Dr. Ollie Liddell directs the Memphis Central High School Jazz Band
at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater on Saturday, May 10, 2025, as part of the The 30th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center)
It was nail-biting time yesterday during the finals of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 30th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, where the top three placing bands competed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City to be recognized as the top high school jazz band in the world.
One of the three was the Central High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr. Ollie Liddell. The day before, Liddell posted these words to Facebook: “God is just showering us with blessings. The Memphis Central (THE) High School Jazz Band performed with the rest of these phenomenal bands from around the world. Yesterday we were named top 10. After the second round performance they announced us as top 3 in the WORLD. We find out if we are 1, 2, or 3 on tomorrow night. I am so overcome with emotion at these kids!”
Yet Liddell and his students kept their cool as they took to the stage to perform, staying in the zone, focused and swinging madly. Each top-placing band performed with its choice of a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member as a featured soloist. Finally, after all three bands had played, the award ceremony began and Memphis’ Central High School was named the best high school jazz band in the world.
Dr. Ollie Liddell directs the Memphis Central High School Jazz Band at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center)
It was the students’ first time competing in person, and most of them had no experience playing an instrument before high school. Yet it was clear that Liddell had nurtured and coaxed incredible reserves of talent out of them. The soloists were on fire, harking back to the glory days of Jimmie Lunceford’s Manassas High School Band of the 1920s-30s, who wowed audiences at the Cotton Club in their day.
A record 127 schools from across the world entered the competition, which allowed international bands to compete for the first time this year. The five-day event saw students immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals, and performances as they competed for the top honors.
The three finalists on Sunday also included the Osceola County School for the Arts of Kissimmee, Florida, and the Sant Andreu Jazz Band of Barcelona, Spain. Other international schools competing during the week included Blackburn High School of Victoria, Australia, and Tomisato High School of Chiba, Japan. Central High was the only school from Tennessee included among the competitors.
Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, presented awards to the top bands. Central High School’s first place trophy came with an award of $10,000. “Congratulations to all our bands who performed this week,” said Marsalis. “We recognize your sacrifice and commend you on your commitment. One of the things I’m most proud of about this festival is how it brings together parents, children, administrators, and communities around something truly worthwhile — the inner development of our kids.”
Though Sunday’s performances are not available online at this time, Central High’s appearance at the semi-finals at Lincoln Center on Saturday, May 10th was recorded:
In the end, the awards garnered by the Central High band included First Place Overall, Outstanding Trumpet Section, Outstanding Trombone Section, Outstanding Rhythm Section, Outstanding Alto Saxophone Soloist: Jackson H., Outstanding Trumpet Soloist: Kingston G., and Outstanding Trombone Soloist: Marqese C.
The bands were evaluated by several judging panels comprising distinguished jazz musicians and historians, including Joseph Jefferson, Ingrid Jensen, Sherrie Maricle, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Ulysses Owens, Catherine Russell, Reggie Thomas, Camille Thurman, Liesel Whitaker, and others. As one of the most innovative education events in the world, the Essentially Ellington program aims to elevate musicianship, broaden perspectives, and inspire performance through the music of jazz icon Duke Ellington. The program provides free transcriptions of original Duke Ellington recordings – accompanied by rehearsal guides, original recordings, professional instruction, and more – to thousands of schools and community bands in 58 countries. More than 7,000 high school bands have benefitted from free charts and resources over the 30 years of Essentially Ellington.
Now, returning home with their newly won crown, Liddell and the band are preparing for a show on more familiar turf: Central High School Auditorium. The school’s Jazz Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble will all perform in a free show there at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13th.
Ronnie Baker Brooks (Photo: Courtesy Blues Foundation)
The Blues Foundation‘s 46th Annual Blues Music Awards were held at Renasant Convention Center on Thursday, May 8th, and once again a regional wunderkind, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram of Clarksdale (who appears in the cinematic vampiric smash Sinners), snagged the title of Best Instrumentalist on the guitar. Other big winners were Ronnie Baker Brooks (Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Male, Song of the Year for “Blues In My DNA”); Sue Foley (Acoustic Blues Album, Traditional Blues Female); John Primer (Traditional Blues Male, Traditional Blues Album for Crawlin’ Kingsnake with Bob Corritore); and Curtis Salgado (Soul Blues Male, Soul Blues Album). The venerable Keb’ Mo’ was recognized as Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year.
