BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

On the final installment of I Listen To Memphis, Cedric Burnside returns for an encore performance at Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. Listen as he performs “Please Tell Me Baby”, a cut off his upcoming album, Benton County Relic, coming out on September 14th on Single Lock Records. And if you missed his previous performance, check it out right here:

https://youtu.be/7AkKVtDanU0

Thank you for your continued support of Beale Street Caravan and the I Listen To Memphis music video series! Be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel for more exciting content and more of the best in Memphis music!

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Hunter’s Chapel Church has ministered to the Como, MS community from this same spot for more than 175 years. On the headstones in the cemetery on it’s southern side you’ll see familiar names like Strickland, Turner, and Boyce – families synonymous with the sounds of the North Mississippi Hill Country going back generations. Music has been at the heart of the church’s ministry since the beginning. The Hunter’s Chapel Male Chorus recently celebrated a remarkable milestone – the group has been making a joyful noise for over a century. The Hunter’s Chapel Singers sang with church member “Mississippi” Fred McDowell on his landmark gospel record, Amazing Grace, recorded in 1966. McDowell, Napolian Strickland, Otha Turner, Jesse Mae Hemphill, RL Boyce, and many more pioneers of the North Mississippi sound shared these pews on Sunday mornings.

The Wilkins family is a strong contender for being the “First Family” of Memphis music. Patriarch Rev. John Wilkins has served from the pulpit of Hunter’s Chapel for over 3 decades. The family’s talents branch throughout the Memphis gospel world. His daughters, Tangela, Joyce, and Tawana, his grandchildren, and even great grandchildren are all involved in the music ministry of local congregations. It should come as no surprise then to learn that Rev. Wilkins’ father was Rev. Robert Wilkins, a first generation bluesman who, after witnessing a murder while performing on Beale Street in Memphis, gave up the secular world, became a minister, only recording sacred music from that day forward. Rev. Robert Wilkins became a favorite of young, white, blues musicians during the folk revival decades later. In 1962, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards named their band after one of Rev. Robert Wilkins’ songs. And they paid tribute to Wilkins by recording his song, “Prodigal Son.”

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Marcella Simien and Spooner Oldham are back with us for an incredible encore performance! If you missed their previous installment, check it out right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgc63wa1CP0

This time, they perform the timeless Memphis hit, “I’m Your Puppet.” Written by Spooner and Dan Penn, the song reached the top of the charts in 1966 as performed by James and Bobby Purify, earning them a Grammy nomination along the way. The following year, local garage band The Box Tops, led by a precocious, 16-year-old Alex Chilton, were working with Spooner and Penn at Chips Moman’s American Sound Studios in Memphis. The group recorded their own timeless take on the song, including it on their debut album, Neon Rainbow/The Letter.

http://www.marcellaandherlovers.com/

http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/spooner-oldham

http://pandhcafe.com/

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Don Bryant is Memphis music personified. Steeped in the musical traditions of the church and street corner jams in South Memphis neighborhoods. Fronting vocal groups for WLOK broadcasts as a child. As a teen, the musical phenom was the frontman for Willie Mitchell’s band at night and he wrote hit songs for Mitchell at Royal Studios during the day. One of those hits, 1973’s “I Can’t Stand The Rain,” he co-wrote with Hi Records’ newest signee, Ann Peebles. The duo married the following year and Don’s career as an artist took a backseat to behind-the-scenes production work and to supporting his wife’s burgeoning career. But, he never stopped singing and, in 2017, he took to the studio and crafted his first record in almost 50 years, Don’t Give Up On Love.

 

https://www.fatpossum.com/artists/don-bryant/

 

Memphis’ music reputation was built on blues long before gospel or soul, so it’s no surprise that real-deal blues is still the thing in neighborhood joints throughout the Memphis area. Perhaps the most well known of these nightspots is Wild Bill’s, a long standing, North Memphis institution on Vollintine Avenue that’s been serving up hot music and cold, 40 oz. beers for 30 years. Some of the South’s biggest blues artists have cut their teeth within these walls. Wild Bill’s is a must for anyone looking for an authentic, Memphis blues experience.

