Bobby Rush Plays Grand Ole Opry; My Library of Congress Award

“Professional photographer and documentarian Karen Pulfer Focht from Memphis, Tennessee, received an Owen Award to continue and expand her work documenting the legendary bluesman Bobby Rush.” The Library of Congress American Folklife Center
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2023/07/afc-fellowship-and-award-recipients-2023/?loclr=eaftb

So, with the support of the Library of Congress, I continue to document the rising star of 92-year-old, Grammy award-winning bluesman Bobby Rush as he makes his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. Thank you so much! Karen

Three-time Grammy Award-winning blues legend Bobby Rush,91, made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on SaturdayAugust 2, 2025.

This year marks the Opry’s 100th Anniversary. He performed with guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd with whom he recently recorded.

Rush, who lives in Mississippi, is one of the last 20th-century bluesmen. But his taste in music is not exclusive. He said he has always loved country music, especially by contemporary Willie Nelson.

He said he was so honored to be invited to perform on the same stage that Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton and other greats have performed.

At one point in his life, it seemed unobtainable.

There was a time when Rush was hired to play for an all-white audience outside of Chicago. He and his band had to play behind a curtain. “They wanted to hear our music but didn’t want to see our faces.” That hurt him deeply inside.

They got paid with chitlins and cheeseburgers. Rush sold his to make the extra money.

For decades the popular entertainer reigned over the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” a network of Black nightclubs that hosted Black entertainers and audiences. That legacy earned him the nickname King of the Chitlin’ Circuit.

He has been recording 72 years and has sold many of his more than 300 records out of his car trunk at shows and festivals.

“I never thought I’d play here, this is success to me,” he says, nibbling on some popcorn and sipping some lemonade backstage at the Opry.

In the time between the sound check and showtime, Rush goes into the dressing room he shares with Shepherd and Shepherds six children. Pictures of famous country artists adorn the walls. Quotes from the stars are written above and to the side of the many photographs.

A very relaxed Rush, dressed in his slick showbiz attire, grabs a quick power nap in a chair as the kids bang on the piano, run, and play. A few minutes before he and Shepherd are called onto the stage, Rush pops up and opens his eyes. He follows the stage director backstage, waiting in the wings to go out and perform.

He dances on stage, making jokes, playing his harmonica, and having a musical conversation with Shepherd on guitar. He gets the crowd singing with him, and he brings them to their feet. They give him a standing ovation; he soaks in the moment.

“Now I feel in my heart that I am successful because I played the Opry House.”

Bobby Rush, whose real name is Emmett Ellis Jr., says his life has been filled with much grace and mercy. “I have lived long enough to see the changes in people’s hearts and minds” and for that he is very grateful.

 BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT ©2025

For previous coverage:

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/tag/Bluesman+Bobby+Rush

For some Videos I have shot on Bobby:

https://youtu.be/nHPJOK143M4 (Southern Folklore Festival)

https://youtu.be/ppMIN4yeBGA (At the Levitt Shell in Memphis)

https://youtu.be/NGFGe5F3L9o (Bobby Rush plays at funeral for Pinetop Perkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to81fyxzPm8 (At the Blues Foundation in Memphis)

Bobby Rush was at the Memphis funeral procession for B.B. King in 2015. He also performed in Handy Park that day. https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/2015/5/27/bb-king-funeral-procession-beale-street

Previous article I worked on :

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/bobbyrushchitlincircut

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/bobbyrushwinsgrammy

Memphis Zoo Babies Featured in Choose 901

Memphis Zoo Babies Featured in Choose 901

MEMPHIS? WHY MEMPHIS???

LINK TO STORY HERE: https://choose901.com/memphis-zoo-babies/

Above is the link to the feature about Memphis Zoo Babies for Choose 901- Read all about why I chose “The 901”- Memphis, to live, work, and raise my family, and why I still call it home. I talk about what it was like to work at one of the best photojournalism papers in America and how I fell in love with the Memphis Zoo.

