Memphis gave birth to music that changed the world — Memphis Mayhem is a fascinating history of how music and culture collided to change the state of music forever
“David Less has captured the essence of the Memphis music experience on these pages in no uncertain terms. There’s truly no place like Memphis and this is the story of why that is. HAVE MERCY!” — Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top
Foreword by renowned music historian Peter Guralnick
Memphis Mayhem weaves the tale of the racial collision that led to a cultural, sociological, and musical revolution. David Less constructs a fascinating narrative of the city that has produced a startling array of talent, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Justin Timberlake, and so many more.
Beginning with the 1870s yellow fever epidemics that created racial imbalance as wealthy whites fled the city, David Less moves from W.C. Handy’s codification of blues in 1909 to the mid-century advent of interracial musical acts like Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the birth of punk, and finally to the growth of a music tourism industry.
Memphis Mayhem explores the city’s entire musical ecosystem, which includes studios, high school band instructors, clubs, record companies, family bands, pressing plants, instrument factories, and retail record outlets. Lively and comprehensive, this is a provocative story of finding common ground through music and creating a sound that would change the world.
Memphis gave birth to music that changed the world — Memphis Mayhem is a fascinating history of how music and culture collided to change the state of music forever
“David Less has captured the essence of the Memphis music experience on these pages in no uncertain terms. There’s truly no place like Memphis and this is the story of why that is. HAVE MERCY!” — Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top
Foreword by renowned music historian Peter Guralnick
Memphis Mayhem weaves the tale of the racial collision that led to a cultural, sociological, and musical revolution. David Less constructs a fascinating narrative of the city that has produced a startling array of talent, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Justin Timberlake, and so many more.
Beginning with the 1870s yellow fever epidemics that created racial imbalance as wealthy whites fled the city, David Less moves from W.C. Handy’s codification of blues in 1909 to the mid-century advent of interracial musical acts like Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the birth of punk, and finally to the growth of a music tourism industry.
Memphis Mayhem explores the city’s entire musical ecosystem, which includes studios, high school band instructors, clubs, record companies, family bands, pressing plants, instrument factories, and retail record outlets. Lively and comprehensive, this is a provocative story of finding common ground through music and creating a sound that would change the world.
David A. Less has studied Memphis music for over 40 years, and has conducted research for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Gibson Guitar Foundation. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, DownBeat, Blues Revue magazine and the Bulletin for the Society of American Music. He is a third-generation Memphian who still lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Music writer Less presents a fascinating history of the music of
his native Memphis … Less brings to vivid life the music of
Memphis.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A lively combination of personal observation, scholarship, and
insider knowledge of an important era of American music.” — Kirkus
Reviews
“This quick romp through Memphis music from a racial perspective
will complement Robert Gordon’s books, as well as James Dickerson’s
Goin’ Back to Memphis.” — Library Journal
“Wow. Memphis Mayhem tells the history of the music from my
hometown with fun and entertaining stories. David Less’s role as
the ‘everyman narrator’ works perfectly because of his long
involvement within the Memphis music community. Anyone interested
in American music should read this book. O, my Soul.” — Jody
Stephens, Big Star
“I like the way Memphis Mayhem represented Hi Records, Stax, and
all of Memphis music. I totally enjoyed this book. Great job.” —
Ann Peebles, soul singer
“David Less takes us down memory lane talking about the music and
players that made Memphis music happen. Very interesting. A must
read!!!” — James Alexander, the Bar-Kays
“The chief pleasure of Memphis Mayhem lies in the serious care Less
takes in telling this story of a city that set the world on its
ear, time and time again, with blues, gospel, R&B, rockabilly,
rock, soul, pop, and even jazz.” — Chapter16.org
“With it’s short, snippet-like presentation, Less is up front when
he says that this book is neither a comprehensive or definitive
chronicling of Memphis music history. That’s more of the bag of
writers like Robert Gordeon, Stanley Booth, and Peter Guralnick
(the last a collaborator/friend of Less who pens the intro). Think
of them as hip college professors and lecturers — while Less is a
friendly and garrulous tour guide with a story for every occasion.”
— Houston Press
“Less weaves a delightful narrative made all the more interesting
by its winding ways, unconstrained by chronology. Though Memphis
Mayhem is remarkably well researched, it is clear that, for all his
professional bona fides, Less is as much an avid fan of Memphis
music as any tourist.” — Memphis Magazine
“If the title Memphis Mayhem sounds like it could be describing
either a crime wave or a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude or an era of
public turbulence, the new book by Memphis music historian David
Less concerns all of those things, but mainly it is a history and
memoir of the various strains of music that have percolated out of
Memphis and defined the river city in its seminal relationship with
the outer world.” — Memphis Flyer
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