Memphis Sports and Concert Events

Memphis

Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 650,100 within the city limits, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee, United States. Memphis was settled by the Chickasaw tribe. The Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto, is believed to have visited what is now the Memphis area. The French built Fort Prudhomme in the vicinity. The city was founded in 1819 and incorporated as a city in 1826. At the conclusion of the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862 during the American Civil War, Union forces captured Memphis from Confederate control. A yellow fever epidemic in 1870 greatly reduced the population for many years thereafter. Among the sites of interest in Memphis are Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Sun studios, where Elvis first recorded "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", rock n roll,is located in the city also. Other famous musicians who got their start at Sun include Johnny Cash, Rufus Thomas, Charlie Rich, Howlin' Wolf, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The National Civil Rights Museum is in the former Lorraine Motel, where the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. There is Libertyland Amusement Park and the adjacent Liberty Bowl and Memphis Children's Museum, Mud Island, Detour Memphis - an art and performing space, Lichterman Nature Center, the Pink Palace Museum, The Pyramid, The Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Queen riverboat. Among the colleges and universities present in Memphis are: Christian Brothers University (founded 1871), Le Moyne-Owen College (founded 1871), Memphis College of Art (founded 1936), Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis)(founded 1848), Southern College of Optometry (founded 1932), Southwest Tennessee Community College (formerly Shelby State Community College), University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University) (founded 1912), University of Tennessee Medical Units (founded 1911). Among the professionals sports teams, Memphis is host to the Memphis Redbirds (Pacific Coast League / St. Louis Cardinals system), Memphis Grizzlies (NBA), and Memphis Blues (Rugby).