Memphians Trip To Europe W Coo

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

The story of Stax Records unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A white brother and sister build a record company that becomes a monument to racial harmony in 1960's segregated south Memphis. Their success is startling, and Stax soon defines an international sound. Then, after losses both business and personal, the siblings part, and the brother allies with a visionary African-American partner. Under integrated leadership, Stax explodes as a national player until, Icarus-like, they fall from great heights to a tragic demise. Everything is lost, and the sanctuary that flourished is ripped from the ground. A generation later, Stax is rebuilt brick by brick to once again bring music and opportunity to the people of Memphis. Set in the world of 1960s and '70s soul music, Respect Yourself is a story of epic heroes in a shady industry. It's about music and musicians -- Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers, and Booker T. and the M.G.'s, Stax's interracial house band. It's about a small independent company's struggle to survive in a business world of burgeoning conglomerates. And always at the center of the story is Memphis, Tennessee, an explosive city struggling through heated, divisive years. Told by one of our leading music chroniclers, Respect Yourself brings to life this treasured cultural institution and the city that created it.

Gordon's critically acclaimed and richly entertaining exploration of the birthplace of rock and roll is peopled with Delta bluesmen, manic deejays, matinee cowboys and Elvis.

Woodlawn Giants. A story about a group of boys growing up in West Memphis, Arkansas, in the ’60’s and early ’70’s. The story begins with Daddy and Mr. Rick planting some pine trees. Those trees symbolize my lifelong friends, the Woodlawn Giants. Enjoy the trip back in time as the boys embark on several adventures to include Florida Ball, snipe hunting, and an attempt to jump the Ten-Mile Bayou. You will experience the “it takes a village” mentality that defined the everyday world the boys experienced under the watchful eye of Mrs. Mary Jane and Momma. Meet Big Phil Spicer the benevolent, larger- than- life patriarch of our gang. You will love the sassy Janice Smith, aka Skillet, quick and sharp with the tongue. Have a front row seat to the sniper operation where the entire gang comes together in a takedown of Old Man Donaldson. If you love to fish, you will enjoy the trot line stories on Dacus and Tunica Lake. Of course, anytime boys get together, there will be accidents and mistakes. We were not angels, and we learned some hard life lessons along the way. We all lived, we all learned, and it was a wonderful childhood. Miss you, Momma and Daddy. Miss you, Big Phil and the Woodlawn Giants. The pines still stand, and the memories live on.