Echoes of Memphis

Memphis music history is full of stories that feel too wild to be true. In this episode, the people who lived them take us behind the curtain. James Alexander remembers a Bar-Kays performance so grueling that the drummer literally fell off the stage in his sleep. Hubbie Turner recalls sneaking out of the Vietnam jungle to find a keyboard and a way back into music. Willie Hall talks about growing u...

Success can change your life, but figuring out what comes after can be the harder story. In this episode, musicians who have already tasted the spotlight talk about the real work of staying in the game. Willie Hall remembers joining the rebuilt Bar-Kays in 1968, when long nights on the road and shoestring budgets sat in sharp contrast to the band’s rising reputation. Sam Samudio reflects on leavin...

A hit record is never guaranteed. In this episode, musicians and producers who have chased that spark walk us through the moments when a song feels like it might break through and the times when fate has other plans. James Alexander remembers the Bar-Kays fighting for a second chance at Stax, only to stumble onto the raw idea that became “Soul Finger.” Steve Selvidge talks about his father Sid Sel...

The recording studio has always been the great Memphis laboratory, a place where musicians chase ideas until something unexpected lands on tape. This episode follows the people who know that magic firsthand. Companion bandmates Andy Tate and Mike Russell talk about long nights at Royal Studios, working after hours and following every creative impulse. D. Beaver’s David Beaver remembers a moment in...

In Memphis, music often starts at home, and this episode follows five artists whose families shaped their first notes and their longest-running ideas. Members of the Hi Rhythm Section look back on growing up under one roof, practicing in the same rooms, and building the groove that became the heartbeat of Royal Studio. Blackout talks about learning rhythm from his relatives in Mississippi and the...