 

http://wildbillsmemphis.com/

 

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

HEELS is a two piece out of Memphis TN. What started as an acoustic folk punk band is now the mightiest “two friends playing whatever they want” band in Memphis. Brennan writes lyrics that will make you want to fall in love or punch the person next to you. Josh’s drums hit hard and frequently. The only thing that equals their harmonies is their banter.
Their songs are upbeat, catchy and dynamic. They are always entertaining live. They are good boys.

http://www.heelsmemphisband.com/

When we first started dreaming up the ILTM project, the Buccaneer Lounge was always in the mix. From the very onset, it was sort of a given. It would have been impossible to represent the Memphis music world without it. The Bucc was singular in many ways, first and foremost for the nearly irrational level of passion and loyalty Bucc regulars had for the nautically-themed dive bar. Then there are the countless shack-shaking shows that are seared into the memories of Memphis music fans. Some of the best shows you’ve never seen by the best bands you’ve never heard of (and a few you have) went down at the Bucc. We couldn’t imagine ILTM without The Bucc.

But tragedy struck. Well, a lot of things struck. Hard times. Closure. A couple of hasty re-openings. Rumors. Back taxes. Then late last year the Bucc burned to the ground. Undeterred, the ILTM team soldiered on and we captured this live performance in the rubble and ashes.

 

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Dirty Streets was birthed in DeSoto County, a suburb of Memphis that sits halfway between Beale St. and the North Mississippi hill country. Good schools, clean fast food restaurants, and churches on every corner and good times are just a 10 minute drive in either direction. The boys from the ‘burbs like to take that Memphis sound and that hill country sound, take them into their parents’ garages, mash it all together, combine what’s in the air around them with the far away sounds of FM Radio and who knows what else. Think: Big Star, The Box Tops, Moloch, etc. This tune, Loving Man, is on Dirty Streets’ brand new record, dropping September 14th, titled “Distractions.”

https://dirtystreets.bandcamp.com/

Kelley Anderson,  of Crystal Shrine and founding darling of Those Darlins, purchased a double shotgun house surrounded by vacant lots right off of Crump Blvd. last year. The Beach House has a lowfi, rock show feel with each abandoned room thematically designed.

https://www.facebook.com/TheBeachHous…

 

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music. Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Negro Terror, the brainchild of bassist and reggae frontman Omar Higgins, is an all American, all hardcore punk group that just happens to be all black. But the music that’s played has no color, just the crimson red of pure aggression.
https://www.negroterror.com/

Al Town is Memphis Tn’s D.I.Y. Skate park. Built by skaters for skaters.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/23782…

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to introduce I Listen to Memphis. ILTM is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music. Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM! http://www.ilistentomemphis.com

Marcella Simien’s parents say she was a restless creative from the start. As a child she captured daydreams in her journals, weaving pages into song, filling the spaces with accordion and piano. By the time she was a teen, Marcella was joining her father (a multiple, Grammy award-winning Cajun and Zydeco artist) on the road and stage on a regular basis. Marcella eventually moved to Memphis to attend art school and Memphians knew right away that we’d lucked up. We know soul around here and Marcella is the genuine article. http://www.marcellaandherlovers.com/

Serendipitously joining Marcella on the Wurlitzer piano in this performance is Spooner Oldham. Spooner is an icon of American music, having written many of soul music’s greatest hits and performing on countless others – including this song, I’d Rather Go Blind, originally recorded by Etta James in 1968. Spooner called Memphis home in the 60’s and was one of the principal forces behind American Studios’ legendary run at the top of the charts. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/sp…

