For Pamela and Sidney of Planeta 777, their journey seems like it was written in the stars. These first-generation Mexican Americans have the youngest Latinx-women-owned business on Broad Ave, a salon and gift shop described as “mystical” where “artistry meets independence.” These two owners love astrology and bringing their culture to the forefront, making this Midtown business a truly unique experience for getting your hair, nails, or makeup done or shopping for some self-care items and goodies.

Q: How has Memphis influenced your creative process and the way you express your cultural heritage in your work?

Pamela and Sidney: Our upbringing in Memphis City Schools (Kingsbury & White Station High School) definitely exposed us to a melting pot of cultures. 

Pamela also cites her mama as the reason for working hard and finds creative inspiration in her coworkers and other creatives. Sidney says “finding the beauty” in things inspires her work.

Q: Share a story about a memorable experience or collaboration you’ve had with other Memphis-based artists or entrepreneurs.

Pamela and Sidney:  Our most memorable collaboration would have to be with each other. We both share similar Memphis experiences. Both [of us were] born in Texas but Memphis-raised.

Sidney’s favorite part of the job also lies in getting to know clients and their astrology placements.

Q: In what ways has the Memphis community supported or shaped your journey?

Pamela and Sidney: Our mission at Planeta 777 is to integrate cultures and create diverse spaces like the ones we grew up in.

Pamela’s Mexican roots lie in Ciudad de Mexico, la San Felipe de Jesus and Valle de Guadalupe, and she pulls from CDMX in her creative work. Sidney’s Mexican roots come from Nuevo Leon near Monterrey on her mom’s side and Tampico, Tamaulipas on her dad’s, and she uses the blend of these cultures in her nail artwork and design.

Q: What advice would you give to other creatives and entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in Memphis?

Pamela and Sidney: My biggest advice for anyone looking to make their mark is to find their “why.” What’s [your] true intention? Our why is to inspire future business owners, regardless of the obstacles our background might bring. Like Dolph said, “‘Cause if I want it, [imma] go get it.” A true entrepreneur never takes no for [an] answer. If someone tells you no, you’re probably talking to the wrong person. Believe in your brand and yourself. Trust the process because everything will fall into place.

You can follow Planeta 777 on Instagram, along with Pamela and Sidney‘s own creative Instagram accounts.

The post Hispanic and Latin Heritage Month Spotlight: Local Entrepreneurs Pamela and Sidney of Planeta 777 appeared first on We Are Memphis.

She began her cosmetology journey during college with her own YouTube channel, where she shared about her hair, makeup, and lifestyle under the Mia’s Mane brand. In 2019, however, she decided to pursue this venture full-time by enrolling in a cosmetology school. Within 11 months, she graduated as a licensed cosmetologist and has grown her client list exponentially over the past 4 years.

On August 3rd, Amia held a free Back to School Cuts and Curls event for children and their parents. Kids received a new haircut or silk press and a backpack filled with school supplies for the upcoming school year. 

As for what inspired this giveaway, Amia said, “I’ve always wanted to give back to my community, and God gave me the idea to use my talents to help out where I can. My husband and I are both licensed professionals, so it was only right to cater to our youth to help make them feel confident for their first day of school. Not only to help the children, but their parents as well. We filled the backpacks with as [many] supplies as we could with the donations that we’ve received, and we hope it can lighten the load for many!”

Outside of offering natural hair and luxury extensions at her salon, Amia also provides one-on-one business coaching through the “Mia’s Mane Method” to help other women or entrepreneurs get started on their own cosmetology careers through marketing, microlinks courses, and more.

You can check out her website to schedule an appointment or follow her on Instagram to stay up to date on her journey.

The post Spotlight on Amia McKinney of Mia’s Mane appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Support small businesses and celebrate Mom this year!

Snapdragon Floral (East Memphis): Known for its stunning floral designs and commitment to using fresh, seasonal blooms, Snapdragon Floral is a perfect choice for the lady who appreciates a classic and elegant bouquet. Be sure to check out their Afternoon Tea room–what better way to celebrate the day?

Mili’s Flowers and Gifts (Crosstown): Looking for something a little more unique? Mili’s Flowers and Gifts offers a playful and creative approach to floral design. Their vibrant arrangements are sure to brighten your special someone’s day! They also have a great selection of unique gifts, cards, and more!

Midtown Bramble and Bloom (Midtown): This  florist specializes in flowers sourced from her micro flower farm and offers a variety of seasonal arrangements. Midtown Bramble and Bloom is passionate about sustainability and uses eco-friendly practices. Bouquets that are not only beautiful but also good for the environment? That’s a win-win!

Hosanna’s Flower Co. (Midtown): Need a beautiful bouquet of blooms in Midtown? Hosanna’s got you covered! With Midtown pickup and delivery available, there’s no excuse for forgetting to treat the special lady in your life!

Everbloom Design (Broad Avenue): If Mom has a taste for the modern and stylish, then Everbloom Design is the place to go. Their beautiful contemporary arrangements are sure to impress. They also offer a variety of services, including wedding flowers, event design, and floral subscriptions!

Premier Flowers (Downtown): Premier Flowers is a Memphis staple and offers a wide selection of traditional and modern arrangements to suit any taste or budget. They also have a convenient online ordering system, so you can send your special someone a beautiful bouquet no matter where you are.

No matter which florist you choose, we know they will love your thoughtful gesture!

The post Show You Care: 6 Amazing Memphis Florists for Mother’s Day! appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Elaine Lee Turner of Heritage Tours

Elaine Lee Turner’s interest in history inspired her to create Heritage Tours, a company that shares “stories of the African American history in Memphis, TN through guided tours.” From the STAX Museum to Slave Haven, these tours offer locals and tourists alike a chance to explore Memphis’s unique history and cultural impact. 

Amy Pickle and Hannah Pickle of Raw Girls

The entrepreneurs from Raw Girls had an idea to serve organic, seasonal, locally grown, dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free foods and drinks to the greater Memphis area. From savory soups to delicious desserts, you can find a wide selection of products delivered right to your door with their box of prepared foods.

Kayla Gore and Ellyahnna C. Wattshal of My Sistah’s House

Kayla and Ellyahnna created My Sistah’s House to provide a safe haven for those in need around Memphis, particularly for transgender and queer people of color. Their emergency housing program also offers advocacy, legal, and multi-level resource assistance to help clients secure permanent housing and stable income, and they recently launched their Tiny Homes Project alongside these endeavors.

Rachel Mullen and Angelique (Gonzalez) Sloan of Primas Bakery + Boutique

These two cousins started Primas Bakery + Boutique to provide a space for delicious treats and boutique shopping. You can grab custom cakes, pastries, and more, all while looking through their unique offering of clothing and accessories. These entrepreneurs had a vision for a Mexican-style market and traditional pastries with a modern twist, and you can visit their store on Mt. Moriah.

Claudia Haltom and Nikki Gibbs of A Step Ahead Foundation

Claudia Haltom founded A Step Ahead Foundation to provide women in Memphis with access to long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs) at no fee. And as the Executive Director of this organization, Nikki Gibbs has helmed new programs, like Teen Talk, and driven scholarship upgrades to support the women of Shelby County in the past few years.

The post Femme Fatales of Memphis: Women-Owned Businesses Redefining Entrepreneurship in the Bluff City appeared first on We Are Memphis.

From fostering artistic expression to preserving cultural heritage, these leaders leave an undeniable mark on Memphis’ creative landscape. So, grab your beret and prepare to be inspired by these Memphis muses! Curious about what’s going on at all of these organizations? Be sure to check out the Art for All Art Hub for events and more!

Metalmorphosis at the Metal Museum: Executive Director Carissa Hussong oversees the Metal Museum, a haven for all things metal. Under her leadership, the museum offers captivating exhibitions, educational programs, and artist residencies, nurturing the next generation of metal artists.

Blooming with Inspiration at the Carpenter Art Garden: Executive Director Jazmin Miller oversees the Carpenter Art Garden, a unique urban oasis where art and nature converge. Committed to fostering a creative community, Miller spearheads innovative programs and exhibitions, making art accessible to all.

A Canvas of Possibility at Crosstown Arts: Crosstown Arts, a revitalized Sears Crosstown building transformed into a thriving arts center, is led by Stacy Wright. Wright’s vision has created a vibrant hub for artists, fostering collaboration, experimentation, and artistic expression.

Preserving Legacies at the Brooks Museum: Founded in 1844, the Brooks Museum is Memphis’ oldest and largest art museum. Executive Director Zoe Kahr ensures the museum continues to inspire by stewarding its vast collection and presenting thought-provoking exhibitions that celebrate art history and ignite contemporary conversations.

Amplifying Diverse Voices with Indie Memphis: Indie Memphis, a non-profit dedicated to supporting Memphis’ independent film scene, is led by Executive Director Kimel Fryer. Indie Memphis supports local filmmakers, with a focus on creating an intersectional and racially equitable independent film community that nurtures the growth of filmmakers through five pillars: year-round screenings, an annual film festival, artist development programs, Black creators forums, and youth programming.

Celebrating Black Excellence with the Memphis Black Arts Alliance: Executive Director  Lar’Juanette Williams is at the helm of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, a cornerstone of Memphis’ cultural landscape. The Alliance, under Williams’ leadership, celebrates Black art, history, and culture through exhibitions, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives.

A Symphony of Storytelling with Tone: Tone, a multi-disciplinary arts organization, ignites artistic expression through innovative storytelling. Executive Director Victoria Jones leads the organization, fostering a platform for artists to explore new formats and engage audiences in meaningful ways.

Going Curtain-up on Creativity with Theatre Memphis: The magic of live performance thrives under the leadership of Executive Producer Debbie Litch. Theatre Memphis offers a diverse range of productions, from classic plays to innovative new works, ensuring there’s something for every theatregoer.

Giving New Life to Historic Clayborn Temple: At the helm of the historic Clayborn Temple, a cornerstone of the civil rights movement, is Executive Director Anasa Troutman. Troutman leads the organization in preserving this cultural landmark and fostering community engagement through educational programs and artistic events.

Turning Up Local Music with Memphis Music Initiative: Leading the way in music education and artist development is President and CEO Amber Hamilton at the Memphis Music Initiative. This organization empowers musicians of all ages and backgrounds, ensuring the legacy of Memphis music continues to grow.

Education On Pointe at New Ballet Ensemble: Offering a diverse array of multicultural dance genres and after-school programming, New Ballet Ensemble is committed to whole child development. The creative youth and arts education organization, founded by CEO and artistic director Katie Smythe, immerses students in high-quality, equitable dance training through scholarships and free programs in 10 public schools across the Mid-South.

Curating Community at Overton Park Shell: Memphis’ iconic outdoor amphitheater, the Overton Park Shell, comes alive under the leadership of Executive Director Natalie Wilson. Wilson curates a diverse season of concerts and events, ensuring the Shell remains a vibrant hub for all things music in Memphis.

Showcasing Stories at Blues City Cultural Center: For more than 40 years, BCCC has implemented quality programs and services through a cohort of professional artists and other creatives, numerous collaborations, and stakeholders who support their mission and understand the passion for the arts. The BCCC produces original works that use the Arts to address social issues and to tell stories of the people. The Blues City Cultural Center is led by Executive Director Anaya C. Williams.

These are just a few of the remarkable women shaping Memphis’ arts and culture scene, which is the soul and heartbeat of modern Memphis. By supporting these organizations, we empower these leaders to continue nurturing creativity, fostering inclusivity, and ensuring Memphis remains a vibrant hub for artistic expression. So, explore these institutions, celebrate these leaders, and let Memphis’ creative spirit inspire you!

For even more inspiration, check out Shelby County Art for All – including a free programming map, calendar of upcoming arts events, and much more.

The post Memphis Muses: A Celebration of Women-Led Arts and Culture appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Talibah Safiya – Singer/Songwriter

Talibah is a local vocalist and songwriter, and she recently released her latest EP: Black Magic. This EP is described as a reimagining of blues classics, and her captivating lyrics are perfectly balanced with minimal instrumentation. You can support her on most major music streaming platforms or buy her songs on iTunes. 

Jennifer Elaine Peete – Artist

Jenn Elaine Peete owns Orijennal Art here in Memphis, a gallery that showcases Black artists. She also created Art Social, an event that allows artists around the city to connect. You can shop her paintings online and visit her gallery in Cordova.

