in the interviews was the fact that ‘black’ isn’t power – knowledge is power.”

One college-aged filmgoer from the University of Memphis enjoyed seeing the new footage unveiled in the documentary, and commented that Black Power Mixtape is the perfect introduction to the Civil Rights movement.

The Brooks’ chief curator, Marina Pacini, also attended the screening. “It was a great experience. The film itself was fantastic, the footage is unbelievable,” she said.

The film had particular meaning for Pacini, who is currently curating the upcoming exhibition The Soul of a City: Memphis Collects African American Art, which will be on view at the Brooks from June 9 to September 2, 2012. The exhibition will reveal the variety of paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, and mixed media works from the 20th and 21st centuries in both private and public collections in Memphis, including artists such as Romare Bearden, William Edmondson, Wangechi Mutu, Clementine Hunter, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, and Ernest Withers.

Black Power MIxtape: 1967-1975 is just one of many unique films on the Brooks’ screening schedule for 2012. Currently Memphis’ sole arthouse theatre, the Brooks Films program screens up to 15 films a month in the museum’s Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium. Upcoming films include the cult classic The Honeymoon Killers, the new documentary Being Elmo, and the music biopic Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, about eccentric French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg.

In about four years, Hattiloo Theatre, the black repertory theater at 656 Marshall moved from his idea for a venue that deepened multi-cultural understanding to a sold-out hub of creativity within walking distance of Sun Studio. It’s a dream that’s about to enter a new phase with plans for Hattiloo Theatre to move to the revitalized Overton Square as part of what developer Loeb Properties calls Memphis’ “theater arts district.”

“I wanted to create a black venue that all Memphians can own,” Bandele said.  “But we also want to give black Memphians pride that emboldens them to get the theater bug and to use Hattiloo as a passport to explore all of the Memphis I love and to expand the cultural boundaries of children.  I want the black community, especially entrepreneurs, to get more active so our kids don’t have to go to Atlanta to succeed.”

It is a lesson he has emphatically proven.  Plays at Hattiloo Theatre sell out six weeks in advance, donors have tripled each year, and his gospel about the arts as the vehicle for expression and curiosity for at-risk young people finds expression in the expanding social outreach of the theater.

Looking back, it seems that all roads were leading to Hattiloo Theatre, but if that was the case, it was a winding road with a few detours into entrepreneurism.  But even then, such as when he owned a vintage clothing store, he set up an in-the-round performance space called the Curtain Theater.  Later, he organized Speakeasy, a rotating group of poets, musicians, comedians, and actors that performed weekly at the Jack Robinson Gallery in South Main Historic District.

The result was some of the most captivating evenings in the local arts scene, with a black jazz singer performing with an opera singer or a black poet paired with Harlan T. Bobo.  “It was some of the most diverse audiences in Memphis,” he recalled.  “There were affluent people sitting next to gangsters.  From the moment we opened the door, we couldn’t get in.”

Somewhere along the way, someone asked him, “’Why don’t you open a black theater?’  I said no.  I had a lot going on.  Someone asked, ‘What would you call it?’  I was just daydreaming.  I said Hattiloo for my daughters (names).”

Bandele has written eight plays and he brings his playwright’s eye to his new hometown.  “What I’m learning in Memphis is the dynamics of race and the desire for the black community to be more involved culturally, politically, and business wise.  The black community here is different than any black community I’d experienced.  While Memphis has a microcosm of mistrust, one on one it doesn’t exist.  The heart of Memphis is so big and it’s open.  What I’m finding is that no one has taken the time to find the connection and the common bonds, like what do two Memphians meeting in Brooklyn talk about?  That’s what I want us all to discover.“

If his goal for his art can be summed up in sentence, it is in its ability to help people define themselves.
“I can empathize with anybody,” he said.  “I can understand both sides.  I don’t believe that you can be divisive in Memphis and be a leader.  Another thing is that you have to have a clear vision.  When I was in college, I knew that I was a writer.  I knew my path.  My vision is that I can go to Klondike and they will say that they can be a theater executive director, a business owner, an accountant, a CFO.  When we expand the cultural boundaries of a child, we know they can be whatever they want to be.”

When asked what advice he can give young leaders as a result of his Memphis experiences, he said: “Learn from the past. Learn from those who lived it, shaped it, or survived it. Seek out those who have done aspects of what you want to accomplish, and sit down and listen to their story and ask for their advice. And then act with innovation and courage. Failure is but an opportunity to learn how not to do something.”

These are lessons his work teaches every day at Hattiloo Theatre.

Option 1

Lifeblood is holding a mobile blood drive from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, January 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day – at the National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry Street. Those who donate blood that day will be given a voucher that entitles the donor and three family members free admission to the National Civil Rights Museum through January 23. Those who choose to go on Monday will be allowed to advance to the front of what promises to be a long line and be admitted before everyone else.

Option 2

Those who donate at any of Lifeblood’s donor centers the area from January 16-23 will be given a voucher for entrance to the National Civil Rights Museum for the donor and three family members, good for use January 16-23. To locate a donor center near you, visit Lifeblood’s web site at www.lifeblood.org or call 1-888-LIFEBLOOD.

“One of Dr. King’s primary messages was that healthcare should be a basic civil right,” said Debra Brown, Lifeblood’s director of community relations. “Lifeblood offers a safe, local blood supply to the community for all patients, something the entire community can certainly get behind.”

