Video: Elvis’ 81st Birthday Features Celebration, And Partnership With Meridian

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Elvis’ boyhood friend led fans in song, and cut the birthday cake.

This celebration featured Elvis faithful, and guests from Meridian, who
unveiled a star that will be placed in a Hollywood style “Walk of Fame.”

Meridian Mayor Percy Bland says Elvis Presley has a lasting impact on the
entire state.

“He was born in Tupelo but his name, his brand, his legend sticks out and
stands for the entire state of Mississippi,” Mayor Bland said.

This is the first time a walk of fame star has been brought to an artist’s
hometown. Fred Cannon was instrumental in creating the walk of fame and
says Elvis’ influence can’t be overstated.

“If you look back at Jimmy Rodgers, Elvis Presley and BB King, that’s really
the roots of American music, which set everybody alight in England, the
blues did, and created the era of rock and roll which was the sixties out of
the UK,” Cannon said.

Elvis’ star will be placed on the walk of fame in Meridian, on the 19th of
January. In the meantime, work continues on a state of the art museum,
highlighting the arts and entertainment figures throughout the state.

The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment
Experience is a $45 million , 58 ,000 square foot facility that will
honor the state’s music, literature, drama, dance and visual arts.

“We’re going to be more like a mothership, that gets people off I- 20, which
is 13 million people crossing from Alabama to Louisiana, one way each year
and if we can get them off, give them a taste, say, look, here’s a sample of
Elvis, if you want to see more, go to Tupelo and go to the Elvis Presley
museum,” said Marty Gamblin, executive director of MAEE.

The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience is set to open in 2017.

For more information on the museum and the walk of fame, go to www.msarts.org

www.creativeanddreams.com