Complete list of the 2025 winners:
Acoustic Blues Album: One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley Instrumentalist – Horn: Vanessa Collier Blues Rock Artist: Tommy Castro Instrumentalist – Harmonica: Billy Branch Soul Blues Female: Thornetta Davis Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins): Eden Brent Instrumentalist – Bass: Bob Stroger Instrumentalist – Drum: Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smit Blues Rock Album: Life is Hard, Mike Zito Contemporary Blues Male: Ronnie Baker Brooks Traditional Blues Album: Crawlin’ Kingsnake, John Primer & Bob Corritore Traditional Blues Male: John Primer Instrumentalist- Guitar: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Contemporary Blues Album: Blues In My DNA, Ronnie Baker Brooks Soul Blues Album: Fine By Me, Curtis Salgado Traditional Blues Female: Sue Foley Contemporary Blues Female: Ruthie Foster Soul Blues Male: Curtis Salgado Acoustic Blues Artist: Keb’ Mo’ Band of the Year: Rick Estrin and The Nightcats Best Emerging Artist: Revelation, Piper & The Hard Times Instrumentalist- Vocals: Ruthie Foster Album of the Year: Blame It On Eve, Shemekia Copeland Song of the Year: “Blues In My DNA,” Written by Ronnie Baker Brooks B.B. King Entertainer of the Year: Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
Public Enemy at RiverBeat (Photo: Joshua Timmermans & Noble Visions)
Memphis music fans have strong opinions. Take the avid listener and Memphis Flyer reader who approached one of our writers while chilling near the Ferris Wheel at RiverBeat Music Festival last weekend. “I can’t believe it’s accepted to just play a backing track while an artist performs!” he said, noting that, as far as he could tell, that’s exactly what Busta Rhymes and Ludacris did during their sets. While it is indeed a common practice, especially with hip hop artists (but increasingly in other genres), did anyone else care? Given the enthusiasm with which those artists were greeted, it’s hard to claim that they did.
Missy Elliot’s show at RiverBeat (Photo: Bob Bayne)
Take the ecstatic reception that Missy Elliot received for one of the best performances in the history of either Beale Street Music Festival or RiverBeat. Using only pre-recorded tracks, her Friday night headliner was a highlight of the weekend. While stage productions have become more elaborate in the “post-Beychella era,” too often that comes at the expense of the music. But Missy was firing on all cylinders — literally. After cartoon versions of Missy’s various phases introduced the show on the big screen, a car that looked like it was designed by Syd Mead appeared on the stage.
“Oh,” we all thought. “Missy’s going to drive around in the car.” No, reader. She WAS the car! The first of five costumes she wore in the course of the night was a Transformer-inspired drip which drew gasps from the assembled thousands. The rest of the evening was a parade of hits and bangers which drew heavily on Missy’s turn-of-the-century work with Timbaland. Surrounded by a crack cadre of dancers and MCs, she made a case for herself as one of the most important and influential artists of the last 30 years.
The Hypos (Photo: Joshua Timmermans & Noble Visions)
Yet most of the remaining standout performances of RiverBeat reveled in good old fashioned instrument-playing, such as Saturday’s set by The Hypos. This band, which includes Memphians Greg Cartwright and Krista Lynne Wroten, is a living tribute to making records in the traditional way, with a combo playing finely wrought songs in a room (and they’d been doing just that prior to their festival appearance, with Matt Ross-Spang), focused on the sound of the human voice, sans autotune. The pro sound system of the Bud Light Stage showed off all these strengths in their best light, including the group’s stellar harmonies.
Artist after artist took to the festival stages as if to prove that musicians playing instruments can still wow an audience. Anyone who saw the virtuosity of MonoNeon‘s set won’t forget his command of the bass Fender created in his name, droopy sock and all, complemented by a crack band and conjuring up a vibe close to George Clinton’s party-down approach, with an extra dollop of jazz in the mix. The bass virtuoso put on a low end clinic, taking the supporting instrument and shredding like a lead guitar. It was magical!