For more information on the MLK Day promotion, contact Brown at 901.288.7946.

Please show your support by clicking on the link to sign a petition to Mayor Wharton and the Memphis City Council: thepetitionsite.com/1/SupportOvertonSquare

Memphis City Council will vote December 20, 2011, on a resolution to approve $16 million in funding for a parking garage and a flood detention basin in Overton Square. Join us in urging Mayor Wharton’s administration and City Council members to vote FOR this important investment in the future of Memphis.

The purpose of the City Council funding is threefold:

1. To build a parking garage to serve existing businesses there today.
2. To implement a flood detention basin which will address the costly flooding of Lick Creek.
3. To install streetscape and traffic improvements that will beautify Overton Square Theatre Arts District and connect it to the larger Midtown neighborhood.

Full funding of the project will result in:

• Creation of new jobs, new economic activity, and new tax revenues.
• Alleviation of flooding issues for Memphis residents.
• Creating a win-win for existing and new businesses in the Overton Square Theatre Arts District.

The garage & streetscape costs $8 million and the Lick Creek detention basin costs $8.2 million. Both will be owned by the City of Memphis.

With the parking garage, Overton Square will be reborn as a dynamic theater arts district. Loeb Properties plans to invest $19.2 million in the redevelopment of Overton Square. The existing buildings will be preserved and renovated, new buildings will be built, public spaces will be redesigned and upgraded, and Hattiloo Theatre hopes to relocate on-site and join Playhouse on the Square, Circuit Playhouse, Theater Works, and Studio on the Square. Together, these developments will increase the likelihood of a new hotel and other commercial development in the district.

Lick Creek flooding is the number one flooding concern in the City of Memphis and affects approximately 4,400 households. $8.2 million will build a detention basin that holds 1 million cubic feet of water. Locating the detention basin in Overton Square is the key to alleviating the threat to these homes without digging up the Overton Park greensward. If it is not built before the Overton Square commercial development is up and running the opportunity will be lost.

Currently, the Overton Square parking lot is used by many neighboring businesses. After Loeb’s planned redevelopment, this flat-surface parking lot will not be sufficient to service the new Overton Square and surrounding businesses. In order for the Overton Square development to be a success for stakeholders and neighbors, increased parking is justified and necessary.

With this vote city government has an important opportunity to transform the heart of Memphis, to address the persistent flooding, and to strengthen the Midtown tax base that is critical to the financial health of City of Memphis. It is imperative that Memphis makes the most of every opportunity to create new economic energy, new jobs, and to produce revenues from a growing economy.

The previous plan for Overton Square (by Sooner Development Corp.) met with widespread opposition for its disregard to the area’s history and the neighborhood’s interest in preserving the existing buildings. Loeb Properties’ subsequent plan was developed as a result of public meetings with stakeholders in the area, from public input regarding the company’s plans, and in conferring with city government officials. From this process, Loeb Properties created its thoughtful plan for an Overton Square that pays tribute to its past while shaping a new, vibrant future.

Loeb Properties seeks collaboration with the City of Memphis to build the parking garage for the neighborhood and its redevelopment. In addition, the company has agreed that the flood detention facility can be added to the garage’s design. None of this happens without a vote by Memphis City Council in favor of the funding on December 20th at 3:30pm.

We need to demonstrate our support for the Overton Square redevelopment to our city elected officials, and we can do it by signing this online petition. Your support will be communicated to Mayor Wharton and City Council members.

2012 Memphis Heritage Calendar Launch Party
Help Memphis Heritage celebrate the launch of their 2012 calendar, Windows of Worship, Tuesday, December 13 at 5:30pm at Howard Hall! This is a members-only event, but anyone who is not already a member can join at the door. The calendar works as an annual fundraiser for Memphis Heritage and you can buy one on the Memphis Heritage website for the holidays!

PR 180° Project
Voting is OPEN for the PR 180° Project by Obsidian Public Relations! The PR 180° project allows the public to vote for two Mid-South nonprofits to receive free PR services in 2012. You have until Wednesday, December 14 at 5pm to vote for your favorite cause. The top five winners will be announced Wednesday evening! Voting takes place on Obsidian’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ObsidianPR, go there to learn more.

Call for Entries: Live From Memphis Music Video Showcase
The 7th Annual Live From Memphis Music Video Showcase announces a Call For Entries! The Music Video Showcase will take place at The Warehouse in Downtown Memphis, TN from March 1-4. The multi-day event will include music video showcases, panel discussions, parties, an award show and more! Music Videos (not exceeding 5 minutes in length) will be accepted through January 31.

College Scholarship Coaches Needed
TNAchieves is looking for volunteers from the community to mentor students as they transition from high school to college. Mentors work with 3 – 4 students during their senior year of high school to make sure they are meeting deadlines, attending meetings and provide encouragement. This is an opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of students and your community. Volunteers that have mentored in the past tell us the time commitment is only between 10 – 15 hours annually. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a mentor, click here!

Holiday Angels Benefiting SRVS
SRVS, the Family Answer for Disabilities, is a United Way agency supporting more than 800 people with disabilities.  Many of the individuals are disadvantaged with no family and need your help for the holidays.  Each of these angels has a personalized wish list with a few basic needs and through December 22, you can adopt an angel and purchase gifts from their list. If interested in adopting a SRVS angel or buying holiday cards, contact Diana Fedinec at 901-312-6801or Diana.fedinec@srvs.org.