Written by a practicing musician, Goin' Back to Memphis is the first comprehensive history of Memphis musicmaking as it developed over the past 100 years, told in the words of the performers, record producers, and composers themselves. 75 photos.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Musical Memphis defined the blues, rechanneled it into rhythm and blues, invented rock and roll, then bastardized it into pop. This infectious blend of history, anecdote, reportage and gossip begins with wild, woolly, turn-of-the-century Beale Street, which attracted blues bandleader W.C. Handy. The 1920s Memphis music scene was dominated by bluesman Walter "Furry" Lewis, fiery ex-prostitute Memphis Minnie (Lizzie Douglas) and "Fiddling Abe" Fortas (who later became a Supreme Court Justice). The 1930s and '40s brought forth swing arranger Jimmie Lunceford and harmonica wizard Sonny Boy Williamson, but the narrative really gets going in 1950 when Elvis Presley, a 15-year-old from Mississippi, began hanging out on Beale Street, eventually recording hits with Sam Phillips's Sun Record. Otis Redding helped define soul in Memphis in the '60s. Dickerson, a freelance music journalist who has long covered the Memphis scene, seemingly drags in every artist who has recorded in Memphis, from Petula Clark to Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and ZZ Top. His engaging chronicle sizzles with the energies that transformed American music and popular culture. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Dickerson has written a loving, decade-by-decade profile of the town that gave us--besides Elvis--Carl Perkins, Booker T. and the MGs, Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, Roy Orbison, Isaac Hayes, and even the Box Tops, who with "The Letter" scored "the first No. 1 pop hit ever recorded in Memphis by Memphis artists." The story starts long before the modern pop era, when W. C. Handy, Memphis Minnie, Alberta Hunter, and other blues immortals made Memphis a musical hot spot early in this century. By the British invasion years, Memphis was the cradle of rock, and Memphis' studios and record labels loomed as large in pop legend as any city's. Besides noting the stars who passed through Memphis and their feats, Dickerson takes us into the back rooms with the movers and shakers on the business end of the music, spotlights the fabled Stax house band (better known as the Blues Brothers band), and traces the social history of Memphis, all in highly readable, highly recommended style. Mike Tribby
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More About the Author
A native of Mississippi, James L. Dickerson is the author of twenty-six books, and over 2,000 magazine and newspaper articles; he has worked as a magazine editor and publisher, newspaper editor, reporter, columnist, book critic, and social worker.
Dickerson's book, The Mojo Triangle, was the winner of a 2006 IPPY award (Independent Publisher Book Awards) in the non-fiction category. Two other books, Goin' Back to Memphis and That's Alright, Elvis, were finalists for the Gleason Award. Reprint rights to Dickerson's books have been sold to publishers in Australia and China, where two of his books have been translated into Chinese.
Dickerson's book, The Mojo Triangle, was the winner of a 2006 IPPY award (Independent Publisher Book Awards) in the non-fiction category. Two other books, Goin' Back to Memphis and That's Alright, Elvis, were finalists for the Gleason Award. Reprint rights to Dickerson's books have been sold to publishers in Australia and China, where two of his books have been translated into Chinese.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive Memphis Music Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Goin' Back to Memphis (Paperback)
I don't write many reviews, but when I read the May 27 review on this page, I knew I would have to say something. Anyone with half a brain knows that James Dickerson is the foremost expert on Memphis music. He has written more music books on Memphis than anyone else and he has done it with more depth and authority than anyone else.Goin Back to Memphis was nominated for the Gleason Award, and it is the only book about Memphis music that offers a complete history. The two writers the previous reviewer mentions, Gordon and Guralnick, have written some interesting books, but neither writer has ever written a history of Memphis music. Gordon's book is mostly about the people who failed to make it in music, and Guralnick's books have either been about soul music or Elvis Presley, who recorded most of his records in Nashville, not Memphis. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about blues, soul and rock n roll music.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting stories about Memphis musicians and the City.,
By
This review is from: Goin' Back to Memphis (Paperback)
I found this to be an interesting inside look at
various Memphis recording figures, the city itself and its racial and political history. Producer Chips Moman is discussed in detail. I would like to correct one statistic (hopefully corrected in the paperback edition which I haven't seen) - in the back of the book, the author lists "Top Twenty" pop hits recorded in Memphis or by Memphis based recording artists. He lists only one hit by Charlie Rich who lived in Memphis and recorded in Memphis and Nashville ("The Most Beautiful Girl") but, in fact, according to the "Billboard Book of Top Forty Hits," Charlie Rich had five Top Twenty hits. The other four are: Behind Closed Doors; There Won't Be Anymore; A Very Special Love Song; Every Time You Touch Me I Get High. Rich also just missed with "Mohair Sam" at # 21 and "Lonely Weekends" at # 22.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must For Every Serious Music Lover,
By Axel Drücke (Hann. Münden, Niedersachsen, Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Goin' Back to Memphis (Paperback)
i'm not the man to make a 1000 words, but if James L. Dickerson writes them, they get you right from the start, believe you me! This is a highly entertaining look behind the scenes of american music making/industry. It also informs you quite humorous about the history of memphis politics and music. Doesn`t matter if you like jazz, blues, country, folk or rock, once you started it, you will not put it out of your hands til it's finished, at least that's how it happened to me. This was my first book of Mr. Dickerson but it will definitely not be the last. Actually i'm going to ask him if he would consider to allow me to translate it into german. To make a long story short: music lovers of the world, if you love Elvis Presley, STAX records or the blues, if you know who Chips Moman is or you want to know, order this book now cause you have to consider: it'll take them some days to get it shipped. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIVE WITHOUT IT AND PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD ! To make one thing clear: i am not getting paid by amazon, i don't have any deals with them,i didn't even buy my copy of the book from them. Love + Peace, Axel Drücke
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