CITY OF MEMPHIS Considered the “Home of the Blues” and the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll,” the city of Memphis’ musical roots run deep. However, music is just a chapter in the history as well as the future of the city located in the heart of Mid-America. Memphis, named after the capital of ancient Egypt, has big city amenities with a small-town feel. Whether you are a hardcore sports enthusiast, a history buff, a music aficionado, or you just like to relax and watch as boats travel the Mississippi River, Memphis has something for everyone. Downtown Memphis has continued to grow and thrive, and two of the most visible projects have been the construction of AutoZone Park and FedExForum. AutoZone Park is the home of the Memphis Redbirds, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A club. The 14,320-seat stadium includes 1,500 club seats, 48 luxury suites and is located at the corner of Third Street and Union Avenue across from the worldfamous Peabody Hotel. The Memphis Tigers baseball team also plays some of its more high-profile opponents in the top-notch facility. The city’s newest downtown project is FedExForum, an entertainment arena that houses both the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association and the University of Memphis men’s basketball team. The $250 million state-of-the-art arena features a 35,000-square-foot outdoor plaza where fans of all ages can gather before an event. The arena has over 100 points of sale for concession stands and four full-service restaurants. FedExForum is located one block south of Beale Street. Memphis’ musical roots can be traced to band leader W.C. Handy, who wrote the first blues song here in 1909, a campaign theme for Memphis mayor “Boss” Crump called “Boss Crump Blues” and later published as the “The Memphis Blues.” The sound soon caught on and blues bands filled the clubs along Beale. Young musicians who have performed along Beale include Muddy Waters, Furry Lewis, Albert King, Bobby “Blue” Bland and B.B. King. Beale Street has rapidly become the entertainment center of Memphis, and visitors and locals alike enjoy the food and music offered in the various nightclubs. Where Beale Street meets the Mississippi River is Tom Lee Park, site of the annual Beale Street Music Festival. The weekend-long event is just a part of the month-long Memphis in May International Festival, which also includes the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and the Sunset Symphony. Located within a block of Beale is Gibson Guitar Memphis, which includes factory tours and cultural exhibits. Across the street is the Smithsonian’s Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum located at the FedExForum, which includes artifacts documenting music’s past. Memphis’ musical roots also include Stax and Hi-Records as well as Sun Records recording studio. Stax became known for “sweet soul music” through such artists as the MarKeys, Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave and Isaac Hayes. The Stax Museum reopened on its original location at McLemore and Crump in the summer of 2003 and offers visitors a complete history of “Soulsville USA.”
One of Hi-Records’ premier artists was Al Green. Sun Records’ most famous recording artist was Elvis Presley and also boasted Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash among its recording artists. Elvis Presley’s Graceland is one of the five most-visited home tours in America and is the most famous home in the United States after the White House. In 1991, Graceland was placed on the National Register of Historical Places. Over 600,000 visitors tour Graceland each year. Also located downtown is the beautiful Orpheum Theater, which serves as a venue for performances by Ballet Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and traveling Broadway shows, as well as the Orpheum Classic Movies series and other concerts. The city’s location makes Memphis a major distribution hub with two interstate highways intersecting the city. Memphis is also home of FedEx, the nation’s largest package carrier which makes Memphis International Airport the world’s busiest cargo airport. Over 500 commercial passenger flights originate from Memphis International each day. Ranked by The Sporting News as one of the “Top 50 Sports Cities In the Country,” the city of Memphis is a large metropolitan city with a hometown feel. From its big-city industry such as FedEx and the Memphis International Airport to its family recreation areas such as Shelby Farms and the Memphis Zoo, the city boasts all the amenities one would expect in a city with over 1 million residents, while retaining the charm and down-toearth feel of a small town.
MEMPHIS IS... • Named for its Egyptian sister city on the Nile • The largest city in Tennessee & the 17th largest city in the United States • Centered in the middle of the nation’s population • The Pork BBQ Capital of the world • The home of The Pyramid, the third-largest pyramid in the world • Ranked by the travel industry as one of the top-20 destinations for an athletics event • Ranked as one of the nation’s top-10 convention centers and locations • The nation’s largest spot cotton-trading market • The hardwood capital of the world • The home of the world’s largest cargo airport • The third-largest rail center in the United States • The fourth-largest inland port in the United States • Home to the Memphis Zoo, one of only four zoos in the United States to exhibit giant pandas • The 35th Best Sports City according to The Sporting News 2011 list.
2012-13 Memphis Women’s Basketball Fact Book
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