For the past century Memphis has been the world’s signature musical city. Cleveland may be home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and Nashville, with its country glitz and major record label offices, may be Music City USA. Other American cities—notably, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, and New York—may boast incredible music legacies. But nowhere else has music hit as hard, or mean as much, as it does in Memphis.
Of the three major music earthquakes that took place in Memphis—in blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and soul—certainly the birth of rock ‘n’ roll here in the 1950s ranks as one of the very few true, geographically specific music explosions during the last 100 years. Others include cultural eruptions such as Jamaican ska and reggae in the 1960s and 1970s, hip-hop’s New York–based birth and development in the late 1970s and 1980s, and England’s Beatles and Stones–fueled “invasion” in the mid-1960s.
In addition to giving birth to rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, this de facto capital of the Mississippi Delta witnessed the nation’s most vibrant blues scene in the first half of the 20th century, as the music moved from the cotton-field juke joints into Beale Street clubs and recording studios. In the 1960s Memphis became the mecca of southern soul. Why Memphis, a relatively small city surrounded by farmland? The reason seems to be the city’s unique mix of black and white, rural and urban, northern and southern, which formed the demographic catalyst for these successive musical earthquakes.
Memphis is currently enjoying the most vibrant music scene it has experienced since the late soul era of Al Green and Isaac Hayes in the 1970s, with its musicians making big contributions to the national scene in hip-hop, hard rock, and, of course, the blues. With 2003 dubbed “The Year of the Blues,” the city’s blues scene has received more national attention recently than it has in decades. And the death of Sam Phillips in 2003, followed by 2004’s 50th anniversary of rock ’n’ roll, has put the spotlight on that genre as well. At the same time, two very different local soul men—Justin Timberlake and Al Green—have been riding high with new music that is both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
The fact is, however, that most music lovers are drawn to Memphis by the mystique of its musical past, a legacy that gives credence to the city’s official slogan, “The Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock and Roll.”
In this chapter you’ll find the story of Memphis music, of how musical earthquakes and some other major rumbles changed American music forever. Then we’ll bring you into the present, with a portrait of what’s happening today. Who knows? When it’s all said and done, maybe Memphis could write another chapter in the history of American music. Don’t forget to check out the Nightlife chapter, to find out where you can hear the best of Memphis music.
Given its location well within the nation’s Bible Belt, it’s not surprising that Memphis is richly endowed with churches and other places of worship. By one estimate there are at least 5,000 identifiable houses of worship in Memphis, and there may be many more than that. These range from the mammoth Bellevue Baptist Church, which claims 29,000 members, to tiny community churches that might consist of the preacher and a handful of followers.
You may find the prevalence of the Christian religion in this area to be a bit startling if you are moving here from outside the Bible Belt. Around here, it’s not unusual to see giant billboards or television commercials advertising a church, as houses of worship embrace the same marketing techniques that businesses use. As you get to know Memphians, it’s likely you’ll find that a large number of them attend church. In fact, for many, their religion is such a fundamental part of their lives they have difficulty imagining someone who’s not religious at all or who embraces another form of worship. They put their money where their faith is, too. Giving generously to their church or temple is a key reason Memphis ranked fifth among large urban areas in terms of charitable giving, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Of course, if you are moving here from elsewhere in the Bible Belt, you may feel right at home with this type of atmosphere. But wherever you are coming from, if you’re looking for the right house of worship, you will find a remarkable variety of options from which to choose. (See the Where to Find a Place to Worship section of this chapter for some ideas on how to begin your search.)
Protestant Christian churches may dominate the scene, but that’s not to say there aren’t other faiths represented here. Memphis has a number of Roman Catholic churches; Jewish synagogues, which include the largest Orthodox congregation in the country; and Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh temples. You’ll also find Quakers, Korean Baptists, Buddhists, and Scientologists (the late singer Isaac Hayes was well-known in Memphis for his involvement with Scientology).
