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Musicians in Memphis: 20 Great Acts That Make Up the River City's Soul Stew

Though he was from Texas, like a lot of musicians, sax great King Curtis sure did love him some Memphis. The veteran session player had his biggest hit as a solo act with 'Memphis Soul Stew,' on which he recited a very tasty recipe -- "About half a teacup of bass... a pound of fatback drums... a little pinch of organ... half a pint of horn. Place on the burner and bring to a boil." Music in Memphis has always been hot, chunky and plenty satisfying. Here's a list of 20 simmering Memphis musicians that move us.
BB King
Even at 85, the thrill ain't gone for one of the most influential guitarists of all time. His adopted home of Memphis is built right into Riley King's nickname: the "BB" in BB King stands for "Beale Street Blues Boy."

Signature Jam: 'The Thrill Is Gone'
BB King
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Elvis Presley
It was another King, of course, who made Memphis a music lover's vacation destination. Graceland is a hoot, but to stand in the pegboard studio where 19-year-old Elvis launched into 'That's All Right' still delivers real chills.

Signature Jam: 'That's All Right'
Elvis Presley
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Jay Reatard
The late, prolific lo-fi wildman Jay Reatard called his first cassette release 'F--- Elvis, Here's the Reatards' -- just the kind of audacity the Memphis music community was built on.

Signature Jam: 'See-Saw'
Jay Reatard
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Aretha Franklin
Daughter of the gospel giant C.L. Franklin, the Queen of Soul was given the key to the city in a 2008 ceremony. Sister Erma was no slouch, either: she recorded the original 'Piece of My Heart.'

Signature Jam: 'Respect'
Aretha Franklin
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Al Green
You can still catch soul music's most inspired singer leading church services at the Full Gospel Tabernacle. Al Green's 1970s run at Hi Records remains one of pop music's true high-water marks.

Signature Jam: 'Let's Stay Together'
Al Green
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Rufus Thomas
The father of another local hitmaker, Carla Thomas ('Gee Whiz'), Thomas was more like the city's lovably crazy uncle. Aerosmith was just one of many rock bands to cover his 'Walking the Dog,' which, we're fairly certain, was not about taking Fido for a tinkle.

Signature Jam: 'Walking the Dog'
Rufus Thomas
Redferns/Getty
Isaac Hayes
The Stax arranger created an indelible image for himself as a frontman with his 1969 opus 'Hot Buttered Soul,' with long, slow, impossibly sexy interpretations of classic pop tunes. With David Porter, he wrote 'Soul Man' and many more of the label's soul standards.

Signature Jam: 'Shaft'
Isaac Hayes
Getty Images
Bar-Kays
Four of the original six Bar-Kays died in the plane crash that killed Stax superstar Otis Redding. The survivors reformed the band, which continued to score super-funky hits ('Holy Ghost,' 'Shake Your Rump to the Funk') well into the '90s.

Signature Jam: 'Freakshow on the Dance Floor'
Bar-Kays
WireImage/Getty
Mar-Keys
The first Stax house band had a huge hit of their own in 1961 with the instrumental 'Last Night.' Two decades later John Belushi was still singing these masterful sessionists' praises in the Blues Brothers: "Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn!"

Signature Jam: 'Let It Be'
Mar-Keys
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Booker T. and the MGs
Though he's lived in northern California for years now, everything leads back home for the Hammond B3 virtuoso Booker T: His latest album is called 'The Road From Memphis.'

Signature Jam: 'Green Onions'
Booker T. and the MGs
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Alex Chilton
"If he died in Memphis, then that'd be cool," sang the Replacements on their fan letter to Chilton, the Box Top turned Big Star. Power pop's reluctant prince died in 2010 in his adopted home of New Orleans, just down the lazy river.

Signature Jam: 'September Gurls'
Alex Chilton
Redferns/Getty
Ike Turner
If Memphis is the true home of rock 'n' roll, the force of nature Ike Turner was there at the creation. He was the driver behind 'Rocket 88,' the tune credited to Jackie Brenston, which Sun Records founder Sam Phillips often called the first real rock 'n' roll song.

Signature Jam: 'Rocket 88'
Ike Turner
AP
Johnny Cash
Sam Phillips kick-started rock 'n' roll at Sun Records, but he also gave America its quintessential country maverick. The great Man in Black was selling refrigerators in Memphis when he cut his first hit single.

Signature Jam: 'Folsom Prison Blues'
Johnny Cash
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Justin Timberlake
If the former 'N Sync frontman has the chops and moves to make him a legitimate R&B star, it's no surprise that Justin Timberlake was born in Memphis. 'Cry Me a River': it's in the water.