Local heroes FreeWorld also wowed ’em at Tito’s Pavilion stage, with their saxophonist’s home brew synth sax stealing the show (until his laptop crashed). They also arguably represented Memphis history more deeply than any other group, with front man Richard Cushing calling out the late Herman Green before they played one of Green’s compositions from his tenure with the group, “Earth Mother” — not to mention a sizzling version of “Green Onions” which benefited from the presence of a real Hammond organ in that stage’s backline.
FreeWorld brought the synth-sax sounds (Photo: Chris McCoy)
The Neckbones were a standout Oxford Mississippi band from the 1990s who played a searing reunion set on the Mempho Presents stage. Tyler Keith, who co-fronts the band, brought his larger than life stage presence to the small stage, exclaiming “let’s have a moment of NOISE.” Mid-afternoon latecomers turned their heads and drifted over for a face full of Mid-South punk. As purveyors of ragged-but-right garage rock, they were the only band who offered that sound at the festival this year — and the only band who could have offered that sound, though Deaf Revival brought their own brand of chunky molten metal to the same stage earlier that day.
Then it was finally time for Public Enemy. In a weekend full of classic hip hop acts, PE stood out for the cultural impact and razor sharp live set. Memphis-based multi-instrumentalist Khari Wynn, who used to be PE’s musical director, opened the set with a Hendrix-inspired take on the Black national anthem, James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It was a gripping reminder of the historical sweep of Public Enemy’s aesthetic, and Wynn’s presence in the band for the rest of their set only toughened up their sound.
Chuck D and Flava Flav were in rare form. Chuck D called Busta Rhymes and Ludacris “our nephews,” rapped over AC/DC samples, and delivered epic readings of “Welcome to the Terrordome,” “Shut ‘Em Down,” and their 2020 anti-Trump anthem “State of the Union (STFU).” During “He Got Game,” Chuck D amended the line “fuck the game if it don’t mean nothin'” to “fuck the president if he don’t mean nothin’,” to wild cheers.
Public Enemy truly embraced Memphis as well, with Chuck D saluting both the Mid-South Coliseum and the great Isaac Hayes, and referring to his bandmate, Flava Flav, as the “heir apparent of Rufus Thomas.” The set concluded with a welcome message of unity from The Flav, who exhorted the crowd to raise peace signs.
After the intense workout of Public Enemy, The Killers, one of the slickest and most popular bands on the planet, had their work cut out for them. Perhaps that’s why they opened with “Great Balls of Fire,” which they had clearly learned in soundcheck. It was a humanizing moment, reminding us that, for all of the expensive production values and Vegas residencies, The Killers are, at their heart, a rock band coming home to the holy city of rock and roll.
And, it must be noted, The Killers represented the “live bands over pre-recorded tracks” concept well, especially guitarist Dave Keuning. The triumph of pure musicianship continued on the festival’s closing day as well. One reason for that was the focus on down-home gospel at the Mempho Presents Stage, starting with octogenarian Elizabeth King, still as powerful as ever, accompanied by her son Zack McGhee on bass, drummer Tavion Robinson, as well as Will Sexton on guitar and (Memphis Flyer music editor) Alex Greene on keys. Later, the Jubilee Hummingbirds also appeared, before The Wilkins Sisters brought the house down for the day.
Elizabeth King and band, with her daughter and granddaughter on background vocals (Photo: Chris McCoy)
The Wilkins Sisters and Salo Pallini, the quirky, genre-defying instrumental combo, were the only local bands to be featured in both last year’s and this year’s RiverBeat, but the latter made their big stage debut this year. For this year’s RiverBeat, they had the welcome addition of singer Alexis Grace, who added shimmering texture to the songs from their album Sirens of Titan, then blew the crowd away with a soulful rendition of Portishead’s “Sour Times.”
They were followed on the Bud Light Stage by one of the great revelations of RiverBeat, La Lom, a trio of ace players from the City of Angels (and it’s been said their name indicates they’re an “L.A. League of Musicians”). Their subtle and surprising instrumentals captivated the afternoon crowd with no effects, fireworks, or grandstanding — just finely-tuned musicianship of the grooviest, slinkiest kind.
The best double feature of the festival involved running back and forth from the Bud Light stage to the Pavilion stage on Sunday afternoon, trying to catch both Texas glide-rockers Khruangbin and Afro-beat legend Sean Kuti and Africa 80. Khruangbin’s soaring but simple instrumentals were flawless and precise, drawing a huge crowd. With a captivating, retro set design, moody lighting, and subtle choreography, they had the crowd in the palm of their hand with the inspiring musicality of their arrangements.
Moreover, Khruangbin’s bassist, Laura “Leezy” Lee Ochoa, who was dressed for Wimbledon but had moves akin to Tina Weymouth’s shimmies with the Talking Heads, was but one of the badass female bassists at the fest this year, the other being Gayle.
Gayle (Photo: Joshua Timmermans & Noble Visions)
With a huge, rocking stage presence, she wielded her four-string axe like, well, an axe, and exuded pure pop-punk rage, especially when lamenting an ex in her 2022 hit, “Alex.” “I gotta break up with Alex/It’s gotten way too dramatic … Ba-da-da-da-da!” Admittedly, some of our sensitive writers at the Flyer found such lines both triggering and oddly alluring.
Meanwhile, Sean Kuti battled through Khruangbin’s sound bleed to get his crowd moving. Kuti, the 42-year-old son of Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti, bounced from player to player, calling for solos over the twisty, infections beats from his rhythm section. He is legit one of the best front men in the business, and has been for years.
Anderson .Paak (Photo: Joshua Timmermans & Noble Visions)
And finally, speaking of the highest standards of musicianship and a commitment to featuring a live band, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals brought the weekend to a perfect close with some inspired playing. As .Paak exclaimed halfway through the set, “I still believe in real instruments played by real people and fuck that AI shit!” And his drumming alone revealed the power of such an approach. But he also brought the charisma and humor of a born performer, even appearing in drag at one point as he belted out some soulful R&B, before settling into a look more reminiscent of L.L. Cool J for the rest of the show. His set was a tour de force, and the people lingering late Sunday night didn’t want RiverBeat to end.
Even before the epic RiverBeat Music Festival kicked into action, Mempho Presents announced the daily schedule for the Mempho Fest Music Festival, to be held this October 3rd-5th at Radians Amphitheater on the beautiful grounds of the Memphis Botanic Garden. And it will be déjà vu all over again when headliners Widespread Panic take to the Adams Keegan Stage in a two-night residency, as they did in their previous headline slots at both the 2021 and 2022 Mempho Fests. Tyler Childers will also grace that stage, as will the great Mavis Staples, Sierra Farrell, Lukas Nelson, Galactic, and John R. Miller. The Bud Light stage will feature Father John Misty, Flaming Lips, Charley Crockett, The Pharcyde, Lucero, Leftover Salmon, High Fade, and Amy LaVere. Puddles Pity Party and Kevin Kinney Band take over the Shell Stage, as will Annie and the Caldwells, Bloodkin, and the Gia Welch Trio. The full 2025 lineup can be found here.
The folks at Mempho have a knack for presenting an eclectic mix that’s perfectly suited to the Mid-South’s diversity, seemingly inspired by a fan’s true grasp of every artist’s musicality. “This year’s lineup is a stellar mix of Americana roots, soulful legends, and boundary-pushing innovators, complemented by world-renowned DJs. Now in our eighth year, Mempho Fest welcomes fans to experience legendary performers across three dynamic stages for one unforgettable weekend!. From Widespread Panic’s improvisational mastery to The Pharcyde’s hip-hop poetry, and intimate performances by the enigmatic Puddles Pity Party, this celebration represents the true soul of American music in the city where blues and rock were born,” said Jeff Bransford, producer at Mempho Presents.
All that and Mavis Staples? Beyond being one of the most expressive and beloved singers of the ’60s and ’70s, she’s the voice of that generation’s very conscience. Indeed, she’s all of America’s conscience, as that same righteous moral center has continued to mark her entire artistic life, from her support of the American Civil Liberties Union right up through last year’s “Worthy”:
But she won’t be the only one bringing the funk, as The Pharcyde are always on-point with their deep samples, and we’ll also hear from New Orleans groove-meisters Galactic (who started out back in the day as Galactic Prophylactic, and were tearing roofs off even then). And other masters of their genre, or lack thereof, will be there in force, from the ever-epic Lucero to those think-outside-the-box festival masters the Flaming Lips.
