89 years was the amount of time one blues juggernaut, synonymous with the city of Memphis, gave to the world before passing away in Las Vegas May 14 of this year. During his career B.B. King helped Memphis, and Delta Blues, thrill the limelight of entertainment for years. To truly understand his lasting legacy, Memphis blues aficionados weighed in on the “Beale Street Blues Boy” and his decades of work.
Brett Fleming is a Memphis DJ that has hosted his show “Soul Stew” on WEVL for 17 years. The show currently airs on Saturday nights 5-9pm. Fleming has listened to and analyzed King’s music a great deal during that time. He likened B.B. to another groundbreaking Memphis musician.
“He was as important to this city as Elvis Presley,” Fleming said. “I think the fact that he had such an elaborate funeral and so many people turned out, that spoke volumes about what this city felt about him.”
Fleming made a point to compare King to Musicians from beyond the bluff city as well.
“He was, to me, underrated as a guitarist but completely underrated as a vocalist,” Fleming said. “Whenever you listen to somebody like Frank Sinatra sing; it’s the way he phrases things, it’s the way he emphasizes certain words that made him a great singer. B.B. king had that same gift of great vocal phrasing.”
David Evans, a professor at the University of Memphis (A.B.-Harvard University; M.A., Ph.D.-University of California, Los Angeles), directs the Ethnomusicology/Regional Studies doctoral program of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. He offers blues-related classes and is described by some as the leading authority on Delta Blues in the country. Evans shared his own explanation of B.B. King’s game-changing, bluesy abilities.
“He had tremendous talent and innovation as a guitarist; inventing a style that emulates the sound of the slide guitar but that was not played with a slide.” Evans said. “As a singer he brought in a strong, gospel influence into blues music; a lasting gospel affect that others would imitate and would join him in. He was “soul music” before the term “soul music” even was used.”
Evans added that not only were King’s talents and longevity as a recording artist impressive (with 66 years of performing), but that his personality particularly made the man an accessible staple of Memphis music.
“The few times I met him he was very gracious; he had time for anybody that reached out to him,” Evans said. “Through that and his talent he became a very good spokesperson for the blues; a type of music that has pretty much always had something of an image problem. He was able to turn that blues “low-life” narrative around.”
Professor Evans described King as someone who came up from a rural poverty, “virtually an orphan,” and who succeeded with a positive image very well known in america - millions and millions of people soon recognizing his name. Fleming described how such a legacy grew, even in King’s later years.
“I think he influenced everybody from the time he started. That’s why so many people wanted to play with him,” Fleming said. “They revered his music, they had been influenced by him, and that’s why in his later years he did several duet records where he would play with Buddy Guy, Bonnie Rae, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray or any number of people.”
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| B.B. King with Bono of U2 in 2008 |
Both Fleming and Professor Evans spoke at a time where an infamously popular article entitled “American blues capital Memphis is losing its luster” had made rounds through Memphis’ social mediasphere. The article states “With the death of the legendary blues guitarist King last month, the city has lost of one its last favorite sons. And little by little it is being eclipsed by its eternal Tennessee rival Nashville.” The two had much to say regarding this claim by The Japan Times’ website.
“The real difference in my mind between Memphis and Nashville is that Nashville does so much music publishing, which we don’t do here.” Fleming said. “They have that advantage for certain. Now given that, the quality of the musicians in Memphis is at least equal to if not better than the quality of the musicians in Nashville.”
Fleming also explained, with his wealth of knowledge regarding radio, that America has more country music stations than any other genre. Therefore, songs that are recorded in our state’s capital ultimately get more airplay than independant rock, blues, or hip-hop recorded in Memphis. Professor Evans questioned the entire connection between B.B. King’s death and the “eclipsing” of Memphis music made by The Japan Times.
“I don’t know that we’re being “eclipsed” by Nashville musically, I’m not sure Nashville is doing all that much.” Evans said. “It’s always been a more organized musical place than Memphis has, but Memphis seems to come up with hits quite often. Memphis could yet again develop a real style like rockabilly, southern soul, or jug bands like we’ve done in the past.”
In fact, a “hit” that was recently recorded at Royal Studios, here in Memphis, has remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for most of this year, becoming one of only ten songs to stay on the list for that length of time. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “UpTown Funk!” was recorded in the same studio that Al Green and his producer Willie Mitchell made classics like “Let’s Stay Together” and where the likes of Chuck Berry and Bobby Blue Bland also tracked notable Memphis tunes ages ago. Brett Fleming continued and elaborated on how Memphis isn’t “losing it’s luster,” but on the contrary, experiencing a period of musical and economical rebirth.
“I look at it now and think what a renaissance we’re going through, and the music is part of that because there’s a lot of music coming out of the city now,” Fleming said. “For a while the recording here was a little bit on the down, but it’s really coming back, There’s a lot of studios, a lot of great stuff is coming out of here again.”
The “renaissance” Fleming spoke of was even enough to impress Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant when he toured through the city and performed at Mud Island in June. The front man was even quoted by the Commercial Appeal saying about Memphis and it’s Music: “I don't see it as a museum” and ”I see it as a place with a great, great future.”
“Soul Stew” DJ Brett Fleming explains what is behind this “future”.
“What you cannot argue is that Memphis- the players here get themselves locked into a groove and they have a certain grit about the music,” Fleming said. “There’s something more that’s coming from inside them.”
He shared an anecdote about the late B.B. King that further explained what was inside the “Blues Boy” that made him so admired by the city.
“If B.B. King was playing one of his own clubs and ending a show, he had a habit of inviting anyone who played an instrument to come on-stage and jam with him,” Fleming said. “He influenced them with his kindness. He was accessible.”
Though Memphis’ “favorite son” has passed away his legacy, his work ethic, and his kindness still have a chance to live on and aid the Memphis “renaissance.” The city has a definite “luster,” Brett Fleming calls it a “vibe” or a “feel.” The Japan Times claims that the city is losing it, but perhaps Memphis has just needed time to change. A real future of Memphis Music could be truly accessible.
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