Signature Jam: 'SexyBack'
Justin Timberlake
Getty Images
Memphis Minnie
Born way back in 1897, the former Lizzie Douglas wasn't just the greatest female blues musician of her era -- she was one of the great blues musicians, period. Classic rock fans might take note of the fact that one of her best-known songs is called 'When the Levee Breaks.'

Signature Jam: 'When the Levee Breaks'
Memphis Minnie
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Memphis Slim
Another self-identified native, this boogie pianist gave the classic rock generation 'Every Day I Have the Blues' and Nick Cave a name for his latest band, Grinderman (after 'Grinder Man Blues').

Signature Jam: 'Every Day I Have the Blues'
Memphis Slim
Getty Images
Charlie Rich
Another Sun artist, Rich started as an Elvis stand-in before coming into his own as a Ray Charles-style soul-jazzer. Best known for his countrypolitan smashes 'Behind Closed Doors' and 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,' the Silver Fox was one of the city's gold-plated talents.

Signature Jam: 'Behind Closed Doors'
Charlie Rich
Getty Images
Carl Perkins
Yet another Sun product gave Memphis yet another King: Carl Perkins, who recorded the definitive versions of 'Blue Suede Shoes' and gave the Beatles 'Honey Don't,' was the King of Rockabilly.

Signature Jam: 'Blue Suede Shoes'
Carl Perkins
Getty Images
Charlie Feathers
The late rockabilly cat made lifelong fans of Quentin Tarantino and Bob Dylan, to name two familiar converts. Another, the writer Nick Tosches, described Feathers' work as "wildflowers on fire with the Lord's gasoline." That'll work.

Signature Jam: 'I Forgot to Remember to Forget'
Charlie Feathers
Getty Images
Sam and Dave
Sam Moore was born in Florida, the late Dave Prater in Georgia. Together, however, they were the sound of Memphis: 'Soul Man,' 'Hold On, I'm Comin',' 'When Something Is Wrong With My Baby.'

Signature Jam: 'Soul Man'
Sam and Dave
Getty Images

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larry

Justin Timberlake????????????????

June 14 2011 at 3:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to larry's comment
Glen / Joy

Born and raised in a small town just outside of Memphis.

June 14 2011 at 3:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
hapster333

I would think Jimmy Griffin, who along with David Gates, formed Bread, and wrote or co-wrote many of their songs and won an Oscar for a Karen Carpenter song... could knock a couple of these names out.

June 08 2011 at 7:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mr41005

Did they only have 19 great acts, so threw Timberlake in to fill the void. To compare him to B.B. King or Elvis or Aretha, is just wrong. He couldn't ride their coattails if he tried.

June 08 2011 at 4:21 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
Mr Wonderful

Justin Timberdoodle, from what I seen and heard can't sing at all, he kind of whispers into the mike trying to be sexy(he is not) and basically is a boy band dancer that tries to sing like a man but hasn't the vocal ability to do so.

June 08 2011 at 3:40 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
laedbac1

Elvis is the king of American music. The best of the best that America has ever had to offer.

June 08 2011 at 5:41 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
fbe3310

Why is Elvis called the king of rock and roll when he admitanttly stole the music he recorded in the early days from Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. He never won a Grammy for rock and roll and in his career won 3 grammys for gospel songs that he either produced or arranged never for singing them. The Beach Boys also stole music from Chuck Berry and was sued for it by Chuck Berry for millions. Check it out its fact not opinion.

June 08 2011 at 1:53 AM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to fbe3310's comment
qapla5

Don't know where you got your info, but Elvis most certainly DID win his 3 Gospel Grammys for SINGING--not producing, not arranging. (The Gospel Grammy categories, at that time, did NOT have any awards for production or arrangement.)

As to the claim that Elvis "stole" the music, Elvis was not alone. From the late 1940s rock'n'roll precursor, "jump blues," through the mid-1950s, there was a lot of material that proved to be of questionable attribution. What Elvis did that was different was to combine country/western music with R&B (Bill Haley's form of rock was derived from western swing and didn't have the same R&B undercurrent that Elvis's did--largely due to Haley's background as a straight country artist).

June 08 2011 at 2:57 AM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
Mr Wonderful

What did Elvis steal from Chuck Berry??? Elvis recorded songs by Little Richard but didn't cover anything by Chuckles until Chuck was already a washed up hasbeen. I don't recall him stealing anything from Muddy Waters either,please refresh my memory about that?

June 08 2011 at 3:43 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
AWTTG

Ever get tierd of hearing of Justin Timerlake what a but head. He not hold a chadle to the old guys. Sing some real bulues and R&B.

Note Plastic people

June 08 2011 at 12:11 AM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply