Nick Cave said, "The blues is instilled in every musical cell that floats around your body" and nowhere are those cells felt more than in Memphis, the birthplace of the American blues. The city oozes the blues. The influence that the blues has on just about every form of American music is enormous, especially genres that were also birthed or heavily incubated in that town on the Mississippi such as outlaw country, soul, and rockabilly.
It is because of this that the Ameripolitan Music Awards show moved from Austin, TX to Memphis in 2018. Ameripolitan is a term coined by Dale Watson, a Texas guitarist and singer, and is a genre of contemporary original music encompassing western swing, honky-tonk, rockabilly and outlaw. It is “born out of the frustration of not being able to identify with country music,” says Celine Lee, a representative from Ameripolitan. Essentially, country music that doesn't fit into what is considered country music anymore. "Memphis would have actually been the logical choice to birth Ameripolitan with its history and musical maverick attitude. So I feel like it was long overdue. There is no city with its musical roots that can compare," says Lee.
Watson actually moved from Austin to Memphis because of this history and the feel of the city. Austin, also a place of rebellion and outlaw attitude (think Willie Nelson), has changed dramatically the past decade. Watson says in an interview with the Memphis Flyer speaking on moving to Memphis, "And it's why having this place is so important to me. When I come home, like anybody, I need to get energized. Austin, which has been my home for over 25 years, has grown so much, and a lot of the personality of the town has changed. There are condos built over the old beer joints where I used to play." Because of this, he has chosen Memphis as a home-base now because he thinks it still has that vibrant energy Austin used to have.
“Memphis' Beale Street is the 'Official Home of the Blues', and should be on every traveler’s radar” [Photo Credit: Carl Wycoff]
Memphis always has had a strange relationship with Nashville, its sister city in Tennessee. Nashville country music grew from artists such as the Carter Family and Roy Acuff, playing at the Grand Ole Opry in a wholesome family atmosphere. And now, Nashville country music, at least what is heard on the radio all over the country, is a very lucrative business for the individuals involved, one of carefully planned hits and images designed to pull certain heart strings in order to sell more singles (Not to judge it's musical merit, just pointing to a fact). Memphis has always been more gritty than that. Memphis has allowed its artists to have musical freedom and, as a result, the world has Rock’n’Roll.
Places to See
The studio that started Rock'n'Roll is Sun Studio, located at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, with shuttle service from Graceland and the Rock'n'Soul museum on Beale Street. Sun Studio is where people like B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf recorded, ushering in some of the most famous names in country and Rock'n'Roll music that was birthed there with Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and more. There are tours every day at the studio from 10-6.
Another place to visit is, of course, Graceland, home of Elvis Presley, in south Memphis. Though by most reviews the prices are steep, it is well worth a visit for even a slight Elvis fan. With over 15,000 reviews on Tripadvisor at 4.5 stars, it is known for showcasing plenty of memorabilia, costumes, airplanes, gardens, and more.
The previously mentioned Memphis Rock N Soul Museum, affiliated with the sonian Institution, is on 191 Beale Street. It tells the story of the music of Memphis and has a lot of photos, artifacts, and audio to supplement the story. Reviewers say to not rush it and it is particularly interesting because the tour sequences the music in such a way that one can see the progression from early blues to Rock’n’Roll.
There are many places to see live music in Memphis. Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe and Honky Tonk on Beale Street is inspired by the Killer and showcases his piano and motorcycle, as well as plenty of original Ameripolitan music. Other great options are Blues City Café, Lafayette’s, Murphy’s, The Railgarten and Loflin Yards.
Memphis is a great historical city that should be on every traveler’s radar. Besides the southern culture, the music keeps the city an extremely vibrant place, where musicians are free to experiment and add to the huge contribution to the musical world that Memphis has already given. In deeper discussion about what Ameripolitan is, Lee says, “It’s a genre that encourages artists to draw on their influences with pride, instead of chastising them to conform to a cookie cutter flavor of the month.” There’s no city better to showcase that then Memphis.