Also, NOVEL Memphis bookstore is now carrying Memphis Zoo Babies as well as the Memphis Zoo Gift Shop or you can still purchase it online here on my website. You are also welcome to just email me to purchase the book directly.

The Magic of Christmas Then and Now

For more than two decades, people have been enjoying a picture, a fleeting moment

that I captured one day, by chance, at Wolfchase Galleria on December 23 rd , 2002 in

Memphis, Tennessee.

I worked the early morning shift for the newspaper, and it was a typical morning chasing

the news. I heard on the police scanner that an armored truck had been robbed. It was

a couple of days before Christmas.

The world was slowing down, the holiday was approaching.

At a time like this in the news business, the team works like squirrels, gathering what we

call “evergreen” stories, stories that can run in the paper any time, with no news peg, no

deadline, or urgency. That way people could work ahead, and we could staff the

newsroom, which was staffed 365 days a year, with a minimal crew.

I got my photo of the robbery scene before many of the staff even came into

work at the paper for the day. I was waiting for the press conference to start to get the

details of what had happened. While waiting for that, I went over to see what was

happening with Santa at the mall.

I was always eager to photograph Santa and the children. I have always loved to

photograph kids, dogs, and the elderly.

The photo editors made it clear that they had had enough of Santa for this season—no

more Santa photos. But I couldn’t resist. Even if it would not get published, I wanted to

make photographs of kids with Santa.

As a professional photographer, you spend a lot of time photographing what other

people want. It is important to never lose your own voice. It is important to always

continue to shoot that which brings you joy too!

I patiently hung back with a long telephoto lens, watched, waited and shot sweet

children eager to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

I felt sure I had some cute photos. I tried to make a hard sell to the photo desk, but they

were not having it. We really don’t need any more Santa photos this season Karen, they

said.

When I came into the paper to turn out my day’s work, I had what I considered a

magical frame. The frame appeared to have a little girl and Santa sharing a very special

Christmas moment. I had to make a case to get it into the paper. I remember Otis

Sanford, one of the top editors, pushed to run it. He loved it. It ran on page one!

The next day, Christmas Eve, I got such an amazing response from our

readers! People just loved the photo. They wrote in and called. So many people were

touched by the photograph. One man wrote a letter to the editor saying it brought tears

to his eyes.

There was just something magical and heartwarming about this photograph.

As a photojournalist, I have always said, that touching the reader in a way that influences

them, and makes them write or call, laugh or cry, or even better rise into action, has

always meant more to me than any award ever could.

At the time, people cut the photo out of the paper, and many bring it out year after year

at Christmas. When I am long gone, this photo will be one of the photos that I am

going to be remembered by.

I wanted to let the family know how much this photo meant to the community. I wrote to

them more than once but never heard back. People asked if I could do a follow up with

the young girl, but I was never able to make contact.

Now more than 20 years later, with the help of social media, I found Affiong Enyenihi.

She was only a couple of miles from where I took the photograph and living in an

apartment with friends.

So, what ever happened to Affiong?

Affiong Enyenihi was born to Nigerian parents. She was brought up in Collierville. Her

father is a doctor, and her mother worked with children. They are very private people.

Affiong has her master’s degree, she loves history and is teaching in an inner-city

school here in Memphis. She left the area for a while but came back. She loves working

with the students but it is challenging.

“I want to try and make their lives better. Try to give the children opportunities and show

them what there is out there for them. There is a huge gap to close,” she says. She is

thinking now about getting her doctorate.

For her entire life, Affiong has lived in two worlds. Her American world and her Nigerian

world.

“It is hard being looked at differently “she explained. While a child, she did not want to

stand out by bringing unique food to school and she wanted an American name,

perhaps Rachel. Like most teenagers going to school at Houston High, she wanted to

be like everyone else. She was shy. She always enjoyed children; she was a camp

counselor at St. Columba, a popular summer camp in Memphis.