Rachel Maxann – Singer/Songwriter

This local singer is described as goth folk and vintage indie-rock. Rachel Maxann was even featured on Good Morning America and has played with the Black Opry. Be sure to check out her music and social media to see where she’s playing next.

Tashema Davis – Artist 

Tashema Davis is a gallery artist featured at Orijennal Art, and she paints murals, portraits, and even children’s books. Tashema also teaches middle school art here in Bluff City, and you can shop for her artwork on the Orijennal website or through her website.

Khadjiah Mercedes – Photographer 

Khadijah of K. Mercedes Photography is a lifestyle portrait and couples photographer here in the 901. Her bright, authentic photos capture stunning moments in time, and her services include family photography, senior photos, and more.

The post 5 Memphis Artists to Check Out for International Month of Black Women in the Arts appeared first on We Are Memphis.

City Tasting Box

No matter where you are in the world, City Tasting Box lets you bring a bit of Memphis with you anywhere. Cristina McCarter and Lisa Brown started this business not only to showcase local businesses but also to make Memphis treats and eats even more accessible. Their collection of curated boxes offers a mix of sweets, sauces, and so much more to anyone wanting a taste of the 901. These boxes make great holiday gifts or a way to send your loved ones home with some one-of-a-kind treats while supporting small businesses around Bluff City. 

Lucyja Hygge

This shop on Madison has a selection of oils, incense, and other self-care items for a truly “hygge” life. Stop by here for some relaxing ways to beat those winter blues for the month!

Trap Fusion

With two locations in Memphis, Trap Fusion is bringing the world of local and international flavors. Guy Fieri even paid them a visit, so be sure to stop by for some Southern food with a 901 twist.

Cheryl Pesce

Indulge in fine luxury goods while supporting a local business when you stop at Cheryl Pesce. This shop has everything from jewelry to hand-crafted home goods to elevate every facet of your life.

Feast & Graze

Charcuterie boards are all the rage, and Feast & Graze takes all the work for you so you can sit back and enjoy some tasty bites. These grazing boxes, platters, and trays are perfect for parties or even a romantic Valentine’s Day meal.

The post 5 Black-Owned Businesses in Memphis to Check Out This February appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Morning Boost: Lucyja Hygge

First stop is at Lucyja Hygge, a place where you can grab everything you need for a bit of self-care. This shop is located on Madison, and it has incense, oils, and more, so you can start your day with some relaxing goodies.

Lunch: Feast & Graze

Enjoy a light lunch when you pick up some Feast & Graze. Bring a blanket down by the river or at Shelby Farms to enjoy the ultimate cheese and charcuterie boards. These tiny bites add luxury to your day while making sure you have enough energy for your next few stops.

Post-Lunch Shopping Spree: Mbabazi House of Style

It’s time to update your wardrobe by making a stop at Mbabazi Styles on Broad. This clothing store has a ton of vibrant accessories, bags, and so much more so you and your friends can make your closet and your home more colorful.

Afternoon Treat: September Nail Salon

Now, it’s time for a manicure! Pamper yourself at September Nail Salon, where they offer pedicures, massages, and more. This is a great way to unwind in the afternoon before your evening.

Dinner: Fabulous Flavors & Friends

Book the bubble tent at Fabulous Flavors and Friends for an unforgettable dining experience. Indulge in delicious eats, from brunch to dinner, when you stop by this restaurant. Just make sure you leave room for dessert.

Dessert: Jaybear Bake Shop

Wrap up your Galentine’s Day at Jaybear Bake Shop for some cupcakes, cookies, fruit arrangements, and so much more. This dessert shop has everything you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. And you can even end the night at home watching your favorite movies with your girls while snacking on these treats.

The post Spend Your Galentine’s Day At These Women-Owned Businesses in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.

When you walk into the main control room of Outerspace, Unapologetic’s studio, you’ll see a sign on the ceiling that in comparison to the rest of the studio, is relatively non-descript. In uppercase plain black text with a few chosen words in color, it reads:

“IN THIS PLACE OUR DIFFERENCES ARE VALUED AND CELEBRATED. WE ARE UNITED UNDERNEATH THE UMBRELLA OF INDIVIDUALITY. HERE IS WHERE VULNERABILITY BECOMES ART & WEIRD BECOMES GENIUS. IF YOU ARE PUSHED HERE, IT WILL BE A PUSH IN YOUR DIRECTION. WE DEFINE US SO SOMEONE ELSE CAN CONFIDENTLY DEFINE THEMSELVES. THIS PLACE WAS CREATED TO HELP YOU GET BETTER. FASTER. WE STAND OUT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DON’T AIM TO FIT IN. WE DO NOT SEEK VALIDATION IN COMMONALITY. EVEN SEPARATE WE MOVE TOGETHER IN CAUSE AND PRINCIPAL. WELCOME TO UNAPOLOGETIC.”

If you ask Unapologetic founder IMAKEMADBEATS about it, he’ll tell you it’s the mission or the vision of the collective but these words are more than that. They are the very heart, the very bloodline that pumps through every single thing Unapologetic touches. Here you lose the preconceived notions or labels society has given you, and instead are allowed – no, encouraged – to just…be.

It seems like a simple enough idea but in the music industry this is a rarity and this is especially true for women. There’s an unspoken rule in the industry that there are still some places reserved only for men. Where women who manage to get a seat at the table must continuously prove their worthiness to be there. It’s an exhausting mentality, one that is both archaic and idiotic, but yet it exists.

So, when a group like Unapologetic goes against the norm and actually has strong, powerful women helping to build, nurture, and grow their creative endeavors, those women deserve to be celebrated. These are some of the many women of Unapologetic.

The Ladies

For this article, I was lucky enough to speak to a handful of women involved in many different roles:

Nubia Yasin – Unapologetic Artist, Assistant to IMAKEMADBEATS
Ariel D – Social Media, Street Team Manager, Unapologetic Garments
Nakita – Program Manager for Outerspace
Marie – Project Manager for Unapologetic
Uniq – Unapologetic Artist and Producer
Gabby Duffie – Unapologetic Visual, Photographer
Sarai – Unapologetic Visual Artist, Unapologetic Garments, Graphic Designer

The Background

“Unapologetic would not exist if it wasn’t for my wife,” Mad tells me honestly. “I was complaining about things I accomplished or didn’t accomplish yet and how I was disappointed in myself. She told me I was a reluctant leader, that I am detrimentally humble. She said, ‘you can’t serve your purpose if you’re denying the gifts you’re given for your purpose.’ She was the last domino to fall in terms of telling me what I needed to hear to feel confident in starting Unapologetic.”

Marie is not only Mad’s wife, but also the Project Manager for Unapologetic (though if you ask anyone in the collective they’ll tell you she’s the real boss). She’s much more humble about her integral role. “I am the cheerleader. I cheer on everything that happens. I encouraged any ideas my husband had. I’m not the type of person to say just because I don’t understand it, it shouldn’t be done,” Marie tells me. “I think that’s why Unapologetic took off even from the beginning. Anything that needed to be done, I was there. If something needed to be talked out, he can always bounce those things off of me and I never restricted that. And that made everything else work.”

Despite the vision for Unapologetic being inclusive, they soon saw why so many creative spaces were not. In the early years of Unapologetic, the team recorded in the spare rooms of Mad and Marie’s own house. After about a year of recording in this setting, they started to notice the same thing being said after each session: how grateful women were to finally have a safe place to record.

“There’s a huge kind of elephant in the room, almost a ghost, of the male treatment of women in studio spaces and how that can determine what spaces you decide to be in. In male dominated spaces, there’s always someone saying something about a woman’s ass or someone’s always doing something. And because that was the culture of things, there were assumptions and concerns by default,” Mad stated.

Uniq agrees. After working in various studios across Memphis, she noticed a marked difference in working with Unapologetic. “I feel like this is safer mentally and physically to be honest. I don’t have to worry about guys trying to look at me in any kind of way and they don’t take me being friendly as anything more than just that.”

Safety isn’t the only issue holding women back from flourishing in these creative spaces. As I mentioned before, there’s still this mentality that certain roles in the music industry are just “for men” or just “for women.” Mad recounts a story while working at a music event here in Memphis. A group of 8 or 9 women were gathered around at soundcheck when he arrived. He asked which of them was the engineer. They laughed and said, “We leave the technical stuff to the boys. We just sing.”

Perhaps it’s a pre-conditioned imposter syndrome we as women have internalized. “When society looks at creativity, I really don’t think they look to women a lot,” Marie tells me. “The guys on the team – from Mad all the way down to even the interns – are 100% looking for anyone who has a creative side but I don’t think society looks at women for that.”

She’s quick to remind society of something important though. “We as women look at the world differently. We have our own experiences that are so different from the men. So, what comes from that creatively is going to be different and it’s going to be special.”

Marie pauses. We’re speaking over the phone but I can tell she’s smiling as she continues. “It kind of blows your mind once you see what we’re capable of. It comes out fluorescent. That’s how we flourish. People don’t know what they have in them until there’s a safe space for it to come out.”

The Accomplishments

This past winter, Unapologetic entered a huge collaboration with the NBA and Memphis Grizzlies. They designed limited edition merchandise, created social media campaigns, and wrote a song to go along with the partnership. While the project was a team effort, Sarai helped to create the designs for the clothes, Uniq penned the song, the photos were taken by Gabby, and Ariel provided design and social media input.

In April, Nubia produced, directed, and designed SHEENA, a visual arts show at the Green Room at Crosstown. “That was the closest to my vision I’ve ever gotten for a live show. I had crazy ideas. I wanted a bathtub and I wanted it to be full of water. I wanted a backdrop with comforters and sheets. They helped me do it all. I nailed things, I sewed things together by hand,” she describes to me. Her hard work and relentless vision paid off. The show quickly sold out. “Everything was perfect,” she says. “I’m really proud of how it turned out. And at no point did I feel like I couldn’t do something as crazy as put a bathtub in the Green Room at Crosstown.”

Uniq might have only recently joined the team, but you wouldn’t know it by her output. “I’ve helped score a TV show. I’m learning to make my own beats and actually writing to them now. I’ve written about 50 songs in just the last few months since I’ve been here. The momentum is crazy.”

If you followed Unapologetic during the pandemic, you would’ve seen the creation of the UndergroundAF radio. That was all Ariel. The street team? Ariel. Social media campaigns and styling videos? Ariel. “I help out wherever I can. When I joined I just did social media but then I got involved with the street team. The street team is essentially like a marketing team but in the Unapologetic way. Nothing traditional,” Ariel says laughing. “I also worked on our 1v1 series which was like a versus battle. It really helped connect artists together and it built a lot of relationships,” she tells me.

To detail all the things Sarai has achieved during her time with Unapologetic, I’d need a week at least. As a long-standing member, Sarai has been involved in countless projects from album cover art, Garments sketches, random skits for the website, and she designed the limited edition beer can Unapologetic did with Memphis Made Brewing. That collaboration sold out.

One of her favorite pieces of work though is the VAGINA collection, a special series Sarai did with Garments. The clothing featured shirts with the word VAGINA in capital letters across the front. “That was so anti how women are supposed to be in the south,” she says proudly. “Women are used to being covered up or conservative so walking around with a shirt that says vagina is pretty bold. A lot of people were uncomfortable. They would be like ‘where would I even wear this shirt?’ and I was like, um, the store?”

When Unapologetic initially formed, their first photographer was Cat Patton, an incredibly talented and innovative artist. She helped form the vision for Unapologetic visual. Now she’s passed the torch to Gabby. “When I came on, I learned so much from Cat. The way she thinks about art…the way she would bring together the pieces of our ideas, the way she projected them to our audience, and the way it was perceived was so different to me. I was kind of transformed,” Gabby explains.

Gabby has picked up right where Cat left off. Last fall she was hired by a PR company to shoot NYFW. At the top of this year, she did a full scale photoshoot with New England Patriots wide receiver Ty Montgomery where she not only took the photos, but she also led the creative direction and helped styled the shoot. “Even though I’m a photographer, I learned I can play big roles,” she tells me of the experiences.

She’s not alone in having this type revelation. In 2018, Unapologetic partnered with Ballet Memphis for a special fall mix performance. Nakita served as point person for the collaboration. “I had to step up and do a lot of the coordination while Mad was gone. I really enjoyed putting the pieces together and making sure everything flowed smoothly.” Now she does this officially for events at their Outerspace studio.