And, seeming to lean in to the success of previous Widespread Panic-topped festivals, Mempho Fest is offering the opportunity to buy two-day passes for the first time, in addition to single-day and three-day ticket packages. That aids and abets the considerable fan base that needs to see both shows of any given Panic residency, so unpredictable and inventive are the band’s performances. As such, they bring a general exploratory vibe to the whole festival, an impetus to improvisation (as when Billy Strings joined Panic onstage at 2021’s Mempho Fest), and that can translate into a choose-your-own-adventure kind of weekend for fans.
“This is the first year we’ve announced the lineup this early and we know it’s one of the best yet. We know life plans can get in the way — can’t make all three days? Prefer the lineups Friday and Sunday? We have you covered this year! We’re excited to be able to offer this new two-day plan,” said Mempho Presents producer Mike Smith.
Tier one ticket pricing is now available for purchase online at www.memphofest.com.
The Memphis Botanic Garden recently announced the lineup for its 2025 Live at the Garden concert series at the scenic Radians Amphitheater. Spanning multiple genres and generations, the outdoor summer season kicks off on June 21st with ’90s alt-rock chart-toppers Third Eye Blind, followed by country singer-songwriter Parker McCollum on July 18th. Country celebrity Darius Rucker takes the stage on August 23rd, and then the series will conclude with two back-to-back Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Southern rockers ZZ Top on September 6th and classic rock legend Steve Miller Band on September 19th.
“We’re incredibly excited to celebrate the 25th season of Live at the Garden — a quarter-century of unforgettable music, memories, and magical nights under the stars at the Memphis Botanic Garden,” said Jamison Totten, director of Live at the Garden and Radians Amphitheater, in a statement last week. “We’re deeply grateful for the fans, past and present, who have made this series such a beloved tradition. We can’t wait to spend another summer surrounded by music and friends in this beautiful setting.”
Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers. Food trucks and bars will be available onsite preorder catering options. To enhance convenience, free shuttle service will be provided from Hilton Hotel Corporate Headquarters to the venue from 5 p.m. to midnight on each show night.
Hannah Casey and School of Rock Wolfchase teacher Michael Ragsdale in front of the school's staff-decorated wall (Photo: Aarika Stanford)
Seeing a 14-year-old kid ripping a Van Halen solo may not be all that common, but it will just be one part of the show when each of three School of Rock house bands storm the Mempho Presents Stage during the second annual RiverBeat Music Festival, this Friday, May 2nd, from 4-6 p.m. Sharing billing with headliners like Missy Elliot and The Killers, the house band will be the opening act for the festival.
House band director at School of Rock Wolfchase, Michael Ragsdale, said the school expects a lively turnout, even greater than their performance at last year’s festival, which ultimately drew about 30,000 people in all.
The house bands will be performing a broad mix of music, including rock, R&B, soul, funk, blues, and metal. Ragsdale said this diverse set list will be something that” “everyone can dig.”
“[RiverBeat] has so many different genres up there that everybody is there to experience one thing, and it’s the music,” he said.
For Ragsdale, who recently became house band director, and for new members of the group, the anticipation for this event is especially electric, it being the band’s first time performing for a crowd of this size.
“I’m really excited to get to watch them onstage and be a part of it with them,” Ragsdale said. “Other than getting to have them make memories of being there, it also is important for me to watch them grow as musicians.”
Hannah Casey, studio coordinator at School of Rock Wolfchase, has witnessed the kids’ musical and personal growth over the last several years and says they are all “fascinating to watch.”
Casey said she is looking forward to seeing the newest and youngest group members, vocalists Avery and Isis, and guitarist Rowan, perform on opening night. “It’s always so exciting to watch them do new things and figure out all this new stuff and find all this new confidence,” she said.
Rowan with her Epiphone Les Paul, “Walter” (Photo: Aarika Stanford)
The newest guitarist, 14-year-old Rowan, shared that she enjoys these gigs because they’re “very energetic” experiences and confidence builders. “I’m excited because Missy Elliot will be there, and I think that’s crazy because normally it’s just us playing and not headliners,” she said.
As one of the eight kids, all between the ages of 13 and 17, Rowan and her trusty Epiphone Les Paul, “Walter,” will share the stage with her bandmates, whose distinct personalities and talents combine into what is the Wolfchase band’s unified look.