She was also born into a wonderful Nigerian community here. Her parents have a

church community, and they share birthdays, anniversaries and other social events with

the Nigerians in the area. They love the American South.

“Nigerians like to share their culture” she said. But she still felt awkward when, as a kid,

she brought her friends along and they didn’t want to eat any of the food, and they

wanted to go home.

When you are young, you know that people are not living the same culture as you. She

remembers not wanting to be different, but she also appreciated her culture, and she’d

never want to leave it behind. “Not everyone gets to have two cultures” she said.

“I think I’ve always just wanted to be my parents’ daughter more than anything else.”

She will continue to enjoy dual cultures and stay close to her parents.

“The way my mom raised me was to find similarities with other people, even if people do

things differently, you can always find something in common.”

What a beautiful thought for this holiday season.

As for how they spend Christmas, “In Nigeria, the way we celebrate Christmas is

different, we go to church on Christmas Day, we celebrate with friends, we eat different

things, decorate and throw a party. We do celebrate Christmas; we have Father

Christmas. I think Christmas can be magical even without a celebration of Santa. “

When she was a kid, her neighbor had kept a newspaper clipping of my photo of her

with Santa. She knew the photo existed. But she really had no idea what it meant to

anyone else. Her mother has photos of her all over the house, but none with Santa.

That day at the mall, she was just a kid who wanted to see Santa. And she was

delighted, that her mom said yes, and I was lucky enough to capture that magical,

fleeting moment in time that reminded so many of the magic of Christmas.

By Karen Pulfer Focht ©2024

Jerry Lee Lewis~The Last of the Million Dollar Quartet, Is Dead at 87~

© Copyright- No photos for reproduction without written permission.

One of the highlights of my photojournalism career has been covering Jerry Lee Lewis. Always a thrill, always unpredictable and always interesting. Jerry Lee made the rules and Jerry Lee always only did what he wanted to, when he wanted and for whom he wanted to.

Lewis was controversial and quirky. It took patience, dedication and perseverance to do the kind of documentary photography I wanted to do on him.

I was not even alive during his heyday. Most of my coverage of him was in the second half of his life. But the idea that I was documenting history was still omnipresent.

At times, Jerry Lee had a difficult life. He dealt with a lot of personal tragedy, he had a wild reputation, and had to overcome many personal problems.

As for my experience, he was always a gentleman, on occasion a flirt. He was often anxious to go watch his favorite TV show, Gunsmoke. Judge him as you like, Jerry Lee Lewis had a deep faith in God. He was raised with his double cousin televangelist Jimmy Lee Swaggart.

As a photojournalist, you get a front-row seat to life. I always prefer to be a fly on the wall. My style is real and raw, authentic and as spontaneous as possible.

Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the Million Dollar Quartet and the last of those men living. He was a contemporary of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. He came up under Sun Records and Sam Phillips (he produced Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf and more) .

Where ever you go, all over the world, you can hear their music playing. They are still ever-present and relevant all these years later.

What struck me most about Jerry Lee is how much he loved to play piano. He was passionate about playing, always. He never seemed to tire of it. He’d even practice in his hotel room before a show.

He loved his fans and often invited them into his dressing room after the show.

His buddy, newsman Jim Kingsley, one of the original “Memphis Mafia”, would bring me down to the ranch and tell Jerry Lee to let me take photos of him. Jim was someone who could get Jerry Lee to do whatever he asked.

I was with Jerry Lee when he was a guest on Donald Trump’s yacht. I watched the IRS carry Jerry Lee’s piano out the door of his Mississippi ranch for back taxes. I was there with him and Dennis Quaid at parties around the filming of Great Balls of Fire. I witnessed him signing his name to open a name-sake club on Beale Street. I watched him perform at The New Daisy with Dr. Nick ( best known as Elvis Presley's personal physician) standing in the wings. I was there when he and his seventh wife Judith renewed their vows. I was at the garage sale where they were selling his Rolls Royce, some of his record collection and his cowboy boots. I was at many of his birthday parties, concerts, and even a recording session.

