‘Experience what you didn’t get to live’

Photo: Todd and Angel Herendeen with the “Sold” sign after finalizing the purchase of the Lewis Ranch in Nesbit. (Courtesy photo)

Herendeens set to open The Lewis Ranch Experience in September

Todd and Angel Herendeen recently finalized the purchase of the Lewis Ranch, the home of the late Rock and Roll Hall of Famer known for his dynamic performance style who called DeSoto County his home.  

The ranch, located in Nesbit, became the final home of the man known as “The Killer” before his passing in October 2022.  Since then, what would happen to the ranch has been a question that was finally answered with the Herendeens purchasing the home last April.  

Just like Lewis, Herendeen has been involved in music as his career. Todd, a well-known Panama City, Florida musician and entertainer, is also known for high-energy performances and tributes to legendary rock and roll and country music musicians. Herendeen has worked with country artists like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Gretchen Wilson. 

Herendeen also has the Todd Herendeen Theatre music venue in Panama City and has been involved in what he calls “Tent Revival of America,” combining gospel and patriotic music to honor veterans while promoting faith and patriotism. 

The Herendeens are also on tour, leaving on a Midwest show tour and that’s where we found them and spoke with Todd from Iowa, where he was getting ready to perform.

Q – Why did you decide that you needed to own the Lewis ranch?

A – That’s a good question. I don’t know that I decided I needed to, but what I did decide is I believed that Jerry was the missing piece in the puzzle of the whole Memphis experience, meaning Graceland and Sun Studio and just that music scene. I felt that Jerry was that piece of the puzzle. He needed to have a shrine of his own that had a museum and people could be able to come and experience what they didn’t get to live. I just thought Jerry deserved something more than what he was getting.

Q – How did you learn that the home was for sale?

A – Well, we had been to the house when Jerry was alive and we would drive by there on our way home back to Florida when we were in Memphis. We just thought it was kind of a neat place. Periodically I’d stop and wonder if Jerry would look out the front door and wave at me, you know, that kind of thing. So we always kind of kept an eye on it. Then my wife told me, ‘you know, Jerry’s place is up for sale.’ So we just drove out there in April, and I pulled out for sale the, you know, the realtors’ paperwork and contacted him. I didn’t really know why, because I didn’t really think I was gonna buy it, but for some reason, I pulled it out and called him, and one thing led to another, we ended up buying it.

Q – Were there any particular hoops, struggles, issues and actually getting through working with the family and everything to be able to purchase the home?

A – Once I determined that I wanted to pursue this, I started to find out that there were a lot of hoops we had to jump through. In the end, they all seem to kind of come together because they were confident that we were going to do the right thing for Jerry. 

Q – How was it that you were going to be able to show the family that you were going to do all you can to honor Jerry Lee and make this a place that he would be happy to see happen to it?

A – I just kept assuring them. I think part of it was that they did their research on me and realized that, you know, I was already doing what I said I would do in my own career and for other things. So I think that was part of what they believe that, you know, this guy is not selling us a bill of goods. He’s really going to do what he said. I think they had to gain trust in me, but they did. And so we got it done.

Q – What are your plans going to be for the Lewis Ranch now, in terms of any work renovation that has to be done, and what do you envision the Lewis Ranch to be, and to be able to let people come in and actually see and experience the Killer?

A – We’re already working on it. We’ve already started that process. The day after we signed there were a few dead trees that needed to be cut down. We’re working on clearing some areas for some parking. We’re turning his car garage, which was at the lower main gate, into the Welcome Center, which would be a gift shop and where you buy your ticketing and begin the process. You’ll watch a small video on Jerry’s career and then you’ll go from there to the house and tour the house. It’ll be full of artifacts that were Jerry’s, from furniture to clothing to collections, to awards and photos, and you’ll go out by the pool and experience the grand piano pool. We’ve been able to acquire one of his ‘83 Cadillac Eldorado Opera Paris Edition cars which was on display on Beale Street. We’ve got that. We’ve restored it and we have many other artifacts. But we just want people to come and just really get a good feel for the Killer and what his career was about. We’re sort of using the phrase, ‘Come and experience what you didn’t get to live.’

Q – What’s your target date as far as making this all happen?

A – Silo Square is doing an unveiling of a bronze statue of Jerry on Friday, Sept. 20 and I’ve been invited to come and be a speaker at that and I’m very excited that they’re doing that. So tying to that same time frame where our hopes are to do a ribbon cutting the very next day, the 21st and start the tours. I don’t know that we’ll be completed with every piece of what we want to do, but we’ll be done enough that we can start tours, and we just think it seems like a great weekend to tie to what they’re doing, and just let that weekend be the launch of reviving the Killer.

Q – Will this be something that would be open seven days a week? 

A – Our hopes are to be open seven days a week. We’re hiring people as we speak to be a part of the team that we’re going to have. The touring hours obviously on Sunday will be different than Monday through Saturday. We’re going to have opportunities online for people to schedule their time that they want to come and then we’ll also welcome just drive up people that are coming through, didn’t know anything about it, saw it was Jerry Lee’s place, and want to go through and pull in. I think it’s going to do very well. I think the people that come for Elvis, they love Jerry Lee as much, and they’ll come for that.

Q – Anything else to add?

A – People should pay attention to the Lewis Ranch Experience on Facebook and Instagram, because we’re going to update photos and kind of let people just watch it transform into what we’re going to make out of it.