A Memphis Rap Showcase, 1994.
History
Moonwalking With The Klondike Dance, Drum and Bugle Corps Back in 1970
Anyone who has ever been to a majorette jamboree knows that majorettes and drummers are a big part of Memphis culture. So I was really interested when I came across this July 4, 1970 article from the Commercial Appeal about the Klondike Dance, Drum and Bugle Corps, which for one thing proves that the roots of drumming and drilling in Memphis go back at least that far (legendary drummer Willie Hall claims back to 1969). Also of interest is the reference to the dancers doing the “moon walk”, so that dance is clearly older than Michael Jackson, and might have come from Memphis!
Mahalia Jackson Chicken in Dallas TX, 1969
Back in June, I blogged about the Mahalia Jackson Chicken System after I had seen one of their old buildings in Tallahassee. The African-American franchise venture was started in 1968 by Dr. Benjamin Hooks and State Representative A. W. Willis Jr in Memphis as an experiment in Black entrepreneurship. Mahalia Jackson had always been a supporter of Black business as well and had her own recipe for fried chicken. Besides that, it was the late 1960’s, and thanks to Colonel Sanders, franchising was the hottest thing going. Some research in old newspapers at the University of Memphis led to these photos and advertisements from the Dallas, Texas store, which was on Forest Avenue in South Dallas. While the logo and graphics are the same, the building architecture is slightly different from the standard ones seen in Orange Mound on Park Avenue, in Milwaukee, in South Memphis or in Tallahassee. Now if I could only find their chicken recipe…
Many Voices: How Racism Killed Earle, Arkansas
More background history on the rather tragic town of Earle, Arkansas. Many Voices was a civil rights newspaper published in West Memphis from 1970-1972, covering events in the East Arkansas delta region. Earle was often mentioned in various issues of the newspaper, as there was always some kind of protest, conflict or boycott going on there. I suppose that’s what led to the downtown of empty and abandoned stores.
More of the Tragic Story of Earle, Arkansas
More background information on the troubles in Earle, Arkansas in 1970 that might have led to the town’s current situation. I also read yesterday that the State Board of Education is threatening to dissolve Earle’s school district because of financial problems, which would force Earle children to ride nearly 40 miles roundtrip a day to attend school in Marion or in Wynne. Based on what I saw in Crawfordsville, I don’t see how dissolving and closing schools does anything positive at all. All it seems to do is destroy towns.
3/18/11: Third Day of SXSW
For me, the third day of South By Southwest started with a breakfast at The Tavern on Lamar Boulevard just at the north end of …
4/7/10: C. Wakeley’s Gainesville Music Summit
My homeboy C. Wakeley had invited me to Gainesville, Florida for his annual Gainesville Music Summit, which was held on a Wednesday, so I had …
3/20/2010: SXSW Day 4 Where They At Bounce Exhibit at Birdland Gallery Austin TX
On the fourth day of South by Southwest, I drove down from the hotel to a place called Cafe Java in a North Austin industrial …
11/29/09: Lot-A-Burger: Memphis Locations of A Forgotten Chain
When I was younger, Memphis used to have Whataburger locations, one in Frayser and one in Whitehaven (both have since closed). But even before that, …
Memorial Day in Oxford
It was Memorial Day, and thus there was not a whole lot to do, but I called down to Square Books in Oxford and found …