At home, he would often retreat to his bedroom which had a security guard door and bars on the windows.

My photos of him ran in newspapers and magazines all over the world.

He put a little extra sparkle in my life. He was living history. He was one of the people who put Memphis and Memphis music on the map.

He was an original, and a living legend.

He will be missed.

Found on a recent trip to Amsterdam

Hundreds of fans lined up early outside the Hernando Funeral Home to pay their respects to The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis. Pictured are Band members Kenny Lovelace, J.M. Van Eaton, Sun Records Jerry Phillips, his children Jerry Lee Lewis the third and Lori Lewis Lancaster and family friend Kelly Chelette.

Nice Obit by Reuters who also used a couple of photos of mine from his recent anniversary party: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/rock-n-roll-pioneer-jerry-lee-lewis-has-died-age-87-2022-10-28/

The Memphis Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/10/28/jerry-lee-lewis-dead-rock-n-roll-singer-country-music/3069727002/

Interesting story in the Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-29/jerry-lee-lewis-myra-brown-williams-marriage-13-cousin

Rolling Stone ““Look, we’ve only got one life to live. We don’t have the promise of the next breath. I know what I am. I’m a rompin, stompin, piano-playin’ sonofabitch. A mean sonofabitch. But a great sonofabitch. A good person. Never hurt nobody unless they got in my way. I got a mean streak.… I gotta lay it open sometimes.”: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jerry-lee-lewis-great-balls-of-fire-whole-lot-of-shakin-goin-on-myra-gale-brown-1234621001/

Desoto Times had an interesting interview with Myra Brown- http://m.desototimes.com/news/jerry-lee-lewis-was-canceled-after-marrying-13-year-old-cousin/article_28404220-5bb3-11ed-880a-33f0827e46a5.html

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO OTHER PREVIOUS WORK

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/tag/Jerry+Lee+Lewis+Wives

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/tag/Jerry+Lee+Lewis+lll

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/2018/1/2/jerry-lee-lewis-brings-in-new-year-2017-2018

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-jerry-lee-lewis-idUSKBN2B304O

VIDEOS-

https://youtu.be/DYqc7x2CTJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9spbbONets&t=29s

https://youtu.be/ZWoSdwuenqU

https://youtu.be/2AXRYbb3Ye0

Memphis Shown In A Positive Light to Millions of People

Guidepost Magazine Features Memphian James Lindsey

At this Memphis cemetery, veterans who die alone are not forgotten, thanks to James Lindsey. He was shocked to learn that a dozen veterans a year were buried at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery with no family and no ceremony, so he took it upon himself to make sure they were honored prior to being laid to rest. (Photos by Karen Pulfer Focht ©) OCT/NOV GUIDEPOST MAGAZINE

Guidepost specializes in inspirational content and was founded in 1945 by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

LINK: Story and photos below:

https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/he-was-inspired-to-conduct-final-salutes-for-recently-departed-veterans

This is not the first time that James’s story has made national news. I’ve told his story once before for the Associated Press and also for The Daily Memphian.

You can read and see those stories and photos here. https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/remeberingtheforgotten

THE REST OF THE STORY……..

Those of you who know me know I play the ukulele. In Jan. 2019 my ukulele group, the Memphis Ukulele Flash Mob, showed up at what we thought would be a sparse funeral for three unclaimed veterans. We planned to play Amazing Grace for them graveside. However, when we showed up, cars were lined up for a mile. Our big-hearted Memphis community came out to give these veterans a proper send-off thanks to James Lindsey. I recognized this as a fantastic news story, put down my ukulele and picked up my pencil and camera. I’m so glad I was able to record this act of kindness and share this wonderful story with the world.