The Sisterhood

For as much creativity and content the ladies have contributed, they’ve also contributed something equally as important to the collective: softness. “Sometimes when I say things, the guys will take a technical route to it,” Marie explains. “But as soon as I tell a woman, they’ll light up and want to talk about it in a deeper way.”

There is a noticeable bond among the women. It’s not forced either. It’s one formed from genuine care, love, and respect. “There is a sisterhood between us,” Marie says. “It becomes like glue. It’s a very strong adhesive that you didn’t even know was there.”

“We communicate differently than we do with the guys,” Nakita tells me. “I’ve called Marie crying and I just needed some advice. It’s so great to have other women here that I can really talk to and be very open and vulnerable with.”

Sometimes that communication comes across as much needed tough love. “I’ll call Marie or Nakita and they’ll be like ‘Get your shit together, you got this. You’re killing shit out here. Don’t play with yourself. We got your back,’” Uniq tells me.

Nubia is one of the newer members to join Unapologetic but she felt that connection immediately. “One day I came in and I was NOT ok,” she said, shaking her head. “Uniq just came and gave me a hug out of nowhere. At first I was like ‘ok this is nice’. But then she didn’t let go and I was like, ‘oh shit I really needed this hug!’” Nubia laughed.

It’s those little things (a hug, a phone call, a shoulder to cry on) that has solidified the sisterhood but it doesn’t stop there. This closeness also extends to their work. “It’s an open collaboration,” Ariel says. “Every woman on the team has their strengths and I know who to hit up to get certain things.”

“Being a part of the team, having their input, being able to build off each other…it’s almost invaluable. It allows you to be privy to that bigger picture that is bigger than us,” Gabby explains. She relates the collaboration the sisterhood provides as an essential component to the overall vision of Unapologetic. “We’re a part of something that’s greater than ourselves. We might have been able to do it alone, but we can always go farther together.”

The Future

Don’t let their enormous list of accomplishments fool you – these ladies are far from being done. When I ask what their goals are over the next month, year, or 5 years, the responses are confident, focused, and intentional. There is no one without a plan. A&R, fashion shows, art exhibits, live performances, tours, DJing, poetry, short films, and new music are just some of the formulated ideas they excitedly tell me about.

Marie adds something more to her answer. “I want more women to feel comfortable expressing their own creativity however it comes out,” she states. “I think something scares or intimidates people when they do something that has never been done before. We’re all weird in our own ways.”

There’s a central message in Unapologetic’s work, and especially in the work of these ladies, that emphasizes the belief “what always was doesn’t have to always be.” The world is a fundamentally better place with the evolution of prior thinking and the introduction of new thinking. Marie articulates this idea much more simply. “Once you cross over that line and you start living your unapologetic self, there’s no way you can go back to the other side.”

The post The Women of Unapologetic appeared first on We Are Memphis.

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Since March is Women’s History Month and Memphis has so many amazing women-owned and co-owned businesses to support, we decided to showcase them AND give you some ideas for hanging out with your favorite ladies one weekend. A total win-win, right? Here’s your weekend itinerary. (Feel free to do these ASAP or whenever you want, since supporting these businesses shouldn’t be secluded to the month of March!)

Start your day off with a big breakfast (or brunch) by planning a trip to one of these amazing restaurants. 

We guarantee you’ll find something delicious at one of these spots:

The Beauty Shop
Bedrock Eats and Sweets
Arcade Restaurant
Sweet Lala’s Bakery 

Or if you’re looking for a lighter way to start your day, have some tea at My Cup of Tea

After your hearty meal, why not shop around for some plants and greenery?

Memphis has a ton of flower and plant shops if you’re looking to liven up your space. Check out one of these stops for lovely bouquets, trinkets, and more:

Snapdragon Floral
Everbloom Design
Greenhaus
Midtown Bramble and Bloom
TCBnCo
Mili’s Flowers and Gifts

If you want a bit of respite during your busy day, here are some wellness options for you.

Whether you’re hoping for gentle yoga or even a nice massage to unwind, we’ve got options:

Memphis Massage Masters
Brwnskn Yoga
Delta Groove Yoga
Champalou Spa

What a morning it’s been! When breakfast feels like ages ago, you know it’s time for lunch.

Pop by one of these restaurants for a quick but scrumptious bite:

Ms. D’s Wings
Alcenia’s
Huey’s
Cozy Corner BBQ

After lunch, how about some shopping?

Sprucing up your home in the 901 with some local artwork and decor is a great way to show your Memphis pride. Here are some great choices for your shopping trip:

Pretty Useful
LimeTree
Custom Art by Nat Coop
Ellywise Studios
New Harbert Candles
ARCHd

If you want to continue your shopping journey for some clothes or gifts, treat yourself! Try one of these places:

Prima’s Bakery and Boutique – Shop Mucho
Feelin Memphis
B.Sartain

Think your day’s done yet? No way!

You’ve gotta get some pampering in, and whether that’s a facial or mani/pedi, you won’t want to skip one of these spots on your busy day:

Pixie Lab by Jenniexnails
The Skin and Wax Room
Girl Makes Face
Daisy Nails

Now that you and the gals have had a day, it’s time to sit down for a nice dinner.

Not only are these some delectable eats, but you’ll enjoy some beautiful atmospheres in any of these restaurants: 

Napa Cafe
The Majestic Grille
Felicia Suzanne’s
Rendezvous
Mollie Fontaine Lounge

Craving a sweet treat after dinner?

The best way to wrap up your fun-filled day is with one of these delicious options:

Muddy’s Bake Shop
Primas Bakery and Boutique- RM Petit Cakes
17 Berkshire
Miss Birdsong’s Sweet Tooth
iPop Gourmet Popcorn

Dinstuhl’s Fine Candy Co.

You may also be interested in: Discover Memphis: Experience what’s possible in Memphis

The post Ways to Spend a Woman-Owned Weekend in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.

TriDereka – Plant-Based Mom

If you’re trying to live a more plant-based life, TriDereka puts a ton of work into sharing nutritious and healthy vegan tips on her social media. Plus, a lot of these recipes focus on kid-friendly meals that are great for even the pickiest eater. Check her out for some fun food recommendations.

Tara Blair Ball – Certified Relationship Coach & Author

Tara is all about self-empowerment and leaving toxic relationships behind, so her social pages are full of helpful content, including a podcast. Find ways to take back your life through her social media, or even send it to a friend who may need some advice.

Talisha – The Iconic Life

Talisha is a local photographer and style icon who takes pictures around Memphis, highlighting various vendors and local shops. If you need a guide for fashion, then this social media page is the one for you. She also wears some classic Black and Beale gear that you’ll wanna snag for yourself.

Chloe Sexton – Bluff Cakes

Bluff Cakes started going viral on TikTok for delicious, giant cookies that can be shipped around the country, but Chloe also recently opened a storefront right here in town where you can buy cakes, the famous TikTok cookies, and other exclusive baked goods. When you follow her on social media, you get sneak peeks of new flavors, sales, and more.

Tiarra – MA, LPC, NCC Therapist

Tiarra is a certified therapist, especially in the trauma space, and she shares a ton of information about red flags and more. This is a great social media page to follow for anyone trying to repair toxic relationships from their past or present, and what to look out for in the future with healthy partners, friends, and even family.

The post 5 Women Content Creators in Memphis You Should Be Following appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Ida B. Wells

Though this activist was from Holly Springs, MS, Ida B. Wells spent a decade in Memphis and helped shape the landscape of the civil rights movement. She was also one of the founders of the NAACP and aimed to shed light on the conditions of Black people throughout the South through her investigative journalism.

Estelle Axton

Co-founder of Stax Records, Estelle Axton helped in finding and promoting artists that would revitalize the Memphis music scene – Rufus and Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Booker T & the MGs, and Isaac Hayes. After leaving Stax Records in the 70s, she founded the Memphis Songwriters Association and co-founded the Memphis Music Association.

Maxine Smith

Maxine Smith challenged racial inequality throughout her life and became one of the first female members of the Memphis NAACP board. She was presented with the Freedom Award by the National Civil Rights Museum in 2003, and the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy was named in her honor.

Jennifer Elaine

Jenn owns a local art gallery and is a self-taught artist. Her focus is on Black art that illustrates “the beauty, power, dopeness, and resilience of Black women.” Her gallery also showcases other Black artists, and you can find her work online or in person at the Orijennal Art Gallery in Cordova.

Julien Baker

A singer and songwriter local to Memphis, Julien Baker has released a number of studio albums, has performed on late-night shows, and has gone on tour with many notable bands in the genre. She also joined the indie supergroup, along with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, known as Boygenius.

GloRilla

Another famous musician making her way in the industry is GloRilla, a rapper with a Grammy-nominated performance for her song F.N.F. She’s been a featured artist on songs with Latto, Ciara, and other prominent musicians in both rap and R&B.

You also might be interested in: Memphis Ambassadors Program – We Are Memphis

The post Women’s History Month: Trailblazing Women in Memphis, Past and Present appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Memphis’ history of innovative radio is both deep and wide. There aren’t many Memphis music legends that you can’t trace to some kind of historic radio moment. Legendary Rufus Thomas owned the airwaves of WDIA before he went on to be the World’s Oldest Teenager and teach the world to do “The Dog” and “The Funky Chicken.” B.B. King began writing and singing Pepticon jingles on Memphis’ WDIA before becoming the world’s greatest blues singer. There is an entire Broadway musical titled Memphis, loosely based on the life of Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips of WHBQ. Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, started out as a radio engineer on WREC. Some of those legendary disc jockeys and stations reached hundreds of miles from Bluff City, influencing culture and music across the region and beyond. In 1955, Sam Phillips founded the first all female radio station, which he rightly named WHER. 

WYXR is Memphis’ newest chapter in Memphis radio history. The community-led volunteer radio station launched in 2020 with the tagline, “Raised By Sound”, and has been broadcasting straight to the hearts of Memphians ever since. While WYXR is no reincarnation of WHER, it has no shortage of female programmers who are passionate about radio and music.  We reached out to a handful of these women to connect you with many of the fearless, female voices you hear on the station. 

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DJ Chandler Blingg, AKA Jessica Jackson

Mahogany, Vol. 1, Tuesday 10PM-11PM 

WAMM: What should we expect to hear on Mahogany, Vol. 1?

DJ Chandler Blingg: When I was younger, I used to dig for so much music. I was so curious and loved reading the album covers to see things like who produced what, and which musician played which instrument, etc. I spent hours just listening to music in my room, so my radio show is very much reminiscent of my having the time of my life playing my favorite tunes. It’s so cool that people are able to eavesdrop now.

WAMM: What do you do outside of radio?

DJ Chandler Blingg: I am a DJ! I also spin with an incredible DJ alliance called BODYWERK. Made up of myself, DJ Ramzi (HABIBIBEATS on WYXR Saturdays from 6pm-8pm), Ross Al Ghoul (THRUST on WYXR Sundays 12PM-1PM) & QEMIST (COMPUTER NOISE RADIO on WYXR Thursdays from 9PM-10PM).

WAMM: What do you love most about radio? 

DJ Chandler Blingg: Every time I’m playing songs on the radio, I think to myself quite often ‘wow, people really get to listen to music like this on the radio. I would’ve loved to have a station like this to listen to when I was younger’. I love that we get to share with people.

WAMM: What’s your favorite song to play right now?

DJ Chandler Blingg: “HooHaa” by Christoph El Truento , “Star” by Machinedrum, and “Make it Up” by Tirzah (Hackman remix). 

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DJ Talia, AKA Talia Palacio

La Hora De Sazón con Talia, Saturday 8PM-9PM

WAMM: Describe La Hora Sazon con Talia in one word.

DJ Talia: Saucy

WAMM: What do you do outside of radio?

DJ Talia: I am Manager of Multicultural Admissions & Marketing Communications at Rust College.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio? 

DJ Talia: Radio gives me an opportunity to share my love for music, share my culture, and play music that was a part of my Latin upbringing here in Memphis. WYXR has given me this opportunity every Saturday night. Our station and our city have welcomed my show, which plays a variety of salsa (new and old), reggaeton, and tropical Latin music to keep Memphis dancing!

WAMM: What’s your favorite song to play right now?

DJ Talia: Hawái by Maluma & The Weekend.

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DJ Nya

Freesound.radio, Tuesday 11PM-1AM

WAMM: Describe Freesound.radio in a few words.

