Living in Los Angeles for 10 years, Memphis-born drummer Charles Streeter saw how things were done. He saw the power of the jam. “People get to know you and your name and your playing through jam sessions,” he says. “That’s where all the musicians are under one roof with producers and singers. You exchange information. You know, someone will say, ‘Hey, I need a drummer. Oh, what about that kid that moved here from Memphis last week? Let’s call him.’”
Of course, it helps if you can really play, but Streeter had that covered. He was used to being surrounded by stellar talent, having grown up playing under the direction of a soul music legend. “I came out of Christ Missionary Baptist Church,” says Streeter. “I was born in the church in 1984, and I’ve been a member ever since. And what’s interesting about my church is, [songwriter, producer, and Stax Records session musician] Lester Snell was the minister of music. So I came out of a traditional Baptist gospel-meets-Stax sound.”
Something about that Memphis soul stew made Streeter unique, so when he left the University of Memphis music department after three semesters and moved to Los Angeles, he turned heads. In short order, he became the go-to drummer for a number of major artists. “I toured with Chaka Khan for five years or so. And I’ve toured with J.Lo for 10 years now — I’m her onstage musical director. And I’ve played with Tori Kelly five or six years now.”
Like so many gifted Memphis players, Streeter was following a star that took him away from his hometown. “For freelance musicians or even artists, it’s really hard to make it out of Memphis without leaving Memphis,” he says. “A lot of musicians tend to move away and just don’t come back because life is great elsewhere. We don’t have as many opportunities as we used to have here, back in the ’60s and ’70s, when we had Stax and Hi Records and all of that.”
But unlike others, he still felt the call homeward. Four years ago, he returned to Memphis. “I initially moved back to be closer to my daughter when I wasn’t touring,” he notes. “Plus, I wanted to give back.” And give back he has, bringing a little slice of L.A. energy to the Bluff City with an ongoing series he calls the Memphis Hang Suite, every Tuesday at Hernando’s Hide-a-Way.
“Memphis Hang Suite is an open mic/networking event that I host and put together with my band, Streeter and the Tribe,” Streeter says. “It’s basically trying to create a scene in Memphis like there is in L.A., New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, where musicians get together. It’s almost like a musicians’ fellowship. You get to know all the musicians from every genre at these jam sessions. We didn’t have one here, so I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’ve got to be the guy to do it.’ Especially being that I know how those things work.”
On any given Tuesday, you might hear Streeter and the Tribe jamming with the likes of MonoNeon, Jackie Clark, Stanley Randolph, Marcus Scott (who sang with Tower of Power for a time), and many others. Naturally, Hernando’s owner Dale Watson and wife Celine Lee often join in. “Everybody comes through,” Streeter says. “It’s a really cool hang. No egos. Nobody up there is trying to play all over the place. You still have to play the song. Just be tasteful, be an adult when you’re playing.”
Music fans still have time to catch the Memphis Hang Suite this month before they take a brief hiatus. “We have two more Tuesdays in this month,” Streeter adds, “and then we’re going to take a two-month break and actually work on a Memphis Hang Suite compilation album. There’s tons of musicians that I’m just now meeting from hosting this jam session. A lot of people that would never cross paths, because we do different genres of music. So this bridges the gap. We’re going to get together and put out something to commemorate our jams. To say, ‘Hey, we did something together that will live on after we’re all gone.’”