Memphis Rent Party - by Robert Gordon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The fabled city of Memphis has been essential to American music--home of the blues, the birthplace of rock and roll, a soul music capital. We know the greatest hits, but celebrated author Robert Gordon takes us to the people and places history has yet to record. A Memphis native, he whiles away time in a crumbling duplex with blues legend Furry Lewis, stays up late with barrelhouse piano player Mose Vinson, and sips homemade whiskey at Junior Kimbrough's churning house parties. A passionate listener, he hears modern times deep in the grooves of old records by Lead Belly and Robert Johnson.

The interconnected profiles and stories in Memphis Rent Party convey more than a region. Like mint seeping into bourbon, Gordon gets into the wider world. He beholds the beauty of mistakes with producer Jim Dickinson (Replacements, Rolling Stones), charts the stars with Alex Chilton (Box Tops, Big Star), and mulls the tragedy of Jeff Buckley's fatal swim. Gordon's Memphis inspires Cat Power, attracts Townes Van Zandt, and finds James Carr always singing at the dark end of the street. A rent party is when friends come together to hear music, dance, and help a pal through hard times; it's a celebration in the face of looming tragedy, an optimism when the wolf is at the door. Robert Gordon finds mystery in the mundane, inspiration in the bleakness, and revels in the individualism that connects these diverse encounters.

Review Quotes

Robert's feel for his subject is very similar to the subjects' feel for their music. Blues, being the wellspring of all American music for over a century, is always worth studying. Robert does it right. -- Keith Richards

This is an emotional map of musical Memphis. If you don'tt know these characters, let
Robert Gordon introduce you. -- Elvis Costello

Robert Gordon's book is proof that Southern heritage is American heritage, and all sorts of
people--black and white, familiar and strange, dead and alive--are what it is. -- Greil Marcus

Robert Gordon opened me up to the possibilities of music criticism, and what it means to truly situate a song or artist in time. He is a deep, revelatory, moving writer, and Memphis Rent Party is a rare pinnacle of the form. -- Amanda Petrusich

About the Author

Robert Gordon is a Grammy winning writer and an Emmy winning filmmaker. His films include Best of Enemies and William Eggleston's Stranded in Canton. His latest film, Newport & the Great Folk Dream will hit theaters in 2027. His books include It Came From Memphis and Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion. More at www.TheRobertGordon.com.