Arise2Read

Shelby County students have another few weeks before classes start but the non-profit Arise2Read is already recruiting an army of volunteer tutors to attack literacy when the school year starts. The program saw a 300 percent improvement among students it helped last year, and Executive Director Karen Vogelsang said she hopes to expand the program to more schools.

The Orpheum Theater’s Wurlitzer renovation

Visitors to the Orpheum Theater may notice an icon piece of history is no longer there. The Mighty Wurlitzer was recently loaded into a van and shipped to Chicago to undergo an 18-month restoration. The project will cost $500,000, but since it’s only one of 12 Wurlitzers still in its original home, the theater said it’s money well spent.

Kristin Bennett talked about the project on Live at 9.

Blues on Beale Street

Fans of Beale Street know our next guest well: Jonathan Ellison performs at B.B. Kings Blues Club twice every week, in memory of iconic Beale Street musician Preston Shannon — one of the first musicians we ever featured on Live at 9.

Now blues fans have two more ways to get their blues on every week: the Memphis Blues Society has added a second jam to its weekly lineup.