Memphis is near the geographical center of the country and is well connected by highway, air, railroad, and even the Mississippi River for passengers on riverboats or passenger barges. Northwest Airlines/KLM makes the city easily accessible from Europe and beyond, flying daily to and from Amsterdam. Once here, unless you are staying downtown (where the Main Street Trolley and cab stands are) and plan to spend most of your time there, you’ll want to have a car. True, Memphis has a well-run bus system, but relying on the bus can prove time-consuming and not always very convenient. For a taxi you must call a cab company to arrange your rides, as it’s generally not possible to hail a cab on the street.
To get your bearings from downtown, face the Mississippi River, which is west, looking into Arkansas. To the left is south Memphis, where you’ll find Graceland and the airport, and just beyond, the state of Mississippi. Much of the city’s residential and commercial growth throughout the years has been to the east, so that’s where you’ll find many of the city’s homes, restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers.
For driving, Memphis could be called a 20-minute city, since by taking the Interstate 240 loop around the city, you can get just about anywhere within 20 to 25 minutes, except the far suburbs. Avenues run east and west, including Poplar and Union, and streets run north and south, with the dividing line between north and south at Madison Avenue. Of course, traffic is always a wild card, and if it’s bad, it can add considerably to the length of your trip.
Remember, if you get lost or need assistance in finding your way, don’t hesitate to ask someone for help. You’ll find that Memphians are very friendly and glad to give you directions.
Memphis isn’t set up very well for biking. The city recently added a series of marked on-road bike-tour routes that, while useful for planning rides, have done little to increase cyclist safety. Memphis thoroughfares rarely have bike lanes, and local drivers aren’t used to accommodating bicycles. Stick to the smaller streets, park bike paths, and less-busy thoroughfares (such as Jefferson and North Parkway) if you must rely on your bike to get around.
No book about Memphis would be complete without a description of the city’s rich African-American history and culture. Many of the things Memphis prides itself on most—including the blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and the Memphis sound—have their roots in the city’s African-American community.
Memphis has the ninth-largest concentration of African-Americans in the country and has produced such luminaries as former NAACP chairman Benjamin Hooks and Congressman Harold Ford Jr., a rising star on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The city’s first black mayor, Dr. W. W. Herenton, was elected in 1992, and 10 years later attorney A C Wharton Jr. became the county’s first black mayor. Basketball great Penny Hardaway hails from Memphis, as do colossal music legends Al Green, Aretha Franklin (she was born here), and the late Isaac Hayes. More recent Memphis musical sensations include rappers Three 6 Mafia and, in the 1990s, Grammy-winning gospel powerhouse O’Landa Draper.
The city also boasts its share of black visual artists, including painter Brenda Joy Smith, blues artist George Hunt, and photographer Ernest Withers. Withers captured some of the country’s most moving images during the 1968 garbage workers strike as well as during the riots and other events that followed the assassination in Memphis of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memphis is also home to one of the South’s oldest historically black colleges, LeMoyne-Owen College, which dates from 1862. Local entrepreneurs include Fred Jones, who started the Southern Heritage Classic football event that draws many thousands to Memphis each year.
Memphis also is the seat of two large African-American churches, the Church of God in Christ and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Some of America’s greatest gospel music came from here, with hundreds of gospel songs flowing from the pen of the late Herbert Brewster. It’s also home to the Full Gospel Tabernacle, the church headed by Rev. Al Green, the recording-artist-turned-pastor, and Mason Temple, where Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
Those interested in learning about the city’s heritage can visit a number of African-American attractions, including Beale Street, which was the birthplace of the blues and the center of African-American culture and commerce during segregation. The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum (Burkle Estate) is located in a house said to have sheltered runaway slaves on their way north. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music provides a thorough education on how musical history was made here.
You can also tour the National Civil Rights Museum and follow Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s footsteps during his fateful trip to Memphis in 1968. You may want to take a self-guided civil rights walking tour, using the “I Am a Man” map published by Memphis Heritage, Inc. (See the Close-up on Martin Luther King Jr. in this chapter for more information.)