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When the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission trotted out Rey Flemings as the successor to former president and CEO Jerry Schilling, the question on everyone's mind was, "Who?"
It wasn't that Flemings, 29, lacked an impressive bio. As a business developer, he'd led We Trak, a sports and entertainment memorabilia authentication company, from its start-up through two rounds of venture capital funding to its exclusive contract with Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
He'd also led similar business development efforts in the distributed computing and life sciences industries, but his only forays in the music industry were to help develop business plans for music organizations in Mississippi and for the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Ark.
"This was a culmination of things I've wanted to do, a chance to align my profession with my passion," he says.
By contrast, his predecessor is a crony of Elvis Presley and a legendary manager and promoter with deep ties throughout the music industry.
Both men are Memphians and both are aficionados of the city's music but...