“What they do is something that takes a lot of effort and makes them have to work with each other to have that onstage chemistry and connection,” Ragsdale said. If their rehearsals are any indication of what’s to come, festivalgoers should prepare for a powerhouse performance from the bands.
On Saturday, April 12th, the Cooper-Young Community Association (CYCA) held their fifth annual Cooper-Young Porchfest. At 70 degrees under sunny blue skies, it was perfect weather for the 130 bands that performed on 46 porches and patios. Hundreds of Memphians walked around the neighborhood in shorts, summer dresses, and short-sleeves, listening to original music, classic covers, DJ sets, and even a comedian at 2034 Evelyn Avenue.
Reflecting on Porchfest’s founding in 2021, CYCA executive director Amanda Yarbro-Dill says, “We had about 40 bands sign-up.” Five years later, Porchfest has more than tripled the musical artists involved. “I opened up registration in February. At the end of the week, I had 80 bands signed up, so I had to take down the form,” says Yarbro-Dill. Fifty additional bands were then booked by Cooper-Young residents and businesses who took matters into their own hands.
Some even scheduled “secret shows”: A house on York Avenue had a pop-up show that drew a great crowd. I asked Yarbro-Dill if this spontaneity complicated her job: “It doesn’t belong to me, just because I organize it,” she said. “If you live in the neighborhood and you want your friend to play on your porch, go ahead!”
Yarbro-Dill spent the first half of the day selling shirts at the gazebo outside Margarita’s. Acts like Alexis Jade + The Gemstones and The Eastwoods performed nearby on the patio outside Mulan Asian Bistro. After that, Yarbro-Dill joined the masses and bounced from porch to porch, reaping the benefits of her work. After the six hours of music, her day was capped off with a drag show.
The bands she saw included Jeff Hulett and The Hand-Me-Downs on Felix Avenue. Hulett, a five-year Porchfest veteran, has been performing at the same house every year. To him, the residence has “become a second home. … We show up and they’re like, ‘What kind of beer you want?’” The homeowners are Joel and Lindsey Alsup. Hulett remembers meeting them at the first Porchfest during peak Covid. “Fast friends, immediately. … Every time Porchfest has come around, I’d have no choice. They were like, ‘We want you.’”
Hulett’s been playing shows around Memphis for over 20 years, but Porchfest is something special. “Huge crowd, beautiful weather. … Seeing the neighborhood so activated … people riding bikes, walking around, people meeting each other.” Hulett and The Hand-Me-Downs were the “headliners” at Felix Avenue and played an hour-and-a-half set of originals. “It’s special,” he said. “The only change I’d wanna make is being able to see more music.”
For Yarbro-Dill and Hulett, Porchfest is about accessibility and community. “I’ve never said no to a band before,” says Yarbro-Dill. “I saw a Flyer article about a band who said their first show was Porchfest.” It’s much more than free live music. Porchfest is a community event that shows Memphis’ love of and commitment to the arts. If you missed it this year, don’t fret. Yarbro-Dill assured me it will continue in 2026.
The Stax Music Academy band will cap off a summer of free music at Overton Park Shell (Photo: Andrea Zucker)
Summer will begin in earnest on May 17th, when the Orion Financial Free Concert Series at the Overton Park Shell fires up its engines. Local psych-rockers Arc of Quasar will kick off the season, signaling the series’ commitment to fostering Memphis talent as well as national touring acts, but from there, the artists featured will span a multitude of genres — classic country, New Orleans street music, indie rock, new-grass, hip-hop, pop, R&B, and soul, to name a few.
Some notable highlights will be appearances by New Breed Brass Band, featuring Trombone Shorty on May 31st, the BoDeans on June 14th, and Alejandro Escovedo on June 20th. Meanwhile, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will continue its longstanding “Sunset Symphony” tradition on May 25th.
Orion Financial, for its part, is clearly committed to keeping this series stable through the chaos engulfing the nation now — a reassuring sign. “The Overton Park Shell has always been a gathering place for Memphis—a space where music brings us together,” Ashley McDurmon, Orion Financial CEO, noted in a statement. “Orion Financial is proud to support the Free Concert Series, continuing the rich tradition of making live music accessible to all.”
