Celebrating
Two Kings in 2025
Some years demand recognition and a celebration fit for a
king, and 2025 is one of those years - marking Elvis’ 90th and B.B. King’s 100th
birthdays.
Elvis’ 90th Birthday
Be inspired by the place where the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll got
his start – Tupelo, Mississippi! Elvis Presley was born in a two-room shotgun
shack in Tupelo on 8th January 1935, where he grew up dreaming of
becoming a superhero. For his 11th birthday, his mother bought him a guitar
from the Tupelo Hardware Company and ten years later, he made his first gold
record and set up residence at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The rest, as
they say, is history!
Throughout 2025 Mississippi & Tennessee will be
celebrating Elvis and his incredible career, January is the start of the
birthday celebrations with concerts and special tours and August is the annual Elvis
Week.
Tupelo is hosting a yearlong celebration of its most iconic
people and places called Celebrate Tupelo including monthly events surrounding
Elvis' 90th birthday, the 80th anniversary of
Johnnie's Drive-In (Tupelo's oldest restaurant where Elvis loved to eat) and
the 120th anniversary of Reed's Department Store (Gladys
Presley worked for the Reed Manufacturing Company while pregnant with Elvis and
a mural depicting her at a company picnic is on display at Reed's Department
Store).
In Memphis the new Elvis 90 for 90
Exhibit at Graceland features 90 curated artifacts from Elvis
Presley’s personal and professional career, including his sketchbook.
B.B King’s 100th Birthday
He started life as Riley B. King on 16th
September 1925 in one of America’s most impoverished places, the Mississippi
Delta, and became the King of Blues with international fame. Music lovers
around the world travel to Indianola and the B.B. King Museum and Delta
Interpretive Center as they tell the story of his life, career and stories from
around the Delta.
The B.B. King Museum will kick-off the year-long
celebrations honouring the 100th birthday starting 14th
January 2025 at the Mississippi State Capitol. Further celebrations throughout
the state will be announced in the new year.
Mississippi
Blues Trail
Both attractions listed above are part of the Mississippi
Blues Trail, an unforgettable self-guided journey into the land that spawned
the single most important root source of modern popular music. With over 200+
markers throughout the state, you can visit gravesites, birth sites, railroad
crossings, highway intersections, and places where now-famous musicians once
played and clubs where tomorrow’s legends now play the blues.
Mississippi
Country Music Trail
The Mississippi
Country Music Trail celebrates Mississippi’s musical heritage by honouring the
musicians, venues and cultural landmarks that have shaped the state's influence
on country music. The trail features over 20 markers commemorating the roots of
country music in Mississippi, and inviting visitors to experience its enduring
legacy firsthand.
Now you can see just a few reasons why Mississippi is known
as the Birthplace of America’s Music!
Visit www.visitmississippi.org
for more details or email jennie@ttmworld.co.uk
for PR and hannah@ttmworld.co.uk for
Trade information.