The concert business appears to be healthier in 2017, with more performers and artists on tour than in recent years – and more of them are booking shows in Memphis.

But it’s never that simple in the business of shows, where booking is a process and touring is becoming more of a necessity.

2. January 6-12, 2017: This week in Memphis history - Saturday, January 07, 2017

1978: The Sex Pistols play Taliesyn Ballroom in Midtown – the second of seven stops on the original band’s one and only U.S. tour – with Memphis punk trip Quo Jr. opening. The British band’s reputation prompts Memphis authorities to look over the setting for the show as well as go see the performance for themselves.
The ballroom, an annex to the Nineteenth Century Club on Union Avenue, is a short-lived live music venue that already has hosted REO Speedwagon’s first Memphis show.
Mid-South Concerts founder Bob Kelley originally plans a show with no seats until police and fire officials insist there must be seats. The late change means more tickets have been sold for the show then there are seats and some ticketholders are locked out initially.
The Sex Pistols play a full set with police officials watching, ultimately concluding there isn’t anything particularly inflammatory or illegal about the band, whose best known song is “God Save The Queen.” Eight days after the Memphis show, the band plays its final date in San Francisco – and the Sex Pistols break up.

3. Black Friday Deals Helped Lift US Auto Sales in November - Friday, December 02, 2016

DETROIT (AP) – Black Friday deals and postelection confidence helped pull November U.S. auto sales out of their recent slump – and increased the chances that 2016 could set a record for new vehicle sales.

4. Last Word: Substation 68, Akbari's Convention Slot and Heartbreak Hotel - Monday, July 25, 2016

Relief came on Sunday for Memphis Light Gas and Water customers in Arlington, Lakeland and a part of Bartlett who have been enduring the possibility of rolling blackouts and voluntary conservation measures in the worst heat of the summer for just shy of two weeks.

5. Ford Surprises in 2Q With Record North American Profit - Wednesday, July 29, 2015

DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s net income jumped 44 percent to $1.9 billion in the second quarter as global sales rose and customers paid more for new trucks and SUVs with premium features.

6. This week in Memphis history: July 3-9 - Saturday, July 04, 2015

2014: Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong says 308 police officers have called in sick during the Fourth of July holiday week in what he acknowledges is probably a “work action” by cops upset over cuts to health benefits.
The sick-out causes the department to use contingency plans, which include sending officers in units such as the Organized Crime Unit back to uniform patrol and using Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies in the Beale Street Entertainment District.

7. Live Nation Beale Alliance Touted As Concert Comeback - Thursday, April 02, 2015

On the sidewalk in front of the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street are two brass music notes, side by side. One honors the late Mid-South Concerts promoter Bob Kelley and the other honors Mike Glenn, the New Daisy’s long-time operator.

8. Restless Winter - Saturday, March 07, 2015

For most of its 103-year life as city property, the Mid-South Fairgrounds has been a place where Memphians remember why they came there in the past, as local leaders have periodically pushed to remake its landscape and in turn create more memories going forward.

9. Williams to Lead Marketing at Junior Achievement - Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Priscilla Williams has joined Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South as director of marketing and special events. In her new role, Williams will work to increase the organization’s visibility, funding and branding.

10. Editorial: Memphis in May Events Still Deliver - Saturday, May 11, 2013

Watching the evolution of the Memphis in May International Festival, it is easy to lose sight of who is in the crowds by the river with us.

It turns out a lot of them aren’t from Memphis, strictly speaking. The irony is for all of our more high-profile efforts to bring in visitors from the larger region, we have built quite the model for nearly 40 years while we were having what many of us regarded as our annual big party for ourselves by the river.

11. Automakers Report US Sales Up in March - Wednesday, April 03, 2013

DETROIT (AP) – March is turning out to be the best month for auto sales in at least six years.

Major automakers including Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, General Motors and Nissan all reported increases, with some reporting their best monthly totals since the start of the Great Recession in December of 2007.

12. Full Circle - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

When the 1968 film “Monterey Pop” is shown at the Levitt Shell this week, the images from the D.A. Pennebaker documentary about the 1967 rock music festival will make a sort of homecoming.

13. Cortview Capital Expands Memphis Team - Monday, May 14, 2012

Brad Bodine, who heads the credit products group for Cortview Capital Securities LLC, says growth in Memphis “is an important strategy” for the firm, which has been on a hiring streak around the country lately.

14. Evolving Concert Scene Far From Going Dark - Monday, February 28, 2011

Memphis was a great market for concerts once upon a time, you might hear some old timers say of the golden age of arena rock.

But the market has changed dramatically from the time when Bob Kelley’s Mid-South Concerts took out a black and white quarter page ad in The Commercial Appeal’s Playbook section every week to announce his newest booking.

15. Toyota May Lengthen Warranties to Keep Customers - Tuesday, February 16, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. may offer incentives or increase the length of its warranties as it tries to recover from an embarrassing string of safety-related recalls.

16. China Manufacturers Alliance Sets Up in Memphis - Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Memphis is often lauded for being a cultural and commercial crossroads.

It's a place where various forms of music - country, western, blues and gospel - converged in the 1950s to bring rock 'n' roll to the world.

17. Mayor Herenton's Executive Assistant Moves to MLGW - Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Gale Jones Carson has been named director of corporate communications for Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division. In her new executive-level position, she will report directly to MLGW president and CEO Joseph Lee III. She previously was executive assistant to Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton.

18. Memphis Theological Seminary Installs New Dean - Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The board of trustees of Memphis Theological Seminary installed Dr. Barbara A. Holmes as vice president of academic affairs/dean of the seminary. Holmes joined MTS as a faculty member in the ethics and African-American religious studies programs in 1998. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut and a master's degree from Southern Connecticut University.

19. RACE Battle Heads for City Council Vote - Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Until now, both sides in the debate over a proposed radioactive waste incinerator on Presidents Island have been mostly concerned with environmental issues.

The potential health risks of burning waste from hospitals, universities, nuclear power plants and other government facilities were the tie that first bound together several groups, including the Sierra Club, the Riverview Community Collaborative and Memphistruth.org, which is comprised of an assortment of civic and business leaders.

20. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Julie Wittichen Gasaway has become an associate at Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects

Julie Wittichen Gasaway has become an associate at Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects. She joined the firm in 1990 and earned a bachelors degree from the University o...

21. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Flynn Named Vice President of Ruth Ann Marshall has been appointed North American Region president for MasterCard International. Marshall formerly was executive vice president at Concord EFS Inc. Stephen J. Flynn has been named vice president of res...

22. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, December 23, 1998
FDX Global Logistics Inc FDX Global Logistics Inc. announced several appointments. Debra A. Gray has been named vice president and chief financial officer. She previously was staff vice president of finance for the FDX information and logistics serv...

23. Archived Article: Mud Island Opens Lj - Friday, April 10, 1998
By LAURIE JOHNSON Mud Island opens 1998 season on Saturday By LAURIE JOHNSON The Daily News Mud Island is opening its 1998 season with heavier group bookings, despite the indefinite closing of its Gulf of Mexico swimming pool. Mud Islands spring sea...

24. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, June 05, 1996
Laura T Laura T. Todd has joined the Bank of Collierville as mortgage loan officer. Formerly with First Tennessee Mortgage in Collierville, she has been in mortgage banking for more than 14 years. Todd is a graduate of the University of Mississippi ...

25. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, December 13, 1995
12/13 Memos Jeri L. Ashley has been named staff development coordinator for Trinity Hospice. Ashley has a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Tennessee-Memphis and a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Murray State Univ...