Memphis in History

Elvis Presley records the regional hit "Thats All Right (Mama)" at Sam Phillips Sun studios in Memphis, Elvis plays a rock and country & western fusion called rockabilly

Elvis Presley records the regional hit "Thats All Right (Mama)" at Sam Phillips Sun studios in Memphis, Elvis plays a rock and country & western fusion called rockabilly

King goes to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of the black sanitary public works employees, represented by AFSCME Local 1733, who had been on strike since March 12 for higher wages and better treatment

Five days later, President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a national day of mourning for the lost civil rights leader

Johnson declares a national day of mourning for the lost civil rights leader

King is booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel, owned by Walter Bailey, in Memphis, while standing on the motel's 2nd floor balcony, King is shot at 6:01 p.m. Five days later, President Lyndon B.

King is pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:05 p.m.

King returns to Memphis and addresses a rally, delivering his "I've been to the Mountaintop" address at Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ, Inc. - World Headquarters), King's flight to Memphis had been delayed by a bomb threat against his plane.

The assassination led to a nationwide wave of riots in more than 60 cities.

Shot dead while stepping out onto a motel room balcony in Memphis

Death of Martin Luther King Jr

Shot dead while stepping out onto a motel room balcony in Memphis

A crowd of 300,000 attend Martin Luther King's funeral

Death of Elvis Aaron Presley, at his mansion in Memphis

Opens BB. King's Blues Club in Memphis