{"id":3244,"date":"2019-03-25T19:43:30","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T00:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?p=3244"},"modified":"2025-01-17T08:32:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T14:32:19","slug":"brief-history-memphis-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/music\/brief-history-memphis-music\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History of Memphis Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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No discussion about\u00a0American music<\/a>\u00a0can be complete without a discussion about Memphis. Memphis is, hands-down, home to much of what we know as modern American music. Soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and other genres of music all have their roots in the city. Three specific landmarks exist in the city as a tribute to Memphis music history heritage: the Blues Hall of Fame (421 S. Main Street); Rock and Soul Museum (191 Beale Street); and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, at 926 E. McLemore Avenue at the site of the original Stax Records.<\/p>\n

The<\/span>\u00a0Memphis<\/a>\u00a0Music History is as old as the city itself. At the beginning of the last century, Memphis was a convergence of African-American commerce and culture. Traditional spirituals handed down from generations of enslaved blacks to free people became the foundation for the blues and artists like W.C. Handy. Handy is often called the \u201cFather of the Blues,\u201d having brought his band to Memphis in 1909 to play in the clubs on Beale Street to showcase this distinctive style of music.<\/p>\n

[show_music_banner]<\/p>\n

The genres (and artists) of Memphis Music<\/h2>\n

Memphis is host to many who have come through the city to play Beale Street or make their mark in \u201cBluff City.\u201d Along with Handy and the blues came the introduction of the electric guitar in 1945 (after World War II) and with it, the advent of a newer form of music called rock ‘n’ roll. Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and others recorded tracks in the famous studios of Memphis and further solidified the city\u2019s influence on the music of this country.<\/p>\n

Sun Studio and Stax Records<\/h3>\n
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A post shared by We Are Memphis (@wearememphistn)<\/a> on