The 2025 series will be presented over 32 nights in its entirety, but the artists announcement for the fall season, taking place from August to October, will happen Monday, July 7th. For now, get those camping chairs ready for these upcoming balmy evenings in Overton Park.
● Saturday, May 17th: Arc of Quasar ● Sunday, May 18th: DreamFest ● Sunday, May 25th: Sunset Symphony ● Thursday, May 29th: Chaparelle ● Friday, May 30th: Parker Millsap ● Saturday, May 31st: New Breed Brass Band ft. Trombone Shorty ● Thursday, June 5th: Steve Poltz ● Friday, June 6th: Saaneah ● Saturday, June 7th: Corey Lou & Da Village + Savannah Brister ● Thursday, June 12th: Eddie 9V ● Friday, June 13th: East Nash Grass ● Saturday, June 14th: BoDeans ● Thursday, June 19th: Pell ● Friday, June 20th: Alejandro Escovedo ● Saturday, June 21st: LadyCouch ● Thursday, June 26th: Eggy ● Friday, June 27th: Mak Ro ● Saturday June 28th: Annual Stax Music Academy Summer Showcase
Even as many are eyeing their favorite bands in the three-day blow-out known as the RiverBeat Music Festival, another music fest is just over the horizon, perhaps obscured by the delicious clouds of barbecue that enshroud it. That would be SmokeSlam, aka “The World’s Ultimate BBQ Showdown,” yet another production by Mempho Presents.
This year, the festival at Tom Lee Park will be held May 15-17th. In addition to nearly 75 teams competing for the largest purse in BBQ competition history, SmokeSlam promises an immersive experience for the whole family, bringing together world-renowned pitmasters, carnival games and ferris wheel rides, fireworks shows, and electrifying music.
The three-day music experience will feature some celebrated musical guests on the Main Stage sponsored by ZYN:
Thursday: Headliner Shane Smith and The Saints, with performances by Waylon Wyatt and Mark Edgar Stuart
Friday: Headliner The Revivalists with performances by Southern Avenue, The MDs, and Jombi
Saturday: Country music giants Big & Rich close out the festival, with supporting acts Neon Mooners and Cyrena Wages
It will be an especially powerful homecoming for Southern Avenue, who will be celebrating the April 25th release of their Alligator Records debut album, Family. Known worldwide for their inclusive, message-driven songs fueled by hard-hitting grooves and electrifying guitar, the band’s new album is a very personal one for Southern Avenue, telling the band’s story via musical storytelling magic. With their unique blend of Hill Country Blues and Memphis stomp, the band is unlike any other on the scene today.
Southern Avenue announced, “Memphis is home, and every time we get to hit the stage here, it’s something special. We’re beyond excited to bring the energy to SmokeSlam and celebrate a night of raw, real, and soulful music – Memphis style!”
It’s appropriate that when ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons makes his appearance at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale this Wednesday, April 9th, he will be celebrating both the creation of the “Muddywood” guitar, in honor of Muddy Waters, and the longevity of the museum itself. His vision of commissioning a guitar paying tribute to Muddy Waters went hand-in-hand with his discovery of the museum some 37 years ago.
“One of my associates in Memphis came back from a sales run which allowed him to pass through Clarksdale,” Gibbons tells me, recollecting events from more than three decades ago. “And he spotted a tiny sign simply stating ‘Blues Museum,’ stuck in the grass next to the curb.”
That alone should indicate how long ago it was, for now the Delta Blues Museum is one of Clarksdale’s and the Delta’s crown jewels. It’s educational programs are the toast of Mississippi, inspiring young people such as Grammy-winner Christone “Kingfish” Ingram to throw themselves into the blues. But when the museum opened in 1979, it was merely a single room, and a little hard to find, even well into the ‘80s, when ZZ Top frequently worked at Ardent Studios, and Gibbons heard tell of the place from his associate.
“The following week,” he says, “we headed down to Clarksdale in search of this blues museum. For a good hour, we were stopping around town asking about it, but no luck. But right as we were about to give up, we were filling up on petrol, and the gas station attendant overheard us talking. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘you must be talking about Sid Graves and his blues museum, which is located in the public library.’ And with that, we turned around, marched up the steps to the library, and sure enough, found the annex room where Sid Graves had made a place to park his personal collection of artifacts from that great American art form called the blues.”
