Bluff City icons W.C. Handy, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Al Green, were among the names announced as part of the first class of inductees to the new Memphis Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
The initiative, part of the Smithsonian-connected Rock 'n' Soul Museum, was launched with an event at downtown's The Warehouse. City of Memphis mayor AC Wharton, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Rock 'n' Soul executive director John Doyle, and Memphis Convention and Visitor's Bureau President Kevin Kane, as well as various local music notables, were on hand to confirm the first class of 25 inductees, who will be honored with a ceremony on Nov. 29 at The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. The event will be open to the public.