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

by David A. Less (Author)

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

Foreword by renowned music historian Peter Guralnick

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.

Back Jacket

"Wow. Memphis Mayhem tells the history of the music from my hometown with fun and entertaining stories. David Less's role as the everyman narrator works perfectly because of his long involvement within the Memphis music community. Anyone interested in American music should read this book. O, my Soul." -- Jody Stephens, Big Star

"I like the way Memphis Mayhem represented Hi Records, Stax, and all of Memphis music. I totally enjoyed this book. Great job." -- Ann Peebles, soul singer

"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. Beginning with the 1870s yellow fever epidemics that created racial imbalance as wealthy whites fled his hometown, David Less moves beyond W.C. Handy's codification of the blues in 1909 to the mid-century advent of interracial music and the birth of both punk and the music tourism industry. Lively and comprehensive, Memphis Mayhem is a provocative chronicle of finding common ground through music and creating a sound that would change the world.

Third-generation Memphian David A. Less has studied Memphis music for over 40 years, including work done for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Gibson Guitar Foundation. He has been published in Rolling Stone, DownBeat, and Blues Revue magazines and the Society for American Music Bulletin. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

Author Biography

David A. Less has studied Memphis music for over 40 years, and has conducted research for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Gibson Guitar Foundation. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, DownBeat, Blues Revue magazine and the Bulletin for the Society of American Music. He is a third-generation Memphian who still lives in Memphis, Tennessee.