It Came from Memphis - Hardcover

Gordon, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571198481 ISBN 13: 9780571198481

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 1995

Synopsis

Delta bluesmen, a peanut vendor, a matinee cowboy, a professional wrestler, a manic deejay - these were the intersections where cultures collided in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s. It Came from Memphis documents through firsthand accounts how an audience of white teenagers, caught in the middle of this extraordinary confluence of music, entrepreneurship, and eccentricity, broke through the walls of institutional racism and helped usher in a new musical form called rock and roll.
Beginning with notorious deejay Dewey Philips and his show "Red, Hot & Blue," It Came from Memphis is a rollicking tale of street-corner jug bands, shady West Memphis, nightclubs, first bands and first hits, of hippie puppet shows and outdoor music festivals, and of learning the ropes of the music biz as the ropes were strung. It is also the story of how a generation of Southern white kids befriended a generation of Mississippi Delta blues artists, and what happened to Memphis and the music industry when these two ostracized cultures met and found mutual inspiration on society's margin.
Unlike previous books about Memphis, this one does not focus on Elvis Presley, Al Green, Sun and Stax studios. Instead, It Came from Memphis prefers the shadows cast by these institutions, focusing on artists like Jim Dickinson and Alex Chilton, and bands like Mud Boy and the Neutrons, the Mar-Keys, and Big Star. The result is an anecdotal, digressive, thoroughly informative and entertaining history of rock and roll's hometown.

About this title

Review

"The New Yorker An affectionate rumination.

"The New Yorker"

An affectionate rumination.

"The New Yorker"An affectionate rumination.

"The New Yorker" An affectionate rumination.

"The New York Times" Superb...

The New York Times Superb...

The New Yorker An affectionate rumination.

About the Author

Robert Gordon has written for major music publications in the United States and England, and has contributed to several books. He produced the Al Green CD box set Anthology, and his liner notes were nominatied for a Grammy&@174;. As a filmmaker, he directed the award-winning blues documentary All Day and All Night, and his music video work has appeared on MTV, BET, and CMT. He is the author of a forthcoming biography of Muddy Waters and director of the companion documentary. He lives in Memphis with his wife and two daughters.

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0571198481
• ISBN 13: 9780571198481
• Binding: Hardcover