Lansky Brothers (better known as Lansky's) is a clothier in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. It has gained worldwide recognition for being the choice location to buy clothes for musicians including

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

History

Lansky Bros. was started in 1946 at 126 Beale Street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It started as a store that sold leftover

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

supplies from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Bernard took advantage of the elevating Beale Street music scene and looked to provide clothing for the typical characters of Beale who wanted to dress dapper. After a few years of business, Lansky Bros. already had an impressive list of customers, among them being Count Basie,

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

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and

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

. At the start of 1952, Bernard noticed a young man who would continuously walk past his window and look inside, but never actually came inside to buy anything. Eventually, Bernard went to invite the man in. It was seventeen-year-old

, who worked at the local Loew's Theatre. According to Guy, Elvis told the brothers that he was going to buy him out when he got enough money. According to the historical marker on Beale Street in Memphis, Bernard Lansky responded: "Elvis, don't buy me, buy from me!" Once Elvis became an international superstar, Lansky Brothers provided much of his attire, including his outfit for his first appearance on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' in 1956. "I put Elvis in his first suit, and I put him in his last," Lansky recalls. In 2001, Lansky's established a new line of clothing entitled "Clothier To The King," which provides reproductions of clothing that Elvis actually wore combined with new 1950s-inspired clothing. At some point, Lansky Brothers moved from its original location at 126 Beale Street to Memphis' renowned Peabody Hotel. It subsequently re-opened a second location at 126 Beale Street inside the Hard Rock Cafe complex in July 2014 Musicians who currently shop there include The Jonas Brothers,

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

, Eddie Floyd,

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

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Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

Gavin DeGraw Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...

. In 2001, Lansky Bros. unveiled a historical marker at 126 Beale St. to celebrate the history of Lansky Bros. at the original location. Bernard died on November 15, 2012. According to his sister, he died of Alzheimer's disease too. Bernard Lansky's son (Hal Lansky) and granddaughter (Julie Lansky) continue to run the business now located in the Lobby of the Peabody Hotel. For more information, go to www.lanskybros.com.

References

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External links

Interview with Bernard Lansky
Clothing retailers of the United States Companies based in Memphis, Tennessee