DJ Nya: “Copacetic”, “fashionable”.

WAMM: What do you do outside of radio?

DJ Nya: Traveling, digging.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ Nya: It’s curated, there’s so much discovery in each person’s show.

WAMM: What’s your favorite song to play right now?

J Nya:  Cece penison, “We Got A Love Thang

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DJ Jazzy Lo, AKA Jasmine McCraven

Pre Game Radio, Friday 8PM-10PM

WAMM: What do you do outside of radio?

DJ JAZZY LO: I’m a full time reporter at The Daily Memphian

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ JAZZY LO: I love how it exposes the diverse personalities and perspectives of people in the world. It’s also a safe space to be and say whatever you want, because you don’t feel the same pressure from TV, with everyone watching you. Blending this with your favorite tunes just makes the in-studio experience feel like heaven for 2 hours.

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Brandi Rinks

Puttin’ on Airs, Sunday, 9am 

WAMM: Describe your show in one word.

Brandi: Twangy!

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

Brandi: I’m the Administrative & Operations Coordinator at a local non-profit and I spend my free time throwing pottery, taking photos, and looking at birds.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Brandi: I love radio because at any point of the day, in any city you’re in, you can turn it on and hear a mix of things you’ve never heard, old familiar songs, and community news! The wealth of genres, personalities, knowledge, and talent that Memphis in particular has to offer is a constant source of pride, and you can see that reflected in our radio stations!

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DJ Amy Dee, AKA Amy Dobbins

Mint Cream Tunes, Sundays 3PM- 4PM 

WAMM: Describe your show in one word.

DJ Amy Dee: Nostalgic

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

DJ Amy Dee:  I own Mint Cream Shop, a vintage store. I make jewelry and goods out of polymer clay and paint.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ Amy Dee:  I love to play fun tones to fit my listeners life at the moment. I want to help with their mood. Create the vibe. 

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Dee Torrell

We Belong, Sunday 4pm-5pm

WAMM: Describe your show in one word.

Dee Torrell: LGBTQ+

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

Dee Torrell: Database developer by day, keyboardist and bassist in bands, classical guitar and piano for decompressing, and record collecting every other moment.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Dee Torrell: The ability to connect with an unlimited audience and discover new music and ideas. Listener-supported stations enhance the sense of community.

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DJ bby lay, AKA Layna Hayes

Dear Diary, Friday 6AM-7AM

WAMM: What is your favorite song to play right now?

DJ bby lay: Anything from Beach House’s most recent album, Once Twice Melody.

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

DJ bby lay: Artist and teacher.

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ bby lay: The great variety of music and perspectives.

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Ena Esco

Musically Effective, Sunday, 5pm-7pm

WAMM: Describe your show in one word.

Ena Esco: VIBES

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

Ena Esco: Founder of Ivy Multimedia and Host of Verbally Effective podcast

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Ena Esco: I love the sound and energy of the music in the studio. I also love expressing my thoughts and love for music with the masses.

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Natalie Hoffman

Strange Wave, Wednesday, 10pm-11pm

WAMM: What is your favorite song to play right now?

Natalie: Sparks, “When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’” 

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

Natalie:  Graphic Designer

WAMM: Describe Strange Wave in one word.

Natalie: Synth-y

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Natalie:  Discovering new music.

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Tonya Dyson, AKA Radio Raheema 

Welcome to Neosoulville. Friday, 10AM-12PM

WAMM: What is your favorite song to play right now?

Tonya: Emi Secrest’s “Yellow” has ingrained itself on my soul. Lol

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

Tonya:  Executive Director of Memphis Slim Collaboratory and professional singer/songwriter

WAMM: Describe Welcome To Neosoulville in one word.

Tonya:  Chill

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Tonya:  It’s like performing live.I have one shot to get it right and genuinely be myself while doing it. It’s a great feeling to set a vibe & carry it out through the entire show!

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DJ Alpha Whiskey, AKA Ashley Wimbush

Flight Risk, Thursday 6PM-8PM

WAMM:  What do you do outside of playing music on the radio?

DJ Alpha Whiskey: Air Traffic Controller at KMEM, also DJ around Memphis.

WAMM: Describe Flight Risk in one word.

DJ Alpha Whiskey: Fun

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ Alpha Whiskey: I love that I can play whatever I want! People get to hear me play music that I love and they start loving it too!!

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DJ Siphne Aaye, AKA Siphne A. Sylve

The NuSoul Mix, Friday 11PM-12AM

WAMM: Describe The NuSoul Mix in one word.

DJ Siphne Aaye: Genuine

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

DJ Siphne Aaye: I love sharing music I love with people I love. This radio platform gives me a clear chance to do that.

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Kerry Mahoney

Ring The Alarm, Friday 1PM-2PM

WAMM: Describe Ring The Alarm in one word.

Kerry: Globaltropicalia

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Kerry: Spontaneity.

WAMM: What do you do besides play music on the radio?

Kerry: I’m a graphic designer for film, and TV.

WAMM: What are you excited to play lately?

Kerry: “A Min We Vo Nou We”, by Les Sympathics de Porto Novo

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Shelby McCall

A Corner Called Jazz, Wednesday 11am-12pm

WAMM: Describe A Corner Called Jazz in one word.

Shelby: Chill

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Shelby: Working with others, andthe sense of community with WYXR.

WAMM: What do you do besides play music on the radio?

Shelby: I’m Operations Coordinator of WYXR

WAMM: What are you excited to play lately?

Shelby: Greg Spero’s “July Play” (featuring Mononeon)

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DJ Nancy, AKA Nancy Agee

Memphis Undercover, Monday 2PM-4PM

WAMM: Describe Memphis Undercover in one word.

Nancy: Potpourri

WAMM: What do you love most about radio?

Nancy:  Sharing music & connecting with the audience & other programmers through that. I believe it fosters community.

WAMM: What do you do besides play music on the radio?

Nancy:  I’m a Realtor at InCity Realty.

WAMM: What are you excited to play lately?

Shelby: Today it’s “Aladdin Sane”, David Bowie

You may also be interested in: Memphis Concert Venues

Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post The Women of WYXR appeared first on We Are Memphis.

The funeral service industry has long been a male-dominated one, but times are changing as more women are entering into the profession and breaking down stereotypes. While still not yet considered female-dominated, the fresh infusion of death-positive philosophy, life celebration, and death doulaship by women is changing the face of the death industry. Shifting values, technology, and optics have created a disruption — and women are at the forefront.

As the licensed funeral director and embalmer at R.S. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home for almost 9 years and the youngest at her firm, we were excited to sit down with Ternisha Smith to get her thoughts on how women are disrupting the funeral industry.

What made you go into the funeral service industry?

In 2005, my freshman year of high school at Whitehaven High, my aunt passed away unexpectedly and during her first viewing with the family I didn’t like the way she looked. She was a small/medium built lady; however, in that casket she was HUGE! She didn’t look like herself at all. I made up my mind that funeral service was the field for me. Human anatomy has always been intriguing to me; therefore, I knew my calling/dream and what I had to do to make it my reality.

What is an average day to day working as a licensing manager at RS Lewis & Sons Funeral Home?

As the licensed funeral director and embalmer, I’m tasked with responding to first calls, making funeral arrangements with families, scheduling funeral services, both traditional (burials) and non-traditional (cremation), preparing the remains for services, ensuring the daily operations of the firm are completed and in compliance with the state board.

How do you maintain your peace having to care for so many grieving families?

Prayer, I grew up in the church and was always taught to keep God first. I take my weekly scheduled off days to rejuvenate and decompress; take a trip to the spa, get my nails done, impromptu trips to the Children’s Museum with my children, day-date with my husband or day of doing nothing.

Why do you think the funeral industry has become more women leading in the last few years?

In my opinion, women are more compassionate, detail oriented, attentive to detail, and organized. We naturally have a nurturing spirit. Historically, it is known that women were the ones who cared for the family – both the deceased, and the survivors. It’s not that we do it better than men, or men can’t do it, but for it to be such a male-dominated industry, we are coming in and literally taking over. We can do everything a man can do from removals, lifting, embalming, dressing, casketing, etc. Intellectually, women have a higher altitude when it comes to taking the national or state board. Back in 2011 when I graduated from John A. Gupton College, there were approximately 46 people in my graduating class with 22 being women. The numbers are steadily increasing each year.

What is the most rewarding thing about your job?

The most rewarding thing about my job is the thanks that I receive at the end

of a service. Knowing that I have made the worst moment in a families’ life easier is good enough for me. I don’t do this for recognition, I do this because it’s my passion and I absolutely love what I do. In addition, when someone calls looking for “the funeral director” and I explain that they are speaking to HER, there is a brief awkward silence that tickles me, especially in the older generations. The awe in their eyes when I’m seen in person is just as hilarious. It’s the “ooh, you’re Ternisha, I’ve heard so much about you” for me; even a lot of my fellow colleagues know me by name, but haven’t seen me in person. People have this conception that a funeral director or mortician is an older man, tall and speaks monotone, to their surprise, I’m the complete opposite. I’m 5’4, female and speak enthusiastically. I’m the youngest at my firm and I take pride in knowing that I can perform just as well as the oldest person.

What are you most passionate about in the funeral service industry?

I’m most passionate about helping people. Whether their funeral is $3,000 or $30,000, I give the same level of compassion and professionalism. I love the bond that is built with the families. A family will always remember how you treated them and how you made them feel throughout the process.

What has your profession taught you about life?

Funeral service has taught me that death has no limits. You can be old, young, rich, or poor. Death is inevitable. Most importantly, have insurance. The most irresponsible thing a person can do is put the burden of having someone plans a funeral for you with no money or insurance. Insurance is everything. Having your affairs in order will make the process easier for your loved ones. Inform your loved ones of what you want for your service, from casket color to the style of dressing, make it plain and clear.

You might also be interested in: How Dr. Esra Roan tackles the extreme work life balance

The post Women’s History Month: Women Are Changing The Face Of The Once Male-Dominated Funeral Industry appeared first on We Are Memphis.

You may know just how hard the Latino Memphis works to support our city’s Latin/x/e community, but did you know that there are so many talented women behind the organization’s programs and endeavors? This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women who are dedicated to driving Latino Memphis’ mission!

To learn more about Latino Memphis, visit the website at latinomemphis.org or follow them at @latinomemphis!

Please share your full name, pronouns, and title!

Adriana Perez-Zarco; She/Her; Project Manager – Special Projects 

What inspired you to work at Latino Memphis?

After my service in the Peace Corps, I was very interested in continuing to do humanitarian work & decided to stay in the nonprofit sector. I wanted to be very intentional in the work that I did moving forward and actively searched for organizations that served my community. I had the opportunity to work for Telamon Corporation in Michigan as a Family Services Specialist at a migrant head start office. After moving to Tennessee to be with two of my sisters, I continued my work in nonprofits and, in September of 2021, I was hired at Latino Memphis. The work being done in this organization is impacting my community in so many positive ways & I’m able to see firsthand how that happens. 

How do you relate to Latino Memphis’ mission? 

Growing up in the states, I’ve seen how minority communities are treated & have experienced discrimination myself. When I was younger, I didn’t think that I could impact my community for the better but life has taught me that I can. It’s through small steps, by showing up every day & doing the work. That’s what I am continuing to do at Latino Memphis & every day we are taking steps in the right direction to impact change. 

What do you love about what you do? 

What I love most is the people that I work with. This scope of work can’t be done by just one person, it takes a community full of people that care and want to see each other win. Something that I love about Memphis is that sense of community; it goes beyond one organization & beyond one minority group. 

Tell us a story about a time you saw your work make an impact on the Memphis community

When I worked at the Mid-South food bank, they held their very first annual city-wide food drive with the aim to feed 5,000+ households in Memphis. The planning and preparation that it took to pull this event off were massive! It involved and relied on every single member of the food bank team. As an inventory & quality control specialist, the role that I played in that process involved a lot of coordinating within the warehouse, ensuring the quality of the product, & finally making sure that we had enough! The day of the event was a 12+ hour workday for every member of the food bank team. Though it was a long hot day, what kept us going was the fact that we were all out there together as a team & we managed to give an average of 100 lbs of food out to every single household that showed up to the event. 

You may also be interested in: Lisa Mills Fashion Blogger Profile

The post Ladies of Latino Memphis – Adriana Perez-Zarco appeared first on We Are Memphis.

You may know just how hard the Latino Memphis works to support our city’s Latin/x/e community, but did you know that there are so many talented women behind the organization’s programs and endeavors? This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women who are dedicated to driving Latino Memphis’ mission!

Please share your full name, pronouns, and title!

 Itzel Gomez, She/They/Ella, Welcome Specialist at El Centro

What inspired you to work at Latino Memphis?

 I have been an advocate for immigration rights since my freshman year of college. I want to use my education and experience to provide the resources and support the undocumented and immigrant community often lacks access to. 

How do you relate to Latino Memphis’ mission? 

I believe in our mission to help connect the Latino community to the greater Memphis community. I want the Latino community in this city to feel like Memphis is their home because it is.

What do you love about what you do? 

I love being able to help my community. They have supported me throughout my education and now I want to give back to them. I  also enjoy working alongside some really amazing people that are so knowledgeable in their professions. I enjoy the opportunity to learn from them and hear about their work. 

Tell us a story about a time you saw your work make an impact on the Memphis community

 One of the greatest impacts my work has made on the Memphis community is the access to needed resources. There are many great resources in our city that sometimes go under the radar, so it is great to see families getting the resources they need.

You might also be interested in: The Performing Arts in Memphis: A Celebration of the City’s Soul

The post Ladies of Latino Memphis – Itzel Gomez appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Please share your full name, pronouns, and title!

Maria Grazia Boldrin (She/her/ella) / Home Study and Post Release services Case Manager and Project Manager for Trafficking Victim Assistance Program

What inspired you to work at Latino Memphis?

The opportunity to help people at disadvantage due to their limited literacy, language o immigration conditions

How do you relate to Latino Memphis’ mission?

Mi jobs relate with the Latino Memphis’s mission 100%. 

1. A) From the Heartland perspective, I work with unaccompanied minors and their sponsors (all of them from Central and South America), and I assist them by providing information and assistance to connect them with important services like low-cost clinics, education, and low-bono Immigration Attorneys, as well as other services that my clients may need like food pantries, free clothing, etc. 
2. B) From the TVAP end, I provide the same services mentioned above but in addition, my clients are assigned a specific budget that I manage every month in order to pay for important services like housing (rent), doctors appointments, food, clothing, legal fees or any other needs that require to be paid when my clients don’t have the financial possibility to do so. I also advocate for my clients in specific situations in which they need assistance.

What do you love about what you do?

Everything! I love my clients, I love my coworkers, I love the institution that I work for… what else can I say?

Tell us a story about a time you saw your work make an impact on the Memphis community.

When I am assigned a case of an unaccompanied child who gets in the United States without legal status, looking for a school, for vaccines, for family stabilization, etc., I turn myself 100% in pursuing solutions for them, and when it comes the closure of the case and I know that the minor is healthy, full vaccinates, attending to school and has legal representation, my heart beats full of joy, not only for all that has been achieved with this specific child but because of the impact that this change will produce in other people.

To learn more about Latino Memphis, visit the website at latinomemphis.org or follow them at @latinomemphis!

You might also be interested in: Itzel Gomez: A Dedicated Advocate for the Latino Community in Memphis

The post Ladies of Latino Memphis – Maria Grazia Boldrin appeared first on We Are Memphis.

The DJ industry has historically been a male-dominant space, but, within recent years, many female DJs and producers have begun to rise within this industry. 

There’s no shortage of women who can hold their own behind the turntables here in Memphis. There are countless impressive female DJs mixing tunes across the city, from seasoned veterans to rising stars. These DJs have performed for some of the city’s biggest festivals, held residencies at some of the most popular clubs, and they’ve assisted and worked with some of the industry’s most successful artists and agencies.

During Women’s History Month, we are working alongside Central Station’s DJ Series by celebrating their DJs: DJ Alpha Whiskey, Kerri Mahoney, and Janet Wilson and jamming out to the mixes they have created to empower us all.

DJ Alpha Whiskey
@djalphawhiskey

What skills do you think DJs need to be successful? 

In order to be a DJ, you need to have several skills. The most important skill in my opinion is rhythm. If you don’t have rhythm or know how to count beats then you won’t get very far. Another skill you should have is knowing your music or what music to play when you are at events. Lastly, you need to be professional. Playing music is one thing but you have to be on time, have the right equipment, and scan the crowd to make sure they are enjoying what you are playing!

What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?

The most rewarding part about being a DJ for me is inspiring other females to follow their dreams. I’ve always wanted to be a DJ but it wasn’t until I saw other female DJs and that inspired me to go after it!

How did you become interested in DJing? 

I’ve always wanted to be a DJ ever since I was a little girl but it was never the right time for me to learn and really take it seriously until 2016/2017. I told my good friend Zach Word that I always wanted to be a DJ and he put me in contact with the right people in the city. I started teaching myself how to DJ and the rest is history!

If given a choice to play a song you know will make the crowd go crazy, which do you play?

It never fails to play Too Short, Blow The Whistle. The crowd always goes wild! It’s a Classic!

Kerri Mahoney
@kmahoneystudio

What skills do you think DJs need to be successful?

Ultimately, it depends on what sort of DJ one wants to be— a club DJ, a radio DJ, a mobile DJ, or a turntablist. 

Personally, for me, a deep knowledge of music is key, and a desire to keep discovering. As it pertains to my radio show, this is particularly true, as there are always more international funk/soul/boogie/electronic rabbit holes to dive into – new music finds keep the show fresh.

As it pertains to Elmertha, it’s been deeply helpful for me to know a lot about the variety of genres within Memphis, as we play only music that has a connection to Memphis in some way or another. It’s helpful for me to appreciate various genres, and the musicians within them, so I can build a variety of “mini-sets” — and to know what to play to seamlessly bridge the genres over the course of a 5-6 hour set.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?

When I’m asked (with excitement!) “What WAS that song you played?” The connection I make with others when sharing music is the best feeling.

How did you become interested in DJing?

I am and always have been a voracious music consumer— I listen to music 6 to 8 hours a day as I work in my studio. I have a penchant for sounds from West Africa, the Caribbean, Central, and South America, from the 30s to today – but I am very well versed in music – R&B, house, garage rock, electronic, exotica, no wave, experimental…. I love it all!  

I’d share artists and songs with friends in conversation.  When they’d tell me how much they liked the music I had turned them on to, I thought I might have something to offer on a larger scale with my discoveries.

I had been curious about hosting a community radio show since moving to Memphis – I was seeking to participate in the Memphis music community in a new way, outside of graphic design. I submitted a demo show to WEVL as a lark — it was accepted, and I hosted a show for two years, playing tropical music, and learning the ins and outs of DJing on the radio from the ground up. 

Since I’ve started down this path, I’ve become exponentially more involved in DJ-related events —- I’ve played sets at “Record Store Day” events at Goner Records, for street parties, and regularly on Elmertha at Eight and Sand at the Central Station Hotel, where I spin records two times a month. I also have a show on WYXR 91.7 FM Memphis on Wednesdays from 1-2 called “Ring the Alarm”. 

If given a choice to play a song you know will make the crowd go crazy, which do you play?

“I Know You Got Soul” by Bobby Byrd and the JBs is one of my favorite party songs of all time!

Janet Wilson
@janetmobanet

What skills do you think DJs need to be successful?

You have to be a producer, a manager, a computer scientist, a librarian, a hardware engineer, and a sound engineer. Oh, don’t forget a lighting expert if you are a mobile DJ.

Different skills are needed based on what type of DJ you want to be.  DJing on the radio is different from djing in a club or djing at a private party.  The most important skill is knowing your audience and goal.  You have to adapt at any given moment.  At Eight and Sand, your audience can change from minute to minute.  I play 6 degrees of Memphis music – soul, pop, rock, blues and jazz often starting out more background-like and then building the energy up.  On the radio, I keep the energy high for the 2-hour set.  Wedding music is so broad.  You have to entertain all generations with music and dance.

Technical skills are necessary to learn how to spin physical music like a record or use a DJ controller and software.  You have to know how to manage sound levels because not all music is recorded equally.  You have to learn microphone skills.  You also have to learn how to set up your own sound system and DJ equipment.  If you use digital music, you have to organize your library.  You have to learn computer software like Serato to prepare, queue and mix your music.

Music research and acquisition is another necessary skill.  I tend to buy most of my music locally or online.  I typically don’t stream music during a live performance.  I prefer owning the physical track to minimize connectivity issues with wifi or cell.  You have to read music blogs, magazines, podcasts, or subscribe to music services to learn about new songs.  

Time management is important.  On average, a one-hour set of music is 13 to 14 songs.  You should always have more music than you need in case you have to shift genres for some reason.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?

When I see someone moving their head, shaking their rump or tapping their hand or foot, that makes me happy. When I can make someone’s day better with music, that’s rewarding.  If the party goers had a superb time, then I did my job.

How did you become interested in DJing?

As early as I can remember, music and I have a connection.  I’ve entertained people with music as a child playing from 8 track tapes and records. I made mixed cassette tapes and CDs for friends.  I started as a radio DJ first on WEVL FM 89.9 in Memphis.  I DJ’d private parties next.  Now, I DJ at Eight and Sand, on the radio at WYXR FM 91.7 and at private parties.  Sharing music is my passion.

If given a choice to play a song you know will make the crowd go crazy, which do you play?

At Eight and Sand, playing the Emotions “Best of My Love” or Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs “Wooly Bully” get people dancing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPefERS7EZs&feature=youtu.be

As a mobile DJ, Abba “Dancing Queen” or Earth, Wind and Fire “September” make the dance floor pop.

If you like line dancing, the Cupid Shuffle or the Wop are winners.

You may also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post Women DJs Turning Tables at Central Station Hotel appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Today, this tradition is alive and well in Memphis, as countless female artists continue to push the boundaries of music in new and exciting directions while keeping one foot deeply planted in tradition. In honor of Women’s History Month, we present five contemporary artists who are tapping into this deep wellspring of Memphis tradition while also charting their own paths. 

Liz Brasher

For Fans of: Mavis Staples, Louise McCord 

Although not a Memphis native, Liz Brasher’s music is unmistakably steeped in the city’s soul, gospel, and rock traditions. In fact, her influences are so varied, and her sound is so diverse that she is often referred to simply as a “Southern music artist,” a somewhat nebulous title that feels fitting, nonetheless. Since moving to Memphis in 2017, Brasher has immersed herself in the city’s musical culture, working with some of the Bluff City’s finest talents to create a retro-soul sound filled with spiritual undertones. What unifies all of Brasher’s music is her powerful voice, an undeniably beautiful instrument that can seamlessly transition from primal howls to gentle crooning with ease. In 2019, Brasher released her critically acclaimed album “Painted Image,” which received glowing reviews from prominent outlets such as Rolling Stone and NPR, solidifying her status as one of Memphis’ most promising and talented young singers. Most recently, Brasher released the single “Sad Girl Status,” a stripped-down and emotionally honest ballad that she says “was really born out of what I felt was a low point in my career, and subsequently my life.” You can find all of Liz Brasher’s music at https://www.lizbrasher.com/. 

Victoria Dowdy

For Fans of: Amy Lavere, Rosanne Cash

Few Memphis artists have been as busy over the past year as Victoria Dowdy, the singer-songwriter whose duo Oakwalker has released a string of easy-going singles during the last twelve months of lockdown. The group, which also includes violinist Ethan Baker, formed only months before the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been both a gift and a curse. While the duo hasn’t had the opportunity to establish themselves as a live act just yet, they’ve found plenty of time to sharpen and refine their twangy and organic sound. Although the type of Americana music that Oakwalker specializes in may be more synonymous with Nashville than Memphis, the fact of the matter is that country and folk music has a long and deep history in Memphis and is seeing a strong resurgence. As proof, Oakwalker recently participated in Folk Unlocked, which is an event held by Folk Alliance International that also featured Memphians Elizabeth King, Will Sexton, and The Tennessee Screamers. The duo also recently collaborated with Hunter Cross for their newest single “Oak Cross (Ode to Dolly),” which you can hear below. 

