Marty Lacker to get Beale Street Blues Note Honor.

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It was announced today that Marty Lacker is among the honorees to receive a Beale Street Blues Note, the equivalent of a Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star.

Lacker started his entertainment career in radio in 1957 and a few years later his former high schoolmate, Elvis Presley, asked Marty to work for him.  Marty was with and close to Elvis for 20 years and served as his right hand man for a number of years as well as being his Co-Best Man at his wedding.

However, it was not really his association with Elvis that has brought this honor to him but his years after leaving Presley's payroll to become a vital part of the Memphis and National Music Industry.  In 1967 Lacker started Pepper Records at which time he discovered Rita Coolidge and produced her first couple of hits for her.  While at Pepper he also produced some young R&B groups with the help and songs of his close friends Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

Shortly after, Lacker was solely responsible for Elvis to return to Memphis to record for the first time in 14 years when Lacker convinced Elvis to record with Chips Moman and his American Studios Rhythm section.  resulting in "Suspicious Minds" and "In The Ghetto' as well as other hits.  It was a few months after that Moman asked Lacker to run American Studios for him which he did for a couple of years before opening his own company,Mempro,Inc. serving the entire Music Industry..  While at American, Lacker became one of the leaders of the Memphis Music Industry 
and produced, directed and wrote three highly successful Memphis Music Awards Shows featuring many of the big named artists who recorded in Memphis at the time as well as attended by most of the executives of the national music industry.

Lacker also co-founded the Memphis Chapter Of NARAS (Grammys), as well as founded the original Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission,(1972) and was its first Chairman. He also was Chairman of Memphis Music,Inc., the official organization of the entire Memphis Music Industry.

It is for those accomplishments and others that Lacker was named today, July 29,2010 as one of the honorees to have his name embedded on a Blues Note in the sidewalk of world famous Beale Street in Memphis.  The dedication ceremony date will be announced in the near future.

_{Source: Tony Wilkins - Various  / EpGold}