Memphis, Tennessee is much more than just the home of many legendary country music stars. Famous artists from Memphis include a big list of stars from many facets of the performing arts. Memphis famous artists include the king of rock'n'roll, an Academy Award winning actor, and a celebrated author and historian.

Elvis Presley

One can barely talk about famous artists in Memphis without mentioning one of the nation's most famous boys. Elvis started a humble existence in Tupelo, Mississippi. He enjoyed singing from an early age and received his first guitar at the age of 11. Elvis, his mum and dad, and extended family moved to Memphis in 1948, where he attended the LC Humes High-school. Less than a year since graduation, Elvis recorded his first demo in 1953. By 1958, he was a favored vocalist, but Elvis put his career on hold to serve in the U.S. Armed forces till 1960. By his early death in 1975, Elvis headlined in 33 films and sold over one billion records. Millions of liking fans from across the entire world keep his memory alive and over 600,000 yearly tour his Graceland mansion home.

Morgan Freeman

Among Memphis famous artists is Morgan Freeman, who was born here and raised by his mother and motherly grandmother. Freeman developed a love for acting at the young age of 12, when he won top respects after appearing in his school\’s drama competition. After graduating high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years. He travelled to Los Angeles after his military discharge starring in an African Americanperformance of \”Hello, Dolly!\” in 1971. Morgan Freeman didn't experience movie mega stardom until the 1980s when he acquired his screen role in the movie \”Brubaker\”. Many film opportunities followed, and Freeman enjoyed starring roles in \”Driving Miss Daisy\”, \”The Shawshank Redemption\”, and \”Invictus\”. Mr. Freeman\’s recognizable, smooth voice also landed him a plethora narration projects that incorporated the prize winning \”March of the Penguins\”. Though he is one of the famous artists from Memphis, he currently resides in Mississippi, where he created the Rock River Foundation. The charity project gives millions of greenbacks for academic projects.

Shelby Foote

Famous Memphis artists include this historian and author, who didn't achieve celebrity recognition until later in life when he authored the 3 novel series \”The Civil War: A Narrative\”, which were published from 1958 to 1974. Shelby Foote was born in Greenville, Mississippi. His pa died when he was only 5 years old and he was raised by his single mother. His writing career started while attending the local highschool where he wrote and edited the highschool paper. Foote attended the College of North Carolina and wrote for the school magazine. Shelby Foote served as a captain in the U.S. Army and later volunteered for a quick tour with the Marines. After the war, he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post. His first novel, \”Tournament\”, was published in 1949. Foote modeled the fictional story after his late granddad, a plantation owner. He moved to Memphis in 1952, where he stayed until the time of his demise in 2005.