“I always hope for two ‘wow’ reactions from the readers of my column,” says the reclusive Vance Lauderdale, in a rare interview. “I want them to say, ‘Wow, I remember that!’ or “Wow, I never knew that!’”
photo courtesy University of Memphis Special Collections
Sivad, the host of WHBQ-TV’s Fantastic Features
For more than 20 years, “Ask Vance” has been one of the most popular features of Memphis magazine. The reclusive historian — the last descendant of one of our city’s oldest families (or so he claims) — recently went through 10 years of double-page, fully illustrated columns and selected 60 of his favorites, and then went back to sleep in his La-Z-Boy.
So we did the rest. We’ve compiled the stories he liked into a full-size, full-color collection, Ask Vance: More Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine’s History Expert.
Why “More”? Well, the first volume of his columns has sold out. Don’t miss out on Volume Two. A limited number of books are still available from the magazine's online store.
Inside, you can read about such memorable Memphis personalities as Sivad (WHBQ-TV’s “Monster of Ceremonies”), music man Berl Olswanger (shown at top), toy man and television host Happy Hal, beloved restaurateur Pappy Sammons, and many more.
Local landmarks are here as well: Lakeland, Al’s Golfdom, the Fairgrounds Casino, Helen of Memphis, and the Crystal Shrine Grotto, to name a few. And Vance explores such oddities as the restaurant topped with a 14-foot statue of the owner’s head, Midtown’s “monkey man,” and the go-go dancers who caused a sensation with their “Gravy Train.”
photo courtesy University of Memphis Special Collections
Pappy Sammons
If you’re a fan of Memphis history, and the offbeat and unusual people and places that make our city unique, you’ll want this book today.
It’s a bargain, Vance says, at only $24.99. Buy your copy today, and if you ask politely, Mr. Lauderdale will even autograph it for you:
Phone: 901.521.9000
Email: lynn@contemporary-media.com