Jucee Froot

For Fans of: Gangsta Boo, Princess Loko

As any casual listener can tell you, today’s hip-hop airwaves are filled with confident women flaunting their independence and sexuality. Artists such as Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B owe a debt of gratitude to the Memphis pioneers who helped to break through rap’s glass ceiling. Today, no Memphis rapper is carrying that torch more forcefully than Terrica Alexander, the fast-rising star better known as Jucee Froot. While the rapper has been a mainstay of the underground hip-hop scene for several years now, 2020 proved to be a major breakthrough for Jucee Froot, who released her major label debut “Black Sheep” and contributed several songs to TV and film soundtracks such as Insecure, P-Valley, and Birds of Prey. In a recent article with Uproxx, Jucee Froot revealed that she has recently been in contact with her idol, Gangsta Boo, which has many fans excited for the potential of a collaboration in the future. Although her growing status as an up-and-coming star is largely based on her party anthems, Jucee Froot recently displayed her serious side on the Black Lives Matter-inspired track “T.H.U.G.”

Valerie June

For Fans of: Memphis Minnie, Jessie Mae Hemphill

Perhaps more than any other artist on this list, Valerie June’s music is suffused with the spirit and sound of a bygone era, a brand of music she calls “organic moonshine roots.” Inspired by artists of the 1920s and ‘30s such as Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotton, June has a unique ability to put a contemporary spin on some of America’s most traditional musical art forms. While her twangy soprano voice is her signature, June is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, banjo, and ukulele. After establishing herself as a cornerstone of the region with a series of homemade records and relentless touring, June began to catch the attention of music industry heavyweights such as Old Crow Medicine Show and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who helped to bring the artist to the next level. Today, June is a bona fide star within the world of Americana music and has amassed a fanbase that spans the globe. Next month, June will be releasing her much-anticipated 5th studio album “The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers.” In the meantime, you can hear June’s new single “Call Me a Fool,” which features Memphis soul icon Carla Thomas.

Talibah Safiya

For Fans of: Ann Peebles, Joyce Cobb

Since moving back to her hometown of Memphis in 2018, R&B artist Talibah Safiya has emerged as one of the city’s most promising young talents. Although we still haven’t received her upcoming debut album, Safiya has earned legions of fans through her captivating live performances and a string of singles that blur the line between the spiritual and sensual. Safiya describes her art as “diasporic,” a fitting description for music that pulls from virtually every genre and era of African American music from soul to hip-hop to jazz. This convergence of influences gives Safiya’s music a sense of being both fresh and timeless, a consistent theme amongst Memphis’ contemporary artists. “I feel like we have to deal with being a ‘legacy city,’ but we’re singing new soul classics, continuing the story of music through our music… I’m really grateful to be a part of that,” she says. While we anxiously await for new music from Talibah Safiya, you can check out her newest Three 6 Mafia-inspired single “A Wild One” below.

You might also be interested in: Memphis music

The post Bridging the Gap: 5 Contemporary Women Artists for Fans of Memphis Music Legends appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Are you wanting to celebrate Women’s History Month in Memphis, but you’re not sure where to start? Luckily for you, this city has some amazing upcoming events that you won’t want to miss. There are so many ways to honor women and celebrate them this month, right here in our city that’s rich with history. Here are just some events and activities you can participate in this March!

University Events

All of the following events are free and open to the public, so grab your gals and head to campus for some of these. (You can also choose to participate in The University of Memphis Women’s History Month Committee’s support of the Tiger Pantry. Donate items directly to the Pantry or purchase items off of their Amazon Wish List.)

March 11
5:30 PM | Chloé Hilliard: F*** Your Diet

The perfect mix of cultural commentary, conspiracies, and confessions, F*ck Your Diet pokes fun at the all too familiar, misguided quest for better health, permanent weight loss, and a sense of self-worth. Join online.

March 15
NOON | Make Your Own Bath Bombs

Join SAC On Alumni Mall Lawn at Noon on March 15 to pick up your make-at-home bath bomb kits. Each kit comes equipped with all the supplies you need to make six personalized bath bombs. Supplies are extremely limited.

March 17
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Women’s History Month Photobooth

Grab your mask and a friend, and join Student Activities council on Alumni Mall Lawn to take a picture in the Women’s History Month photobooth. Social distancing and masking will be strictly enforced.

7:00 PM | Women in Film Wednesday

Join Student Activities Council as they watch movies together that celebrate stories of strong women. Join online.

March 18
NOON | Paint by Numbers: Prominent Women Figures

Celebrate Women’s History Month in a unique way by painting incredible female icons on the Alumni Mall Lawn!

5:30 PM | The UofM Distinguished Lecture Series in Mathematics

The Cantor Sect will host Dr. Maria Chudnovsky, a distinguished mathematician from Princeton University, to give an approximately 1-hour lecture with a 30-minute question-answer session with the audience afterward. Join online.

March 19
11:00 AM | Spirit Swap

Swing by the Alumni Mall Lawn at 11:00 AM to pick up a special Women’s History Month t-shirt meant to celebrate and empower women.

12:30 | “The 19th Amendment: What ‘Votes for Women’ Really Meant”
History Department

In this talk, Dr. Catherine Jacquet (Associate Professor of History, LSU) will focus on the battle for women’s suffrage in the South, exploring how beliefs about race and gender-informed Southerners’ hopes and fears around extending the franchise to women. Join online.

March 23
3:00 PM | Let’s Talk @ KWS: Female Chefs Reflect on Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute
This event will feature a panel of female chefs discussing their career paths in the male-dominated culinary field. Join online.

March 24
7:00 PM | Women in Film Wednesday

Join Student Activities Council as they watch movies together that celebrate stories of strong women. Join online.

March 31
6:00 PM | WHM Closing Ceremonies

University of Memphis Alumna Summer Owens will be speaking on Women’s Empowerment. Summer is a renowned motivational speaker who uses her hard-learned life lessons from her life to educate, inspire, and motivate young adults to overcome their own success. Join Online.

All Month-Long

These events are occurring throughout the month, or are available online anytime. Be sure to check them out!

Wednesdays in March
4:30-5:30 pm CST | Breaking the Ceiling with Soul

Stax Music Academy will be hosting weekly “Women Breaking the Ceiling” Q&A sessions with women in male-dominated careers. These hourlong Q&A sessions will be free to young women and girls in the community and will feature female leaders from a variety of professions. Join as they share stories, insight, and advice from their career journeys on breaking barriers, overcoming fear, flipping the script on imposter syndrome, and what it takes to step up to positions of leadership. Located at Stax Music Academy, 910 E McLemore Ave, Memphis, TN 38106. RSVP here.

All Month – Online Exhibit

Revisit the Memphis Public Library’s Votes for Women online exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the decades-long struggle by suffragists in Memphis, the state of Tennessee, and across the nation. Check it out through this link.

March 24 Through March 31

Muddy’s Bake Shop will be hosting their Open Studio: Cookie Decorating at their Broad Ave location. While this isn’t a strictly Women’s History Month event, it’s still a great opportunity to support a women-owned business while having some fun! Secure your place here.

All Month – Online Exhibit

Visit the National Women’s History Alliance’s website for resources, tools, and more. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the history of the month, this is the site for you. Check it out here.

Women’s History Month is a time to learn more about where we came from and celebrate where we plan to go. And with a city like Memphis, the opportunities to educate yourselves are boundless. Interested in checking out some of these events? Don’t wait too long to snag your tickets or secure your spots!

You may also be interested in: Anime Blues Con comes to the Convention Center in Memphis

The post Events in Memphis to Celebrate Women’s History Month appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Julien Baker

Julien Baker, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with a total of 1,017,787 listeners on Spotify has now grown into an internationally-renowned artist that graces big stages far and wide. Her amazing song “Souvenir” is a recent breakthrough hit with upwards of 30 million listeners jamming to it. Known for her raw and confessional lyricism,  Baker has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts not once but twice, and is now touring the world to places such as Barcelona, Madrid, London, Germany, and Sweden. Covering gigs for big names like Paste Magazine and CBS Mornings, one could say our girl, Julien, has made it and is loved not only in Memphis, but all across the nation! That’s what you call a hard working woman!

Valerie June

Valerie June has been gifting the industry with her beautiful vocals for many years. After first becoming a local sensation with her take on folk and gospel music, she became a Grammy-nominated artist for Best American Roots song. With a total of 729,998 listeners, she continues to grow beyond measures and finds her way into many other cities’ hearts. She received a feature from music great Carla Thomas and even made an appearance on NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Valerie continues to grow as she is signed with Fantasy Records & Concord Music Group. This will not be the last time you hear of Miss Valerie June!

Jucee Froot

 Lights, Camera, Action! Rapper Jucee Froot has all the actors, actresses, and directors covered with any track she releases! Her song “Danger” was featured on the film, “Birds of Prey”, while another song of hers “Down in the Valley” was chosen as the theme song for  “P-Valley”. She even had her song, “Eat Itself” featured in one of the hottest shows around, HBO’s “Insecure”. Now don’t get it twisted, film and soundtracks aren’t the only thing that has Jucee Froot at the top! She had every lady dancing and showing what they got with her hit song, “Shake Dat Ass”, which was released back in 2019. She’s had many successful rappers featured on her albums such as Juicy J, Rick Ross, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Signed to Atlantic Records with over 1.8 million listeners on Spotify, we are proud of our girl, Jucee Froot, and commend her for putting on for M-town in the best way possible!

Kirby

Despite a series of potential career roadblocks and a series of “nos,” Kirby refused to be defeated. The Memphis-based R&B singer showed the world what she was made of and switched up the songwriting narrative after being told that “maybe being an artist wasn’t her lane.” Kirby began her career as a songwriter, writing huge hits for artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, and Ariana Grande. “Four, Five Seconds” by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney, written by Kirby, spent 5 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Charts. Although being the one behind the pen was good for Kirby, she wanted more out of her career and began releasing her own music. In 2021, she opened up for artist and good friend Pink Sweats, and has been signed to Roc Nation’s label for quite a while. Yes, Roc Nation! Kirby’s strength is creating soul music that empowers women and tells the untold stories of love that are exactly what you need to get you through the day. Memphis is so very Proud!

Evvie McKinney

 From smaller stages throughout the city to big ones across the world, Miss Evvie McKinney is doing it! Once a student of a few talent foundations in the city and a member of a music-loving family, she has now gone on to be the winner of the well-known television show “The Four.” Shortly after, Evvie’s song, “Just like God” from her 2018 EP, reached #1 on Billboard Gospel Airplay, while her song “Bring the Whole Hood” became a top 20 radio hit. She has graced the stages of TeenChoice Awards, BET, and the Iheart Music Festival. Now signed to Motown Gospel, McKinney’s future looks brighter than ever!

Wendy Moten

Wendy Moten, who has toured  the world as a background singer for artists such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Martina McBride, has been opening doors for women for years. She has spent her career creating tracks that have reached Number 8 in the UK and making music with other greats in the industry. As a diverse singer covering all genres from jazz to country to R&B, Wendy Moten has leveraged her impressive skills into an exciting and successful career. She recently took her talents to the televised singing competition “The Voice” and closed out her year as a 2021 finalist. Go Wendy!

In honor of Women’s Month, we encourage you to support these women and continue to support Memphis music!

You might also be interested in: Five Questions with Kendrick P 

The post Memphis Women on the Big Stage appeared first on We Are Memphis.

We’d love to hear from you if your favorite artist isn’t represented on this list – head over to IG and let us know! We’ll keep adding songs and look to spotlight more artists Memphis music lovers need to know. (And if you’re like, hey! Where’s the hip hop?? We’ve got a dedicated mix coming your way later this month!)  

We couldn’t pick favorites – we love every track in this mix! – but we pulled out a few that just feel like essential listening. Here they are: 

Memphis Minnie “When the Levees Break”

Lizzie Douglas, better known as Memphis Minnie, was a pioneering figure of the early blues and has been described as “the most popular female country blues singer of all time.” Among her signature tracks is 1929’s “When the Levees Break,” a song about the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Decades later, Led Zeppelin would put their own iconic spin on the track, bringing even further attention to one of Memphis music’s first big female stars.

