Memphis photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht honored by DAR

Memphis photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht honored by DAR

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Women in the Arts Recognition Award honors women who have made significant, outstanding contributions to the arts at a community level.

Below: Karen Pulfer Focht

~I am deeply thankful and filled with gratitude that the DAR has chosen to acknowledge my contributions to visual storytelling and American cultural history. It’s an extra special honor, during the celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary.

America is a very special place.

Never have I taken for granted the freedoms that I have been given and the sacrifices of those who have made those freedoms possible.

I have been blessed with an extraordinary career—one that peaked during the golden age of photojournalism—while serving as a staff photographer for the preeminent newspaper in the Mid-South, The Commercial Appeal, renowned for its outstanding photojournalism while owned by Scripps Howard.

Documenting history, enlightening readers, bringing people to places they might not otherwise go, and telling intimate stories that reflect the heart and soul of our community has never been just a job for me; it has been a calling. It is all I have ever wanted to do. I have had a front row seat to life.

My work continues today, and I hope it will for a long time to come.~

Karen Pulfer Focht

Below are the nomination Letters and photographs

---

---

---

Below are some of the image that were selected for the nomination.

Ja Morant Highlights- Through The Years

The Grizzlies are reportedly entertaining the idea of trading Ja Morant. Wherever that leads, it’s been fun to photograph Ja Morant since he came to Memphis. I know, our city has gratitude for the time and excitement we’ve had with him.

Enjoy this photo gallery and videos below

East Germany 1987 Before Reunification/ Berlin Wall 36th Anniversary

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961, to divide East and West Berlin, and remained in place until its fall on November 9, 1989. The wall not only kept families apart during the Cold War; but each side lived by very different ideologies.

The Communist government of East Germany built the wall to prevent East Germans from escaping to the West, which was free.

We happened to be in Germany at a seminar for journalists in October of 1987 and again in 1989 at the European Academy Berlin. The seminar specializes in this very topic, the German Question. During the seminar, experts predicted the Berlin Wall would never fall in our lifetime, but at the same time, East Germans were getting restless with their oppressive government.

Less than a month later, Nov. 9th, 1989, after a mistaken comment by an East German official, East Germans flooded the checkpoints into West Berlin and pushed their way through.

This was the pivot that led to the German reunification in 1990.

Most of the photos below were taken in 1987, and they show daily life in East Germany before the wall came down.

A man, Carsten Kaaz, with whom we became friends with a few years later, was one of the few who successfully escaped from East Germany. He eventually moved to Memphis. He wrote a book about life behind the wall, In the Shadow of the Wall .

Chris Geoffroy, was not as lucky. He was the last person to be shot and killed by East German border guards when he tried to escape in February 1989-- less than nine months before people could pass through the wall freely.

Me at the Berlin Wall 1987

By Karen Pulfer Focht ©2025

Let's Honor B.B. King on his 100th Birthday

B.B. King would have been 100-years-old on September 16th, 2025.

I’ve said many times over the years what I love about Memphis is the music and music scene. Memphis music changed the world. And it wasn’t just Elvis.

When I came here for a job interview, as I came out of the Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union Ave. a short walk from historic Beale Street, I could hear the blues music wafting through the air. I was already a blues fan.

That was enough for me. I was sold that this was the place I wanted to be.

My instincts were good. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences covering the Memphis Music scene. Being a photojournalist in Memphis has been an amazing experience. I left the newspaper over ten years ago, but I still continue to cover and enjoy the music scene here.

One of my favorite subjects was the great blues entertainer B.B. King, who would have been 100 years old September 16th, 2025.

B.B. King was so personable, so warm and kind. I loved to watch him perform and work the audience. B.B.’s life was on the road; his people were everywhere. He knew people all over the world.

B.B. (born Riley B. King) grew up in the Mississippi Delta, finding his way alone as a young man with little family support. He eventually moved to Memphis where he found success and took on the name “Beale Street Blues Boy” after his DJ days. I’d recommend reading a fascinating biography about B.B. King, “King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King” written in recent years by one of my favorite authors, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Daniel deVise.  B.B.’s life is fascinating.

You can also learn more about B.B. King at his museum in Indianola, Mississippi, at https://bbkingmuseum.org/. I feel honored that a few of my photos are in his museum.

One of the things that stood out to me about B.B. was his gratitude for the life he was given. He was so thankful that he was allowed to follow his dreams and play music for a living.

As Kings 100th birthday crept up, I thought about an interview I had taped with B.B. on his bus around 2010.  I interviewed him for a project I was doing at the time, “What is the Blues and Who gets to do it?” Only a tiny portion of the audio interview was published.  So I decided this would be a nice time to share some of my B.B. King photo archive and that audio interview.

HERE IS THE LINK TO MY INTERVIEW WITH B.B. KING ON HIS BUS JUST OFF BEALE STREET IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 2010.

Harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

One of the world’s great harmonica players, Charlie Musselwhite, (above) reflected on B.B. King when I was chatting with him from his Clarksdale, Mississippi home recently. Charilie remembers listening to B.B. on the radio WDIA. Both were born in Mississippi and both were bluesmen who lived in Memphis for a time. He said “ What stood out to me about B.B. King was as a human being, what a nice person he was, he was like and an example for everybody.  He always had time to talk with you; he was very compassionate and had a lot of heart.” Charlie toured a few times with B.B. and opened for him, he sat in on occasion with B.B. King and he loved to be on B.B.’s tour bus with him and said they talked about all kinds of things, especially women. “He loved the ladies.”

Three time Grammy award winner entertainer Bobby Rush in Memphis at the Overton Park Shell 2025.

Entertainer Bobby Rush, (above) another Mississippi Bluesman, said, “B.B. was the kindest person; he’d give you the shirt off his back. He’d talk to you until YOU are ready to go home, not him. I learned a lot of things from B.B. '“ He reflected on how they both enjoyed being with people and their fans. Bobby says”I shake every hand if I can.”

Bobby Rush was at B.B.’s funeral, marching down Beale Street in Memphis next to the hearse.

I covered B.B. King’s funeral for the Associated Press. His hearse drove down Beale Street and then on down highway 61 into Mississippi to lay his body to rest in Indianola.

B.B. King funeral Here is a link to a short clip of that day on Beale Street.

Karen Pulfer Focht ©2025 All Rights Reserved

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.

Memphis Zoo Babies Debut Children's Book

Saturday May 10, 2025 Karen is signing her debut children’s book at the Memphis Zoo 11-4pm!

Just in time for Mother’s Day!

When Karen came to Memphis to work for The Commercial Appeal in 1988, one of her favorite photo beats was the Memphis Zoo. She has a love for animals, and she and her three children spent many hours visiting. Working closely with the zoo, Karen photographed the stories of many animals, zookeepers, and the zoo vets. Her ongoing favorite, though, was photographing the zoo’s babies. Her photo of a nuzzling mother and baby giraffe have been going viral for over a decade and have become one of her most popular photos. Karen’s photos have showcased the Memphis Zoo in publications worldwide. She has put together a collection of her photos that highlight the zoo’s mothers and babies in a new children’s book, Memphis Zoo Babies, available in the Memphis Zoo Gift Shop. Proceeds will benefit the zoo. The gift shop also sells her cards and photographs.

For an online purchase you can buy direct on Karen’s website @ https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/store/memphis-zoo-babies