Memphis Mayhem: A Story of the Music That Shook Up the World

by David A. Less

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

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.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2020

Reviews

[Ben Schwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of the major musical movements in Memphis and why it's such an important city to the history of American music. The author obviously knows his stuff and the book is incredibly well researched over years of interviews. I discovered a few different amazing artists I wasn't familiar with.

The way the book is laid out the timelines can sometimes get a little confusing - there's a lot of jumping around between the years of 1950 and 1975 - but there's a helpful timeline at the end of the book if you need help contextualizing when different things happened. A recommended read for music history fans.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edelweiss+ ARC Review

This was an extensive, informative, and factual revelation. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Memphis beat-from printed sheet music to the underground punk scene-is presented here, in a shocking and rocking format. I can’t even begin to describe all the other historical content that David A. less unravels here. You’ll learn about the settlement and incorporation of Memphis, the 1878 yellow fever epidemic that nearly wiped out the city, and the thriving tourism industry that saved the crumbling city.

Of course, the city hasn’t always been a mecca for flourishing artists and musicians. The author discloses some of the darker moments of bloodshed that once covered the city streets. The MLK assassination is briefly mentioned, but I was surprised by some of the lesser known acts of racism and hate presented here.

‘Memphis Mayhem’ is 40+ years in the making. Less, who grew up in the area, knows his stuff. All the interviews, photos, and research documented throughout the book is critical, never insignificant.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned some interesting things about Memphis and it's music history but it was a very dry read. Would've been awesome if a little more effort had been put into making it a more readable story instead of just listing historical facts.

[John Tipper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less has written an enjoyable and thought-provoking book on the Memphis music scene. He starts back before the Civil War and then focuses on seminal figures like W. C. Handy, one of the founders of the blues in the first part of the 20th Century. Less covers the racial strife of the city and the Deep South, at times depicting brutal confrontations. Beal Street, in Memphis, was the center of blues music for decades. Sam Phillips opened a recording studio called Sun in 1950, featuring black artists such as Rufus Thomas, B. B. King and Junior Parker. An unconventional young man came into the studio named Elvis Presley, wanting to be the next Dean Martin. He'd heard R and B players, and Phillips got Presley to try that form and meld it to country. The result, Rockabilly. He, of course, became a massive hit. White singers like Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis flocked to Sun. Rock and Roll was born. The more conventional R and B people, both black and white, began to go to Stax Records, also in Memphis. One of the first integrated bands, Booker T. and the MGs, had a big hit in 1962, Green Onions, and became a fixture backing up soul performers. Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn were in that band.
Less is good at tracing musical influences. And he describes the business of popular music, the economics behind the industry. Memphis did well until the disco craze hit in the late 70s. Young people started dancing in clubs instead of buying records. MTV took a toll also. Later the city bounced back to some extend with some punk bands and rap acts. This book is an interesting history of a city and an entertainment business. Plus the artists.

[Scott Nickels · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Memphis Mayhem” by David A. Less is an informative overview of the Memphis, Tennessee music history that overlaps with the history of race relations and its effect on the Memphis music genre. For those that are interested in the subject matter the book succeeds. One learns about music legends including B.B. King, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis! David Less is a great writer and for those of us who spent time living in Memphis and its environs I appreciated the deep dive into the how the music and the local culture intermingled to make music that will stand the test of time.
Thanks to NetGalley for delivering to my e-reader an Advanced Readers Copy of “Memphis Mayhem” in exchange for my review.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that I think the author was trying to show the importance of Memphis musically and historically as well. Music from the blues with B.B King then Elvis and the others who would be at Sun records. The history of the music in Memphis as far back as W.C. Handy who wrote the “Memphis Blues”. From the early 1900s through the fifties then into the 60s and the birth of Stax records but also the place where Martin Luther King was shot and killed, this book is a time capsule of history with music also thrown in there. A good book.
I received this book from Netgalley.com

[Nichola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just was more than I was looking for here in terms of scope of something to listen to while I did other things. I thought it would be more focused on just Elvis and knew too little about many of the other music history events, artists and the industry as a whole to be able to capably follow along, and not connected enough to things I did know a little about for me to be able to build on that. But I think that is my failure as a reader rather than of the well put together material here.

[Kelsi (kelsbrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a memphian myself, I was beyond excited to be given the opportunity to review this book! I felt it was a very in-depth review of memphis culture (racially, musically, and socially), and the important events that brought our beloved city to where it is today. This book is a must-read for any Memphian, as well as music-lovers everywhere!

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative review of Memphis music, race relations, and how the history of Memphis influenced a new and important genre of music. There is a great appreciation for Memphis and the music throughout the book.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had the potential of being a great read but the author had to throw in his political opinions, and it ruined the book. Just tell the story, if I wanted to read an opinion piece, I would have picked such.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this. Interesting history of Memphis the city in its early days and of the music scene there. Elvis and Beale Street are briefly discussed along with other music legends and record labels.

[Rick B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting history of music in and from Memphis.

[Alesia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cool book about this history of music and the music that is native to Memphis. Loved it! Learned some really cool facts.

[Paula Schumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

We listened to the audiobook from the library on a trip to Memphis. This nonfiction book tells the story of Memphis music: blues, jazz, Elvis, rock and roll, and more. Recommended.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit I struggled to get through this. I was really excited to pick it up, as I love seeing the way entertainment developed, the history of a particular aspect of it and the society around it that helped it grow. But Memphis Mayhem feels disjointed, lacks depth, and is a very dry read. Large sections read as a series of names, and aspects of Memphis’ history are tackled in thematic sections, in which there is a lot of overlap, meaning much of the information becomes repetitive.

It felt like too much of a cursory glance through Memphis’ musical history. There are sections of historical information, but again, the dry tone prevents these from being as engaging as they could be. There’s nothing here but facts, really, with the occasional author’s perspective creeping in. To me, it could have done with a bit more of a personal touch, and where we do get some of this, it really works.

The names of musicians fill the pages sometimes with little reference to who they are or which band they’re linked to, and sometimes it feels rushed through certain parts. It’s a little bit of a mess, and it feels like there was almost too much information to cram in here, whereas a narrower focus – allowing for quality over quantity – might have been more effective.

Lass’ journalistic skills are apparent, but there’s a constant sense of the reader being kept at arm’s length – we get to see very little of what life was life, and are instead told a lot. There’s a lot of history crammed in here, but little expanding on points where it would have been interesting to do so.

The book is at its strongest when dealing with personal accounts and interview snippets.

If you have interest enough to recognise many of the names, but not so deep a knowledge you know a lot of this information already, the book could be fairly informative. But if your interest is more basic and you’re not already familiar with a lot of the musicians mentioned in these pages, it’s a bit of a struggle to keep up with them all.

[Deborah Hann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned many things from this book and found some incredible music, especially from pivotal and under celebrated women like Ann Peebles and Sister Rosetta Tharp — her guitar!! — but this book was also oddly choppy; it jumped around and was discombobulating at times. The author’s knowledge and love of the music and artists is clear, but there were times the writing was repetitive and choppy.