The home of the blues and the birthplace of rock 'n' roll. The site of Graceland and the final resting place of The King. The early stomping grounds of "soul music" and the location of the Stax Museum, where lovers of this funky sound congregate.
The town where countless musicians such as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis got their start or at least earned their stripes via Memphis recording studios and Beale Street corner clubs.
From W.C. Handy, the father of the blues, to Rufus Thomas and B.B. King, the artists of Memphis' past speak for themselves. It's a city of so many music births and firsts and artistic contributions, Memphis has in many ways formed modern music as we know it.
A trip to legendary Sun Studios, one of the earliest refuges for rock 'n' rollers, offers a glimpse into the days before "rock 'n' roll" was even a coined term while Graceland preserves the legendary life and music of Elvis, "the King of Rock 'n' Roll."
A walk down the Memphis Walk of Fame, an exhibit dedicated to the musicians, singers, writers and composers of Memphis, makes it easy to grasp the legacy the River City music culture has laid on music as we know it.
But if you need proof of the vitality of Memphis' music scene today, about all you have to do is open your eyes — music covers this town like BBQ sauce over a pulled pork sandwich.
Modern Day Memphis Music Culture
The success of artists such as Justin Timberlake and Three 6 Mafia offer a glimpse into what kind of talent the Memphis music scene still produces today.
And projects such as MTV's new online quasi-reality show, Five Dollar Cover (directed by Hustle & Flow director and native Memphian Craig Brewer) highlight the Memphis music underground and the personal and professional lives of aspiring Memphis artists.
But the music in Memphis today is about more than just artists and guitars and microphones. It's the testimony of everyday life in a city that was built on cotton and hard work — the pride and the soul and the pain and the joy and the sweat of that human emotion.
And this culture of authentic blues, gospel and rock transcends the Memphis city limits and the Mississippi Delta. It's an energy and sound that gives Memphis an international voice. And no matter the artists or the genre or the instrument used, Memphis music always produces an old-school, authentic, gritty sound, full of nothing but pure soul — something you don't need to understand lyrics to feel.
Once a year in May, the rhythmic force of the city culminates into one city-defining event: the Beale Street Music Festival.
Memphis in May and The Beale Street Music Festival
The Beale Street Music Festival — This three-day concert event held every year during Memphis in May opens up the city’s pork BBQ-stained hands to some of the biggest names in the music industry and to international visitors from around the world.
For this one weekend, the sounds of sixty musicians capture what Memphis is truly all about — Music.
Since 1998, the festival has brought big-label bands to Memphis's Tom Lee Park. In fact, you won't find this kind of on-stage talent at any other music fest and may not even see it in a lifetime.
It's like they always say, "You haven't been to Beale Street until you've been to The Beale Street Music Festival."
From its famed music festival to world championship barbecue cooking contests and award-winning exchange programs, Memphis in May offers visitors an opportunity to experience the energy, hospitality, food, music and soul that make Memphis rock.