Back home in Oxford tonight with great memories of today’s Memphis signing at Davis Kidd. A packed house with non-stop signing for more than an hour. But the real fun was getting to meet folks with personal connections to INFAMOUS.
Tonight, I met a man whose father worked on Raynor Street and witnessed the bust by G-Men in 1933. Another woman who attended the signing was the daughter of the Memphis detective who busted MGK! *She confirmed the story about ole George taking a leak when the cops and G-men busted in.
Another brought photos, fingerprints and the original rap sheets of the Kellys — her father had worked for the Memphis Police Department and had saved the documents from destruction. *Check out these priceless images (right).
One of my favorites had to be meeting Jeff Bailey with the Central High School Alumni Association. He wanted me to join in honor of “Machine Gun” Kelly. It turns out George is now a distinguished alumnus of the famous Memphis school (see below).
I’ll be appearing on FOX-13 in Memphis all morning tomorrow. The station is broadcasting LIVE from the city’s MGK sites. From there, I head direct to New York for this year’s Edgar Awards. Look forward to catching up with all my pals up north.
Thanks much, Memphis, for giving INFAMOUS a hell of a launch today.
— Ace