Calvin Newborn Levitt Shell Memphis levittshellarchive video #13

The Memphis traditions of jazz, blues and rock all converge in the fingers of Calvin Newborn. In the early ’50s on Beale Street, his flamboyant stage presence as “Flying Calvin“ inspired the young Elvis and his musical abilities influenced the young B.B. In the mid-fifties the career of his brother Phineas Newborn Jr. took off (Phineas was one of the most sophisticated and talented jazz pianists’ to ever live) and Calvin was there touring and recording in Phineas’s band which led him to stints with other jazz greats including Sun Ra, Earl Hines and Hank Crawford. Calvin now lives in Florida but happily returned to Memphis for this 2010 performance at the Levitt Shell which hosts 50 free concerts a year.