What's the story behind the Orpheum's 'Sidewalk of Stars' & who gets one? | Know Your 901

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Today's column answers a question asked by people who attended "Funny Girl" recently at the historic Downtown theater at 203 Main St.:

What's the story behind the Orpheum's 'Sidewalk of Stars'?

During the heyday of the Hollywood studio system, MGM boasted that its roster of contract actors and actresses represented "more stars than there are in heaven," thanks to a celebrity constellation that sparkled with the famous if not always twinkly faces of Buster Keaton, Lon Chaney, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo and Judy Garland, to name a few.

That's quite a starfield. But an equally or even more impressive constellation can be found on a Downtown Memphis sidewalk. Its roll call includes Louis Armstrong, Cary Grant, Mae West, Duke Ellington, Eddie Murphy, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld and Houdini.

A fixture at the corner of Main and Beale since former Orpheum president Pat Halloran conceived the idea to boost fundraising for a 1995 renovation project, the Orpheum's ever-expanding "Sidewalk of Stars" now boasts 91 brass stars that pay tribute to performers who have appeared on the historic theater's stage since 1928.

Beginning this year, that tradition has been complemented by a second constellation, an adjacent "Sidewalk of Stars" outside the Halloran Centre, the performance space and arts center operated by the Orpheum that opened in 2015, right next door to its older, larger sister theater.

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Although its roster includes Dennis Quaid and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Halloran sidewalk focuses more on local performers, including Keith Sykes, Booker T. Jones and Reba Russell, to name a few. The Halloran brass stars are more modest, inlaid into 8 inch-by-8 inch bricks, while the Orpheum stars are in granite stones that suggest the sidewalk stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Originally, Halloran made the star recommendations, with input from his board of directors; now, Brett Batterson, Orpheum CEO and president since 2016, is the chief star chooser, working sometimes with guidance from various board members and staffers.

For example, Teresa Ward, Orpheum vice president of Ticketing and Patron Services, suggested that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers should get a star, as a tribute to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who died in 2017 — and who interrupted his arena-show schedule to play a three-night stand at the Orpheum in 1995.

Meanwhile, Orpheum executive vice president Paulette Luker stumped for the Nashville singers Drew and Ellie Holcomb, who are not as internationally recognized as Petty, but whose Christmas concerts have become an annual staple of the Orpheum holiday season. (Also, Drew is from Memphis.)

The Sidewalk of Stars has no schedule; only eight new stars have been added since 2016. This year, however, four stars were added, recognizing rocker John Mellencamp; R&B diva Patti LaBelle; blues legend Buddy Guy, and Petty and his band (that star was unveiled this month).

Batterson said the artists honored with stars generally are invited to attend the star's dedication ceremony, which often takes place in the day before an evening concert at the theater. Perhaps the most publicized such event was in 2010, when Led Zeppelin frontman and Memphis blues/rockabilly aficionado Robert Plant attended his star's dedication. "We always looked to and tried to emulate this music," he said, speaking of the debt British bands owed to the American South.

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According to Batterson, stars costs about $2,000 to manufacture (credit Mid-South Welding) and install. After that, the struggle is to keep them clean.

“We polish 'em once a year," he said, using an electric buffer and "some real strong elbow grease."

He said the job doesn't get easier. "The new biggest challenge for our stars is the scotters that are all over the city. People lay rubber on 'em. Beyond that, the challenges are the same — the weather, the spilled Coca-Colas..."

The struggle is worth it, he said. "Almost every day when I leave for lunch, there's some tourists or someone out there, looking at the stars."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Orpheum's Sidewalk of Stars: The story behind the Memphis tradition