Memphis

MEMPHIS VIRTUAL TIP BUCKET

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 1 Comment

HELP SUPPORT LOCAL MEMPHIS MUSICIANS! To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control has urged U.S. citizens to cancel all events of more than 50 people and to practice social distancing for the next 8 weeks. Cities and states across the nation are ordering all bars, clubs, and restaurants to close. No doubt, the same will…

#30DaySongChallenge, Day 10: A Song That Makes You Happy

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

For today’s pick, I’m returning home to Soulsville, to draw from one of our deepest cultural and musical wells: Stax. The Stax “sound” is the sound that I most closely identify with Memphis, and even the saddest of songs from the Stax vault has always possessed the power to cheer me up. Those horns. That…

#30DaySongChallenege, Day 6: A Song That Reminds You Of Home

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

I can’t even count the number of songs that remind me of Memphis. In fact, most of American music does. My home is the home of the blues, the birthplace of rock n’ roll, and it has a long history of influential underground music of all genres. It’s the home of Stax, Sun Records, Royal Studios,…

SPEP Guide to Memphis

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

Pictured: Chic Jones, legendary Beale Street singer The Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP) will be holding its annual meeting in Memphis this year on October 19-21. As a native Memphian, I’m excited to share my city (the 901) with all of you who will be attending. There are so many hidden gems in this…

Simply, Mark (In memory of Mark Behr, 1963-2015)

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

Simply, Mark In memory of Mark Behr (1963-2015) ——————————————- You, my friend, were not simple. You will remain ever in the memories of multitudes, in the strength and resilience of bruised and battered bodies and souls of the broken, but yet defiantly, proudly, unapologetically, uncompromisingly unbreakable. You will remain ever, also, the memory of a…

TEDxMemphis Recap

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

I just got home from a whole day at the first ever TEDxMemphis event– I say “first” because it looks like plans are already in the works for another one next year (THIS MUST HAPPEN!)– and I cannot possibly exaggerate what an amazing, informative, inspirational and motivational event it was. Especially for this city, my city,…

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 6: A Song That Reminds You Of Home

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

My home, Memphis, is referenced in the lyrics of more recorded songs than any other city on the planet. In fact, several years ago, the Rock n Soul Museum began keeping a list of those songs, which now numbers over a thousand. So, it’s hard to pick just one song that reminds me of “home”–…

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

Photo credit: Mike Harding (American Photo Blog) Pictured to your left is Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios, which is a tiny little building tucked away on a tiny little street just south of Stax and just north of South Parkway here in Memphis. It also just happens to be the place where one of the biggest…

Dear Memphis: You’ve Got To Love Them While They Live

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

Yesterday, Memphis turned out in force at W.C. Handy Park and on Beale Street to bid its final farewell in a home-going celebration for one of our city’s musical legends, B.B. King, who passed away last week. It was a dark and cloudy morning, which felt strangely appropriate, as Nature herself seemed unable to hold…

The Thrill Lives On

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 0 Comments

This has been a tough year for Memphis music. We’ve lost a lot of greats, some better known than others, each an irreplaceable spiritual brick in the impregnable wall of sound that guards and protects and defines this city. The fact that so many have been called home recently serves as a bittersweet reminder that…

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