Go Memphis

As the Internet turns 40 this year, one of its lesser — but still profound — successes has been the resuscitation of music artists that were once thought forever banished to the cut-out bin of history. One such musician saved from obscurity is Bob Frank, the Memphis-born singer-songwriter whose respectable music career ended in 1972 shortly after it began. Frank has at last found an audience for his distinct songwriting vision, and he performs Saturday at Otherlands. Full story »

Over a long, distinguished career as a folklorist and scholar, William Ferris has made innumerable contributions to the academic study of the blues and the Southern culture. But in his latest project, a sprawling multimedia effort that includes a new book, CD, DVD and Web site, Ferris reaches beyond the dry, impassioned cataloging of regional history and traditions. He will be in Memphis on Saturday to sign copies of "Give My Poor Heart Ease" at Davis-Kidd Booksellers and the Center for Southern Folklore. Full story »

New York photographer Jacob Blickenstaff had an epiphany of sorts in Memphis in 2006. He'd come to town to attend the Ponderosa Stomp, the New Orleans-based heritage music festival that highlights forgotten and overlooked greats of R&B, soul, country and rock and roll. For Blickenstaff, it was a crucial moment that would shape his work for the next three years. Now, his efforts are being collected in a new photo exhibit at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Full story »

In the game more than 15 years now, rapper Snoop Dogg (born Cordazar Calvin Broadus) has long been the most contradictory of hip-hop artists. A former gang member and unapologetic pot smoker, he is, nevertheless, one of mainstream America’s most popular rappers, thanks to his easy wit and laid-back style. Snoop’s “Wonderland High” tour promoting his new album arrives in Tunica Saturday for a show at Harrah’s Tunica Event Center. Full story »

If I had to name the best short story in the form of a song lyric, I suspect the winner would be Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” first released as a B-side in 1959. Lately, it has been haunting me — the metrical precision of the lyrics, its emotional realism and, of course, the revelation in the penultimate line. You know the one: that this is a father’s mournful love song to his daughter, Marie, who is only 6 years old. Full story »

Neo-soul artist Tim Terry spent several years writing and recording in California, and after returning to his hometown of Memphis four years ago, he found the music scene here not particularly embracing of his brand of sophisticated R&B. You don't have a lot of venues that allow you to showcase original material. It's a mainstream-type of city where you have to follow the status quo." Full story »

It's early in the morning in Vermont and music is the furthest thing from Neko Case's mind. "Mostly I've been concentrating on hybrid seeds and farming," says the 39-year-old roots songstress from the multiacre spread she lives on in the northern part of the state. "It's nice to be near nature 'cause that's where I get most of my inspiration." Case gets back to her second nature, singing, when she performs at Minglewood Hall in Memphis on Wednesday. Full story »

His most recent, last year's It Is Time For A Love Revolution, was one of his best-received and most accomplished efforts in years. That album also started Kravitz on a path back to his roots, a journey that has come full circle this year with a mammoth worldwide tour that marks the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Let Love Rule. The 50-date tour took in Europe, and a U.S. swing that includes a show Halloween night at Harrah's Tunica. Full story »

Starting in the early ’80s, Mitch Easter would craft a succession of influential and highly regarded albums for the likes of R.E.M., Game Theory, the Windbreakers, and Marshall Crenshaw. But his work in the studio meant that his first passion, playing music, was set to the side. Easter has returned to his first love — at least part time. On Friday, he’ll headline the third annual Memphis Pops Festival, a free concert taking place Downtown next to Earnestine & Hazel’s. Full story »

Despite such high-profile devotees as financier Warren Buffett and Beatle Paul McCartney, the ukulele is pretty well shunned in modern music. But from the unlikely wellspring of Mississippi, one musician has helped rehabilitate the ukulele’s status. Dent May, born and raised in Jackson, Miss., learned to play the ukulele from his mother, and now his wistful tunes and unusual instrumentation have won him plenty of press and acclaim. He plays the Hi-Tone in Memphis on Tuesday. Full story »

For Bettye LaVette, "The Great Lady of Soul," it has been a year of hard-won change and long-overdue recognition. On Tuesday, LaVette will perform, along with O'Jays singer Eddie Levert, at the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Awards gala. "Now, I'm getting to a place where all these things are happening, and people are coming to see Bettye LaVette. So I can finally be me." Full story »

For a long time, casino entertainment was associated with cheesy lounge acts -- third-rate Sinatra wannabes and crusty magicians who let the trick out of the bag as often as not. But in recent years, casinos like the ones in Tunica have revamped their entertainment offerings, bringing in hipper, top-tier music acts and buzzed-about shows like the Cirque du Soleil productions in an effort to lure younger, more entertainment-savvy consumers in the door. Full story »

Jemina Pearl is no shrinking violent. Though at a glance, she won't strike fear into anyone, the former Be Your Own Pet Singer and current solo artist has earned a reputation as someone not to be trifled with. Just last week, during a concert in Detroit, she responded to a violent front-row heckler with a little bit of rock and roll justice. According to several published reports, Pearl gave the much-bigger man an old-fashioned beatdown while her backing band played on. Full story »

On Saturday, the Memphis Music Foundation kicks off its first Memphis Music Week, a celebration of local music and artists in all their different forms. "What we're attempting to do with this is cause the community in general and the business community specifically to appreciate that we can use our music to become ... a catalyst for economic empowerment," says Al Bell, former Stax head and newly appointed chairman of the nonprofit foundation. Full story »

At the height of his career, smooth R&B singer Will Downing found himself at the lowest point in his personal life. In late 2006, the Grammy-nominated singer was diagnosed with polymyositis, a chronic disease that left him confined to a hospital bed, barely able to move. With his own body seemingly in revolt against him, the one thing that kept him going, the one part of himself that did not fail him, was his voice. Downing is back on his feet and is appearing Saturday at the Cannon Center with smooth jazz saxophonist Najee. Full story »