The P&H Cafe is a rite of passage for Memphis artists, filmmakers, actors, musicians, and comedians. It’s like a grittier Les Deux Magot for Memphians, if Les Deux served pitchers of domestic beer and unbelievably good patty melts. For multiple generations the P and H has provided an indispensable watering hole, a stage, a meeting place, and a home away from home for the Poor and Hungry of the Memphis scene. http://pandhcafe.com/ Director – Christian Walker Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films” Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Idi Aah Que and Teco Tate first discovered their lyrical chemistry in English class at East High School. The task before them was easy enough: draft original works of prose and recite them in front of the class. A pretty simple assignment for two, young, aspiring rappers. But it wasn’t just the mutual recognition of “Hey, I want to be a rapper. Hey, me too” that brought Que and Teco together to be Hippy SOUL. It was that the collaboration on this high school project uncovered a shared vision of an entirely different holistic approach to Memphis rap.

They had little use for the usual themes and imagery. Hippy SOUL redefines these norm by pulling from their own experiences and passions: local history, martial arts, anime superheroes, the near-yet-so-far legacy of Memphis music, their circle of comrades, and the formative experience of that high school English class from way back when.

But this is still Mtown and we do have a history to respect. Speaker-ripping low end, menacing synth melodies, and the trademark, staccato high hats are pulled straight from the Memphis rap playbook. My Dojo burst out of nowhere last year and put the rap world on notice. The studio version is represented by a killer video crafted by filmmaker Quentin Lamb. This installment to the I Listen To Memphis video series is a raw, visceral take on My Dojo performed live on stage at Memphis music institution, The HiTone Cafe, and features the additional energy of drummer Ra’id backing up Que and Teco.

For two decades The HiTone Cafe has been a dojo for Memphis musicians. It’s been the proving grounds for an entire generation (or two) of artists and bands. It’s where the North Mississippi All Stars played their earliest sellout shows. It’s been a Goner Fest destination since the beginning. Every Memphian has a different answer for the best show they ever saw at The HiTone. It’s good to have constants in an ever-evolving music scene.

 

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.

 

BSC is proud to expand its mission and introduce ILTM – a new weekly video series filmed in culturally relevant spaces. I Listen to Memphis is about Memphis music today, the musicians who make it, and the places and culture that fuel it. We are here to inform, inspire, and share the best of Memphis music.

Want an early look at next week’s video before anyone else? Join ILTM!

Memphis music is a melting pot. It’s a mashup of personalities and raw talent, stewed together in an environment that encourages pure self-expression. Fat Possum Records recording artist Liz Brasher was born to call Memphis home one day. She found her way into the fold the old-fashioned way – she came to Memphis to make a record. Back home, her musical education consisted of singing in the church she grew up in – a Spanish-speaking, Southern Baptist congregation (her parents are first-generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic). Discovering rock and roll changed her life and her journey to Memphis began with everything that followed. With her blazing white Gibson SG, she evokes the sanctified power of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Close your eyes and you may think you’re listening to Mahalia Jackson backed by Dick Dale and Pop Staples. Liz thrives here in her adopted home. Her most recent studio effort, Outcast, recorded and mixed here in Memphis, was just released this past April to critical acclaim on Fat Possum Records.

The setting for this video is tucked away amidst an old Memphis neighborhood set off of South Parkway. A neighborhood historically reserved for the upper and middle class African-American families in Memphis. But this home is a bit smaller than it’s more stately neighbors. Set back from the street and surrounded by a canopy of trees, no one would blame you if you’d never noticed it before. It’s a funky, quiet, little spot, concealing the fact that one of the greatest superstars of Memphis music once called this place home. A small, single-level home, with an open floor plan and a sunken living area. Wood paneling all around. It’s all still there, including the original, custom shelving built to accommodate hundreds of vinyl records. It just oozes cool. It’s the former home of Isaac Hayes, Stax Records staff songwriter, producer, and resident genius. If these walls could talk, imagine the stories they would tell.

Director – Christian Walker
Produced by Waheed AlQawasmi “WA Films”
Cinematographer – Jordan Danelz
Camera Operator/Editor – Jared B. Callan

Special thanks to Pigeon Roost Collaborative and Inherent Media.