Ann Peebles “I Can’t Stand the Rain”

An absolute classic from an absolute queen, “I Can’t Stand the Rain” was originally released in 1973 and quickly became a Southern soul standard. Ann Peebles co-wrote the song with her husband, a multi-talented singer and songwriter in his own right, Don Bryant. Soon after its release, John Lennon famously called it “the best song ever,” which is high praise coming from one of the greatest songwriters in history. Peebles was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Julien Baker “Faith Healer”

There’s so much to love about Julien Baker but we’ll start here: even with her massive success, she hasn’t turned away from the musicians, collaborators and spaces in Memphis that helped to make her the artist she is today. Her latest album, the lush Little Oblivions, was largely tracked at Cooper Young studio Young Avenue Sound, and has gotten rave reviews everywhere from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone. This track, “Faith Healer,” was the first single from the album and gave us our first taste of this richer sound from Julien, who in spite of leaping to fame as a singer-songwriter came up playing in bands in Memphis.  One thing hasn’t changed: her gift for writing songs that slay you, every single time.  

 Talibah Safiya “A Wild One”

It’s no secret that we stan the South Memphis Angel. Naturally, we struggled to pick just one track of Talibah’s for this playlist, but “A Wild One” is a perfect starting place for her music. It’s smart and funny, a little raunchy, a lot playful and just straight up neosoul magic. Talibah is a native Memphian who spent time in NYC stretching her creativity as a singer, songwriter and artisan-entrepreneur (have you checked out her jewelry line Pretty Bull or latest venture Mama’s Sundry?) and came back home to take it to the next level in 2016. She’s been prolifically releasing music ever since and we can’t get enough. 

Nots “Reactor”

If you were somehow under the impression that the music created by Memphis women isn’t as aggressive and muscular as their male counterparts, then the all-female punk trio Nots should put that notion to rest. First formed in 2011, the group has earned nation-wide acclaim with their distorted, politically-charged music that borrows from punk, electronica, and hard rock in equal measures. Although their most recent album “3” has plenty of worthy bangers to choose from, the song “Reactor” from their debut album finds them in all of their rowdy glory.

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post The Women of Memphis Music Playlist appeared first on We Are Memphis.

We’re partnering with Latino Memphis to bring you Somos Memphis! A hub of content focused on sharing all the great endeavors, businesses, and more from Memphis’ Latin(e/x/o) community.  Latin(e/x/o)  culture isn’t a monolith–there are so many vibrant cultural aspects, forms of expression, and perspectives that come together to make Memphis the amazing city that it is. We can’t wait to share more stories with you!

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Oh! Desserts needs to be on your radar! Bakery genius Yolimar Flores makes sweet treats that are absolutely out of this world! Whether you’re looking for a perfectly designed cake, an insanely delicious pie, or another one of her many creative specialities, you’re sure to be pleased! We caught up with her to learn more about the business!

Your desserts look absolutely delicious! Which cake or dessert has been your favorite to make and why?

What’s next for you and Oh!Desserts?

The post Oh So Sweet!: Yolimar Flores of Oh! Desserts appeared first on We Are Memphis.

We caught up with Jackie Mau, part founder and business manager for Greys Fine Cheese. You may have seen or visited the shop over off of Poplar and Mendenhall and it’s one of the best places in the city to great some great, gourmet cheeses! Keep reading to learn more about Mau and the businesses and get inspired on what to grab on your next stop at the shop!

We’d love to know more about you, the shop, and how you and Kurt got started with Greys!

Here is a little about me … I do all of Greys’ social media and all business-related activities.  I grew up in Miami and also lived abroad as a child in Central and South America. I had a career in Corporate America for many years.  I moved to Memphis a few years ago as I decided to leave the corporate world and become an entrepreneur. Long story short, after a trip to Paris early last year and visiting the most amazing cheese shops, the idea of opening our store came to fruition.

Kurt is the Cheesemonger extraordinaire and my life partner.  He is passionate about good cheese and is also a talented chef. Kurt has an interesting background.  He is originally from Nashville. He started his culinary journey in a hospital kitchen, then worked for a fitness company as part of a well-known podcast.  During this time, he also ran a successful meal prep business and has done a lot of work as a private chef.  His passion for food and cheese flows out of him. It is evident in all he does!

Kurt started making cheese boards for guests of my downtown Airbnbs and our business took off after friends of mine began to gift two years ago.  We were blessed to meet Fletcher Elkington, a commercial realtor, who showed us the space in which we are in.  We opened our doors in May and it has been a delightful journey to meet all of the wonderful Memphis Turophiles (cheese lovers).

LOVE Sandwich Saturdays and especially the nod to your heritage with the Cuban sandwich! We’d love to hear more about it!

Sandwich Saturdays were just going to be a one-time thing but then it took off.  Our Chef Harrison loves to come up with the most amazing sandwiches each week.  It has taken off as we have new and unique offerings every week.  We love that sometimes people line up outside before we open for our sandwiches.  We sell out within the hour sometimes!  We are grateful for this opportunity to serve Memphians these sandwiches.

The Cuban Sandwich is quite a success.  I’m Cuban-American, my dad was Cuban and growing up in Miami I grew up eating Cuban food.  I am very serious about keeping my Cuban food authentic which is why we fly the bread from a Miami Cuban bakery.  The key to the sandwich is the pork and the Cuban bread! We keep it real and authentic.

What’s your favorite thing that shop offers?

I love everything about the shop.  The fact that we can support local businesses by selling their products.  We also love to have many American cheeses as the US has some amazing creameries making award-wining cheeses.  But my most absolute favorite thing about the shop is the educational component via either our workshops or if you come into the store and sample and learn about a new cheese. 

How have you plugged into the Memphis community or what’s your favorite part about being a local entrepreneur?

My favorite part is getting to know our customers, our turophiles as we like to call them.  Turophile is a connoisseur of cheese.  I also love collaborating and supporting other local businesses.  Being a local entrepreneur has really shown me the importance of supporting local businesses versus large corporations.   

What’s up next for you guys and the shop?

We have big plans for the next few months.  Many of our turophiles want to ship our products to their friends and family so we will begin shipping specially curated gift boxes in the fall.  And who knows what the future brings, maybe other locations?  Stay tuned, we have big plans.

You may also be interested in: Old Dominick crafts 200 bottles of two-year-old Tennessee Whiskey

The post Calling All Turophiles: Catching up with Jackie of Greys Cheese appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Cecilia Martinez is one of the minds behind the MenosMal blog and Wicked Huercas podcast. Along with her sister, Dulce, they create engaging lifestyle content that covers everything from travel to stories of their childhood. We caught up with Cecilia to learn more about their content as well as get to know a little more about her!

Tell us about Menosmal’s origin story! We’d love to hear how everything got started.

In 2019-2020, I interned at Church Health Center while I was working on my master’s in social work at the University of Memphis. I worked a lot with the Latin community and often had to find online resources such as apps, websites, podcasts, etc that could help them with self-care. I struggled to find anything in Spanish or Indigenous languages and realized that not even I could find content that I could identify with as a bilingual, first-generation immigrant raised in the South. At the beginning of the pandemic, I started making graphics and videos for patients and for families I worked with as a caseworker at Latino Memphis, about mental health, building support networks, etc.

As much as I wanted to make that work, I realized that I wasn’t coming off as authentic, because even though I’m a first-generation immigrant, my experience was very different considering I came to the U.S. as a child, speak fluent English, and have more knowledge of navigating predominantly-white spaces. That’s when I realized that the best way I could help others like me is to simply share my story and experiences.

Menos mal has a double meaning in Spanish. It can be an expression of relief such as “good thing (menos mal) that you didn’t go to that party because it was boring”, but the literal translation is also “less bad”. I picked this name because I wanted to put content out there that helped people like me, whether Latin, Mexican, or first-generation, and provide guidance and tips that they may not otherwise have and help ease their journey in becoming the best version of themselves. I try to do this through blogs, social media posts, videos, and our podcast.

Same for the Wicked Huercas podcast–tell us everything! We see you talk about a wide range of topics on the show, which ones would be your top two favorite episodes and why?

Wicked Huercas is co-hosted by my youngest sister, Dulce, and I, who also writes blogs on the site from time to time. When we came to the U.S. I was seven, my middle sister was four, and Dulce was barely one. We grew up in a very small, rural, not very diverse town in Middle Tennessee, and now as adults when we reflected back on our experiences, we realized that stories like ours weren’t often told. A lot of the Latin stories we hear are about people living in big Latin communities, such as New York or LA. On our podcast, Dulce and I share stories about our childhood and what it means to be a Latina in the South. We talk about a wide range of topics such as education and sometimes interview others to talk about their experiences. While these topics are serious, we often joke around and keep things light-hearted.

How has Memphis’ Latinx community been a part of your own story?

I moved to Memphis to attend graduate school at the University of Memphis, and now almost four and a half years later I have realized how much this city has helped me grow. Growing up and in college, I was not used to being surrounded by a large Latin community, and even though Memphis doesn’t have an enormous Latin community, it’s big enough to be embraced by it. I worked at Latino Memphis for about three and a half years as a caseworker and during that time I had so many opportunities to work with the community. My Spanish has greatly improved during my time here, and it’s the first time in my life when my group of friends is made up of so many Latin individuals from different backgrounds. I feel like Memphis has provided me with a stable foundation for growth, and the ability to find my identity while reconnecting with my roots.

What do you hope your audiences take away from your content?

I would hope that when people read and listen to our content they can identify with our experiences or at least learn from them, whether it’s reading a travel blog and discovering a new restaurant to being connected to a community resource. I especially hope that others outside of the South learn that there is a Latin community here that is working hard every day and making space.

What’s up next for you and Menosmal?

In my eyes, Menosmal is an ongoing lifestyle project and a way for me to be creative.  Now that I am out of school I have a lot more time to focus on the platform and what it can be. I hope to continue writing blogs about travel, education, lifestyle, and continue sharing Latin stories on our podcast. I’m also working on a resource page of agencies that serve the Latin population in the South. Whatever we do in life, we are navigating spaces and making pathways, so I will always share my experiences, whether good or bad, to help others in their own journeys.

Dulce is an interdisciplinary media major at Middle Tennessee State University, so I am looking forward to what we can do together with her knowledge and my social work experience.

We also have an Etsy, MemosmalMarket, where we sell upcycled items designed by us and made by my mother-in-law, all made from up-cycled material. We don’t like to put content out there just for the likes or the heck of it, so whatever we do, whether it’s a blog or a headband, we want to make sure that it’s thought out, sustainable, and in the end in some way helps the betterment of our communities.

You might also be interested in: Itzel Gomez: A Dedicated Advocate for the Latino Community in Memphis

The post Sharing Stories: Catching Up with MenosMal’s Cecilia Martinez appeared first on We Are Memphis.

What’s the background on Made to Dream Co.? How did you get started and what inspired you?

Your “My Dreams Are Not Illegal” sticker is outstanding. Can you tell us more about the story behind it?

How has Memphis’ Latinx community been a part of your own story?

If you could give any advice to anyone looking to start a business, what would that be?

What’s next for you and Made to Dream Co.?

The post We’re all Made to Dream: Made to Dream Co. by Allie Arcos appeared first on We Are Memphis.

By: Kirstin Cheers

Here’s an homage to a community of people who keep our hair protected, healthy and strong during the blistering summers and crippling winters that are upon us: hair braiders. Braids have – at the very least – saved us time, energy and heat damage. Braids are a nod to our African roots and an act of resistance against European definitions of beauty. Embedded in this brief overview of the history of braids are features of Memphis hair braiders for our readers who need to update their “hair braider rolodex” this summer and fall.

Our ancestors left us with many tools to live this life as a Black person, including the power of the braid. Originating in Africa, braids were traditional indicators of not just style, but culture, family, tribes and religion. Because braiding took hours upon hours to complete (and sometimes even days), the tradition of hair braiding was also an opportunity to form community and fellowship. Ancient African women AND men wore braids to formal events such as weddings, funerals and ceremonial rituals as a style of elegance, class and reality.

During American slavery, Africans and their descendants born into slavery wore braids to maintain a neat and tidy look while working and to keep their hair from their faces when outside. Slaves would use household products like butter and cooking grease when braiding, absent of the natural resources in Africa prior. During Reconstruction and throughout Jim Crown, Black women maneuvered towards more European hairstyles that straightened their coily and curly hair.

Braids and other protective styles such as dreadlocks and two-strand twists were regarded as unprofessional and inappropriate for the workplace and formal ceremonies in Western culture. Hence, the word “nappy” defined hair as hard to comb through or run fingers through. Nappy hair was regarded as ‘bad hair’ and the label pushed Black women to resort to straightening their hair or being seen as having “good hair.” The straightening of ‘nappy’ hair made Black women (as well as Black men) believe that navigating white spaces would be easier, a byproduct of “respectability politics”. Those with nappy hair were seen as unkempt and unprofessional while straight hair was acceptable to the white gaze.