But there was more afoot than seeing artifacts on the day that Gibbons and company showed up. Graves had his finger on the pulse of the whole Delta region and beyond, including a wide network of blues aficionados. On this day, Graves was consulting with a fellow scholar.
“Lo and behold, visiting Sid was none other than Jim O’Neill,” says Gibbons, “who was the founder of Living Blues magazine. I had met Jim on a couple of occasions. He and Sid had gathered to discuss their concern over a recent storm where the high winds had dislodged a few timbers in the cabin that Muddy Waters grew up in. And they said, ‘It’s just a few miles down the road next to Stovall Farm.’ And we said, ‘Yeah, we will go.’
Muddy Waters’ cabin (Photo: courtesy Delta Blues Museum)
“Sure enough, there was a pile of rubble that had been gathered up and placed next to the highway. We had a nice visit for a while, and on departure, Sid said, ‘Listen, they’re hauling this refuse away tomorrow. Why don’t you take a stick of this wood as a souvenir?’ And there was a big, big square timber, about six feet long, and we piled it in the trunk of the car. About halfway back to Memphis, my buddy said, ‘What are you going to do with this log?’ I thought for a minute and then I said, ‘Well, I know a guitar maker. We could probably saw this thing, and glue the planks together and cut a guitar out of it.’”
That guitar-maker was none other than Rick Rayburn, Gibbons explains, who owned Pyramid Guitars at the time. Others have identified the cabin plank as cypress wood, and Gibbons said it just happened to be perfect for its new purpose.
“Once it was all together in one piece, there was a bell-like resonance. It was just a match made in heaven, and it turned out to be a really resounding and very strident-sounding instrument.” Its basic shape was a design Gibbons had been toying with at the time. “I had outlined the perimeter of a guitar, and we had it in in a blueprint form. And I thought, ‘Gee, now’s the time to break it out!’ We handed it over to Rick, and he said, ‘How shall we finish it out?’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s give it a nice, bright coat.’ And then I said, ‘I’ve got a design for a graphic.’”
The paint job Gibbons had in mind spoke to the very muddy waters that the great bluesman (born McKinley Morganfield) had lived beside for so long. “The squiggle down through the body and down all the way down the neck is the Mississippi River,” Gibbons notes. “The two colors represent the water and the banks of the river. And it culminates in the headstock, which is kind of a deltoid shaped piece, representing the Mississippi Delta.”
Muddywood (Photo: courtesy Delta Blues Museum)
It came out better than anyone had dreamt possible. “We tagged it the Muddywood guitar,” says Gibbons, “and it was such a delightful instrument, we thought, ‘Gee whiz, this would make a nice addition to the collection that Sid Graves put together.’”
The rest is history, as that encounter led ZZ Top to contribute funds to the museum, which in turn spawned matching grants and an ambitious event in which Muddywood was added to the museum’s collection. John Lee Hooker even showed up. It was just the kickstart that the Delta Blues Museum needed, paving the way for its eventual move into a train depot in Clarksdale, which it still calls home today.
This Wednesday, the support that Gibbons and his band gave to what is now a Delta landmark will be honored in a full-circle moment, as the museum pays tribute to ZZ Top at a “Crossroads Connection” event, part of its annual Muddy Waters Month celebration. The program kicks off at 2:00 PM at the Delta Blues Museum Stage where local musicians, civic leaders, and state dignitaries will help the Museum thank Billy and ZZ Top for their long-time support of the blues and the culture of the Mississippi Delta. Live music will be provided by the award-winning Delta Museum Student Band, joined by Gibbons, who will play the Muddywood guitar for the occasion. That event in turn will serve as a lead up to the 2025 Juke Joint Festival that kicks off in Clarksdale this Saturday.
At 3:00 PM, festivities will continue inside at a ticketed reception in honor of Gibbons and in support of the museum’s programs. There, Gibbons will be joined in conversation by the Delta Blues Museum’s “Blues Ambassador,” Charlie Musselwhite, a Delta native, Grammy winner, and Blues Hall of Fame and Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductee. The two will discuss the life and legacy of Muddy Waters and his enduring influence on music. Visit this link for tickets.
