The Zippin Pippin is famous for two reasons, it is the oldest wooden rollercoaster in America and it also happened to be Elvis Presley’s favourite fairground ride. Located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, it has not been used since the park closed in 2005, but earlier this week, the Memphis Heritage met to its future and possible relocation. The Save Libertyland! group that may or may not own the Zippin Pippin has reached an agreement with one of the companies that wants to develop attractions in and around The Pyramid. Steve Mulroy of Save Libertyland! Inc. announced Monday afternoon the group has agreed to let the Ericson Group move and renovate the Zippin Pippin roller coaster as part of Greg Ericson’s $250 million plan for The Pyramid, Mud Island and the surrounding riverfront. The Ericson Group proposal had been known as Pyramid Adventure but recently underwent a name change to Pyramid Harbor. The wooden, 85-year-old roller coaster would be in an amusement park to be built on Mud Island. The island park would be renamed Harbor Island as part of the larger project. Mulroy, who is also a Shelby County commissioner, estimated moving the Pippin would cost around $1 million and the renovation would cost another $65,000. That is compared to a cost of $25 million for a new steel roller coaster Ericson proposes to run up one side of The Pyramid and inside the structure. The Herenton administration has been negotiating for nearly three years with Bass Pro Shops to develop The Pyramid. Those negotiations are set to expire at the end of January under a non-binding letter of intent between the city and Bass Pro. Ericson is scheduled to present his Pyramid Harbor proposal to Memphis City Council members Jan. 22. He presented the plan to County Commission members in December. The Save Libertyland! group is in a legal dispute with the city of Memphis over who owns the roller coaster, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The roller coaster was sold at auction to the amusement park company Carolina Crossings, which then gave it to Save Libertyland! The city claims as part of the legal dispute that since Save Libertyland! didn’t move the structure off the fairgrounds property in five days, ownership has reverted back to the city. Ericson said he hopes to reach an agreement with the city to move the nearby Grand Carousel at the former Libertyland theme park to Mud Island as well.

Bill Belew, who headed the design team for Elvis Presley's stagewear and much of his personal wardrobe from 1969 to 1977, died of cardiac arrest yesterday after a prolonged illness. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that donations be made to any of a number of Bill's favorite charities per his wishes. A list of those charities and other details will be posted here as soon the family provides the information.

Bill Belew and his design team made an outstanding contribution to the definition of Elvis Presley's personal style on stage and off. Belew designed the now iconic black leather suit Elvis wore for the key components of his all important 1968 "comeback" television special, along with his other outfits for the show. The collaboration continued through the 1970s, including the famous jumpsuits Elvis wore on stage, most notably the American Eagle jumpsuit made for the global television concert event Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite.

"You could be daring as a designer and put anything on Elvis and he could make it work. And the simplest outfits that didn't seem particularly remarkable on the rack transformed into something spectacular when Elvis put them on. He was that beautiful and powerful a presence. As a wardrobe designer Bob Mackie had a perfect muse and a perfect canvas in Cher. I got to have that in Elvis." - Bill Belew

Bill Belew played a special role in Elvis history and was a beloved friend to all of us at Elvis Presley Enterprises. We will miss him.

http://elvis.com/news/full_story.asp?id=1380

Associated Press

TUPELO — A Mississippi Blues Trail marker will be placed at the Tupelo birthplace of legendary musician Elvis Presley on Tuesday, on what would have been his 73rd birthday. “By all accounts, Elvis Presley was the single greatest influence on modern day rock ’n roll in America, and much of his musical inspiration drew on the Mississippi blues,” Gov. Haley Barbour said in a statement Friday. The ceremony will honor the king of rock ’n’ roll for his contribution to Mississippi’s and America’s blues heritage. The event is sponsored by the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Heritage Trails Program, the Mississippi Blues Commission, the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum. Presley’s early recordings helped revolutionize popular music with a unique mix of blues and country music, which led many rock ’n’ roll artists to follow his lead. Presley first encountered the blues in Tupelo, and it remained central to his music throughout his career. According to Mississippi blues legend Big Joe Williams, Presley listened in particular to Tupelo blues guitarist Lonnie Williams. Presley and his family lived in several homes in Tupelo that were next to black neighborhoods. A young Elvis and his friends would often hear the sounds of blues and gospel streaming out of churches, clubs and other venues. Throughout his career, blues continued to be a main element in his live performances until his death at Graceland on Aug. 16, 1977. He is buried in a small garden beside the famous white-columned house in Memphis.