Rock & Roll in Memphis

There’s much debate over the birth of rock and roll.  Did it start with Elvis?  Or did it go further back, to the rhythm and blues of what was then called “colored” music?

Memphis, now playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre, explores that question, as it depicts the life of Huey Calhoun, a character inspired by the late Memphis disk jockey Dewey Phillips.

Huey, our annoying but lovable protagonist, stumbles into a bar where he falls in love with both the music and a beautiful African American singer named Felicia.  Through sheer determination and a whole lot of nerve,  Huey creates an on-air persona that starts playing some crazy new music that has the adults terribly unhappy and the teens wildly enamored.  He coins the phrase Hockadoo – which leaves lots of people bewildered and thinking that it “must be dirty.”  HIs career is on the rise.

Huey’s celebrity helps gets Felicia some on-air exposure, she gets discovered, and her career soars.  Of course, in a town that cannot accept black and white together, there are bound to more than a few bumps (literally and figuratively) along the way.  Huey refuses leave Memphis, and Felicia must.  As her careers rises, his mercurial behavior puts his on a downward course.  Whether or not it’s a happy ending is probably a matter of personal perspective.

The music (written by David Bryan, keyboardist for Bon Jovi) is driving and steamy.  Joe DiPietro wrote the book and was co-lyricist.

The interweaving of music and storyline is both obvious and surprising, and I was moved in unexpected ways.  There were times that the cheering and hooting and hollering in the audience was deafening.  And there were also times that the music was so poignant and emotional that you could have heard a pin drop.  The roller coaster of emotions reflected the turbulence of the times.

I grew up with rock and roll in a post-Brown vs.. Board of Education world.  Still, the divide in society that was reflected in the divide of the music was painfully apparent.  It’s a time for a re-examination of our roots, where we’ve come from and where we’re going.  It’s a time for an examination of our thoughts about race that we’ve never had before.  It’s the perfect time to think about race in the context of rock and roll.

Memphis is headed to the Big Apple later this year.  I think this will be a BIG HIT on Broadway!

Sunday Music: Sex on Fire from Kings of Leon

I think I’ll make Sunday a day for a little musical interlude, sharing with you what I’m listening to on my iPod.

Today, it’s Sex on Fire from Kings of Leon.

While far more popular in Europe than here, the three brothers have roots here in the the US, calling Tennessee home.  The band takes its name from their father and grandfather, both of whom are named Leon.  They explain their sound as a little southern rock, a little garage rock, a little hard rock, with a little alternative thrown in.

Take a listen and decide for yourself —