During the 1960s and The Black Power movement, braids were making their return as a symbol of Black pride and reconciliation with African culture. Other hairstyles including afros and dreadlocks were deemed political expressions against white supremacy and anti-Blackness. The late actress, Cicely Tyson, is credited for sparking the natural hair movement with her cornrow hairstyle on the 19060s television show East Side/West Side. Over time, more Black representation of braids and protective styles became prevalent in entertainment and media. Braids continued to stand as a symbol of Black pride, even at the rejection of European beauty standards.

It was then in the 1970s, when actress Bo Derek appeared in the film 10 wearing blonde cornrows that the beauty industry took notice and embraced braids, but only as a trend. The actress was credited with starting the trend, neglecting and ignoring the centuries-long history of the style. While white women were regarded as fashion-forward with braids, Black women were still seen as “ghetto” and “low-class” with the style. A similar reaction happened in 2020 when Kim Kardashian wore a braided hairstyle and called them “Bo Dereck Braids” and social media went ablaze with criticism, and rightfully so. Cultural appropriation prevents Black people, Black hairstylists and Black braiders from being credited and acknowledged for our culture, innovations and investments to the melting pot of what we know as American culture.

Braids continue to be a staple style for many Black people. From knotless braids which we love for their painless and long-lasting beauty to Black men wearing cornrows and bringing back the 99 and the 2000s, braids afford our hair protection from the blistering heat and frigid winters. With the ongoing pandemic, many rely on braids to forgo manipulating our hair every day, causing more damage and unnecessary stress to our tresses. Pregnant Black women are known for getting their hair braided weeks before delivering their baby. Little Black girls rock their braids on the first day of school. While hegemonic culture continues to mark braids and cultural hairstyles as unkempt, Black people fully embrace the beauty and agility of our braids. Braids are appropriate for any and every occasion.

You may also be interested in: Memphis History

The post Braid My Hair: A Salute to Braids and Black Braiders appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Women have been directing films from the beginning of cinema — and have continued to break new cinematic ground since.  Earlier on women sometimes had a good shot at participating, but as the studio system took shape, men largely muscled women out of directing, producing, show running and other key creative roles. Female directors persisted anyway, innovating techniques and tackling subjects once prohibited to their gender. This piece focuses on filmmakers that have innovated or pushed boundaries in some way. Thanks to a push for more women in this film and television space. 

These 5 women filmmakers have produced a wide range of creative content, from narrative and documentary shorts and feature films to commercials and web series, even establishing film festivals. These women have learned from their experience developing projects from concept to completion right here in Memphis and beyond.

Miriam Bale

Miriam Bale is the Artistic Director at Indie Memphis. Indie Memphis is a year-round program that inspires, encourages and promotes independent films and filmmaking in Memphis. The year-round organization is best known for its annual Indie Memphis Film Festival presented by Duncan-Williams, Inc., which transforms the city into a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences. Bale has covered films for popular publications such as The New York Times, Sight and Sound, and Film Comment. She’s organized film programs and founded a film festival in NYC. She, along with The Memphis Indie team has done an exceptional job keeping film in Memphis in the forefront during the pandemic.

Melissa Anderson Sweazy

Melissa is an award-winning screenwriter, film and music video director, podcaster, essayist, and photographer. Right here in Memphis, she began to create films on her own terms.  Resurrecting scripts, and handling the production process, she has been able to direct and produce several of her own works. Sweazy has created an animated short for the Grizzlies through a grant. She also created a documentary about Camp Good Grief which won both juried and audience awards at film festivals. You can see her movies and catch up on her sporadically updated adventures at melissasweazy.com.

Katori Hall

Memphis-native Katori Hall is the book writer and co-producer of the West End and Broadway hit, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. She’s also the executive producer and showrunner of P-VALLEY, the breakout Starz drama based on her play Pu**y Valley. Katori is an award winner, known for her writing, playwriting, journalism, and acting. She is, perhaps, best known for The Mountaintop. The play, which fictionalizes the last night in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2010 before opening on Broadway in October 2011 to critical acclaim. Katori’s other works include the award-winning Hurt Village, Hoodoo Love, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, Our Lady of Kibeho and The Blood Quilt. She is also the director of the award-winning short, Arkabutla. Katori is currently developing multiple projects across film, television and theater.

Lauren Ready

Lauren is an Emmy award-winning storyteller with more than a decade of experience. She spent the first part of her career in TV journalism. Ultimately, WMC Action News 5 brought Lauren and her husband Scott to Memphis. And it was here that Lauren found her passion for telling the stories she does now, as owner and Principal Storyteller for Forever Ready Productions. She directed and produced an Emmy award-winning short documentary called “Bike Lee.” It won Audience Choice at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. She created the Emmy-nominated video featuring a former Regional One Health patient who, after a tough battle against near death, was reunited with his doctors and nurses who saved his life. She directed the team-wide production of 2018 Indie Memphis winner “You Must Believe,” which took home the Audience Choice award in the Hometowner Documentary Short category. It also won an Emmy in 2020. Lauren is constantly producing and capturing stories visually.

Zaire Love

Zaire is an award-winning filmmaker, music maker, and writer whose mission is to honor, amplify, and archive the stories and voices of the Black South concentrating her work in Memphis and Mississippi. Her artistry is an ode to being Black and southern in America because the Black South has always had meaningful “cornbread” to share. In her TEDx talk, Baby Hair + Hot Sauce = Embrace What They Ain’t, she talks about the power that Black women [Beyonce and Fannie Lou Hamer] from the South possess and how that power of embracing what others are not is the power that makes them legendary. Zaire is currently making and creating with her studio, Creative Cornbread. Check out her works at zairelove.com.

You may also be interested in: Black Seeds Urban Farms Brings a Fresh Twist to the Community Garden

The post 5 Women in the 901 Representing in Film & Television appeared first on We Are Memphis.

In 2019, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music shared the accomplishments of women in the Memphis music industry through an exhibit appropriately named “Run This Town: Memphis’ Women of Soul, Past and Present” and We Are Memphis is partnering with Stax to continue celebrating these influential women. When the exhibit ended in 2020, it did without much fanfare because of this whole global pandemic thing – and that just didn’t sit well with us. So we sat down with Stax Museum Executive Director Jeff Kollath to talk about how “Run This Town” paid tribute to the women of today and yesterday. And stay tuned – there will be virtual opportunities to celebrate this month, too!  

We Are Memphis Music: Run This Town has such an important message. What inspired you to create the exhibit?

Jeff Kolath: Women in this industry are at the core of our identity as an organization, but it all started with Stax Records and what Estelle Axton did for that company. It wasn’t just working with her brother Jim Stewart, facilitating the making of records, and running the satellite record shop up front, but it was also what she meant to all of the young people she hired and the guidance and leadership she provided for them and the company. She really understood the record business and the music industry. She understood what was hot and paid attention to the customers and kids that came into the store. She was always trying to make things happen and so many people speak so highly of her and what she meant to them. She was truly the heart and soul of the company.  

So much so that when we speak about opportunity here at Soulsville, a lot of that comes from her and her brother just giving young people of color the opportunity and the space to be creative. She is so much of the inspiration that we draw from and we thought that the exhibit was a great way to honor her and some of the women of Memphis’ music past. When we started talking about it, we saw the natural parallel between what happened in the past and what is happening in Memphis music today. Women are making a mark and putting Memphis’ music on the map and, even though I wish we could have covered everybody, we drew from those who we’ve worked with in the past and whose work has always impressed us. We included people like my colleague Kimberly Hooper Taylor and our neighbor at Memphis Slim House, Tonya Dyson. She’s always doing something whether it’s running the Kickspins record shop, performing, or just trying to build community through the work that she does. She’s so immensely creative, giving, and caring and works really hard to put Soulsville USA on the map for its current music. It was exciting to highlight her because people in Memphis know who Tonya is, but our guests from outside of Memphis don’t. 

It’s also an opportunity to showcase artists like Talibah Safiya and Liz Brasher who we believe represent the original ethos of Stax and come at things in a different sort of way. Liz is an amazing singer-songwriter, but she also plays guitar in her band. That’s inspiring for the young female instrumentalists at the Stax Music Academy. It’s also really powerful that she’s not a Memphis native, but she’s someone who has embraced Memphis. She’s an incredible role model for female musicians, but also just all musicians, period. Talibah is an amazing poet and has taken Memphis soul and brought it into the 21st century. It’s always exciting to give some shine to new Memphis artists. There’s representation from the business side of things too — Elizabeth Cawein is somebody who is, again, so passionate about Memphis and has really blazed her trail. She eats, sleeps, and breathes Memphis music. It’s a credit to her, but also to the city for being so receptive to the work that she does, too.  

Everyone is so giving with their time and expertise — I don’t know how some of them find the time to do what they do, but, to me, it’s why I think the title of women in Memphis music is so important. These women have just given their time to Memphis music and believe in it. It’s all in staying here. To me, that’s where a lot of that true authenticity comes from. Staying here because you believe in it. You can hone your craft here, make your way, and then try to get a job in Austin of L.A. or something. Staying here and pushing, believing, and hustling is something special. All the women in the exhibit have done that. 
 

WAMM: Out of the 12 women featured, which is your favorite story and why?

JK: I’m always partial to our good friend Natalie Rosenberg. She is one of the lesser known figures and how she came to be involved is such an amazing story. Her husband was Seymour Rosenberg the lawyer and musician, but Natalie grew up in Memphis. She went to Central High School and used to sneak across the river to go to nightclubs in West Memphis. She fell in love with music and, after she married Seymour and he became involved with Memphis music, there were musicians around all the time. She even tells these stories of Isaac Hayes babysitting her kids.  

She eventually started working on and producing records. Like so many others in Memphis — a reason why I love our music community so much — she wasn’t trained to be a record producer or anything. She found herself in the position, had some support, asked the right questions, figured it out, and then started working with these bands. As her husband progressed in his career, she continued to work with the bands and became close with the folks here at Stax. She produced some garage rock and other records for the Hip label which is one of Stax’s subsidiaries. She eventually branched out and built their own studio out of an old service station. They kept the facade and the building behind it, but basically built the studio from scratch. She worked with people to pick the equipment and did all the interior design, but she essentially designed the studio after Stax’s studio. A big difference was that she wanted it to be a place where musicians were comfortable and wanted to hang out– it was more like a lounge. Even the marketing materials for the studio were basically “relax and come make a record.” There’s a photo of her at the console with a big hairdo, false eyelashes, and everything. It’s just awesome. Even after her divorce, she worked in Memphis radio for 20 years. She’s worked at nearly every possible angle of Memphis music and she’s so humble about it. It’s just amazing that she did everything that she did all while raising a family at the same time.
 

WAMM: If you had to share just one lesson out of the many that someone can learn from the exhibit, what would that be?

JK: We know we’re not the only ones to do this, but a big thing that we talk about at the museum is that people should never forget that the Memphis music we know and love would never have existed without women being at the forefront. From Marion Keister recording Elvis Presley when he came into Sun Studios, Estelle Axton, all the amazing work that Deanie Parker did to promote Stax artists, helping create the Soulsville Foundation, Stax Academy, and the Stax Museum, and Bettye Berger who managed artists and was a radio DJ to the current industry with people like Liz, Tonya, Elizabeth, Kirby, and Talibah.  

Soul music being such a male–dominated genre, and you often think of Stax’s big artists like Otis and Isaac. But you’ve got incredible female artists from Carla Thomas, Wendy Rene, and the amazing Shirley Brown. Women have always played such an important role here at Stax and I think that’s why we were inspired to do this exhibit and why we continue to talk about it. It’s also so important for all the women at the Stax Music Academy, too. They’re the next generation. Women in music doesn’t just start with Marion and Elvis, it goes back through gospel, blues, jazz, and even further back. It’s been a century-plus — way more than four or five generations.  

It’s such an empowering story and, for us, it’s just one more thing that we want everyone, but especially Memphians, to learn and understand about this community. It’s not just Elvis and all the other male artists. As far as the business side of things, making the companies go, promoting records, and sharing with the industry, through all of that incredible work, there was a woman involved at every step.  

You might also be interested in: Live Music Memphis Tonight | Memphis Live Music Calendar

The post Run This Town: Women in Memphis Music appeared first on We Are Memphis.