New Daisy Theatre Explained

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New Daisy Theatre
Address:330 Beale St
Memphis, Tennessee 38103-3131
Location:Downtown Memphis
Renovated:1982-83, 2015
Closed:1979-83
Reopened:1983
Capacity:1,083
Embedded:
Embed:yes
New Daisy Theatre
Nrhp Type:cp
Nocat:yes
Partof:Beale Street Historic District
Partof Refnum:66000731
Architecture:Streamline Moderne

The New Daisy Theatre is a music venue located on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. It plays host to both local and national acts, as well the site of rental events.[1]

The theater opened in 1936 and has featured artists such as John Lee Hooker, Gatemouth Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Al Green, Sam and Dave, Bob Dylan, Alex Chilton, the Cramps, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Phish, Kid Memphis, Son Lewis, Nirvana, Prince, Rufus Thomas, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, the Cult and Oasis, Ty Dolla $ign, J. Cole, Machine Gun Kelly, and All Time Low, among others.[2]

Bob Dylan used the venue to record a video of a song from his Grammy-winning CD Time Out of Mind.[3]

History

In 1942, Paul and Sam Zerilla and their business partner, Joe Maceri, the owners of the original Daisy Theatre, opened the New Daisy Theatre at 330 Beale Street. The Zerillas and Maceri wanted to create a bigger performance space for popular acts.

In the first few decades after its opening, the New Daisy Theatre was primarily a movie theatre, but sometimes hosted live acts.

It had fallen into disrepair by the 1970s, and while several buildings around it were demolished, both the Old Daisy and New Daisy remained intact.[4]

In the early 1980s, boxing promoter Mike Glenn began leasing the New Daisy and hosting matches. While boxing helped the theatre financially at the beginning, eventually Glenn began to host concerts, largely of rock music, which drew in more money than the boxing, although the latter continued. Glenn sold the New Daisy in November 2014, hosting John Hiatt as the last national act under his storied tenure.

In 2014, Steve Adelman and J.W. Gibson purchased the F.G.H. Corporation and the New Daisy Theatre, and in 2015 they invested $500,000 to renovate it. The renovation added a new floor, VIP areas, new bars, as well as new sound and lighting systems.[5] Acts booked for the first two month included Seether, Drive-By Truckers, Joey Bada$$, Public Image Ltd., Everclear, and Steve Earle.[6]

In 2019, Adelman was charged with writing a fraudulent check to former owner Mike Glenn. The charges were then dropped by police due to false claims.[7] Adelman claimed that he intended to file a civil suit against Glenn "to address the wrongful conduct and hold parties accountable for their actions".[8] [9]

Spearheaded by Jon Shivers, with the Downtown Memphis Commission, The New Daisy Theatre reopened in 2023 and will again play host to local and national touring acts as well as corporate and private events.[10]

Notable performers

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.memphistypehistory.com/tales-new-daisy-theatre/
  2. Web site: Concert History of New Daisy Theatre Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Concert Archives. Concertarchives.org.
  3. Web site: Travel. Nytimes.com.
  4. Web site: Brenda Wilkerson. 2016-04-29. Tales of The New Daisy Theatre. 2021-02-19. Memphistypehistory,com. en-US.
  5. Web site: User account NewsBank. 2021-02-26. Infoweb.newsbank.com.
  6. News: New Daisy Theatre Readies For Reopening . Pollstar.com . Jay Smith . 8 September 2015 . 27 August 2021.
  7. Web site: 2019-06-23. Charges dropped against New Daisy Theatre owner. 2021-02-25. Wreg.com. en-US.
  8. Web site: 2019-07-27. Adelman says he is out of New Daisy partnership after four years. Bill Dries. 2021-08-28. Dailymemphian.com. en-US.
  9. Web site: Charges dropped against New Daisy Theatre owner. Wreg.com. June 23, 2019.
  10. Web site: The New Daisy. Bealestreet.com.
  11. News: August 1, 1963 . New Daisy - Sun Beam Mitchell Presents Ike & Tina Turner Revue (Advertisement) . 8 . The Memphis Press-Scimitar .
  12. Web site: The Concert History of New Daisy Theatre Memphis, TN Concert Archives. 2021-04-04. Concertarchives.org.