The Literature File -
Larry Nager - Memphis Beat
Rob Bowman's Soulsville USA is a terrific and detailed account of one particular operation (Stax) in the Memphis heartland. Nager's book on the other hand (subtitled "The Lives and Times of America's Musical Crossroads") paints on a broader canvas and is therefore an excellent introduction to the wider aspects of the Memphis sound.
Dipping into the early Memphis of the nineteenth century to provide the historical context, the book really begins to kick in for the R&B; enthusiast at the turn of the century and the music of W.C Handy. Nager's prose is simple and straighforward and he chronicles the changes in Memphis and its music very well indeed. R&B;, hard country, straight blues and gospel and the strange mix that was the rockabilly of Sun studios are all documented and discussed.
Like Bowman, Nager has an eye for detail, and this book is as much about the culture of the South as its music, but along the way we get to meet and greet the likes of Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Memphis Slim, B.B. King, Elvis, Billy Lee Riley, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Albert King, William Bell, Charlie Rich and many, many more.....can't be bad!
A fine introduction to the Memphis sound and culture.
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