Dewey Phillips made history in the 1950s as one of the first white radio disc jockeys to play music by black artists. He was opinionated, eclectic, and gained notoriety for being the first DJ to play Elvis Presley’s music on the radio.
Decades after his death, his life and career inspired the Tony Award-winning musical "Memphis." The production tells the story of Huey, a character loosely based on Dewey, and his quest to help a club singer named Felicia make her big break.
The production opens at Raleigh Little Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. and is on stage through Sunday, Sept. 4. Host Frank Stasio previews the production with director Patrick Torres, choreographer L.D. Burris, and actors Zak Casca and Aya Wallace.
Here's a trailer of a staging of the show in the United Kingdom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=30&v=SnO_W7XJGgg
