Section I: Topic

Growing up in Memphis, TN, I always recognized the cultural significance of blues and rock music to the city. With Beale Street and Graceland publicized as the city’s main tourist attractions, music has always been a part of our tourism industry. The development of each genre coincides with major historical southern issues.

Despite my exposure to blues and rock music in Memphis, I have only recently started to understand the worldwide impact of Memphis soul music. My realization of this comes through the city’s efforts to remember Stax Records, a key player in the soul music era, through inner-city revitalization projects.

In my research, I hope to learn more about the musical roots of soul and its development in Memphis. I’d like to get a better sense of the people involved in its beginnings, such as the musicians of Hi Records and Stax Records, and how their involvement correlates to the political issues of the time, such as the Civil Rights movement.

This information is useful to anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of Memphis history, but also to any music fan. Many of today’s popular musicians trace their inspirations to the music of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Soul music can in many cases be considered the precursor of today’s Pop and R&B music.

Section I-b: Keywords

Section II: Books, Videotapes and CD-ROMS from UNC-CH Libraries

Print Sources
Bowman, Robert M. J. Soulsville, U.S.A.: the Story of Stax Records. (New York: Schirmer Books, 1997) ML3792 .B69 1997
Guralnick, Peter. Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. (New York: Harper and Row, 1986) ML3521 .G9 1986

Non-Print Source
Junkerman, John. 1999. Southern Fusion [Videorecording]. Bethesda, M.D.: AcornMedia. VC-400

Section III: Electronic Indexes and Databases

Hoekstra, Dave. (2001, September 23). ‘Soulsville’ Saves Its Own in Memphis. Chicago Sun-Times [Online], 38 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe. [2003 January 30].

James, Steve. (2002, November 29). Stax Studio’s Rebirth as a Museum; Renewal Program Underway in Memphis’s ‘Soulsville USA.’ Washington Post [Online], 781 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe. [2003 January 30].

Nathan, David. (1995, February 4). R&B Changed, Charged by ‘60s. Billboard [Online], 20 paragraphs. Available: EBSCO Host. [2003 January 30].

Welset, Joya. (2002, October 27). Rock N’ Soul; Memphis Museum Spins City’s Musical History Into One Smooth-Sounding Blend. Greensboro News and Record [Online], 625 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe. [2003 January 30].

Wyman, Bill. (2002, August 11). Dawning of a Rock Revolution. Sunday Telegraph (London) [Online], 1516 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe. [2003 January 30].

Yellin, Emily. (2002, January 7). Memphis Embraces Its Own Gritty Soul. The New York Times [Online], 32 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe. [2003 January 30].

Section IV: Web Sources

Title of Web Page: Hi Records
Web Address: http://hirecords.com/history.html
Description: The Hi Records web page gives background information on this company, which, along with Stax Records, was a major Memphis soul powerhouse in the 1960’s. The site offers short biographies of famous recording artists such as Al Green and Willie Mitchell along with clips of their music.

Title of Web Page: Soulsville USA
Web Address: http://www.soulsvilleusa.com
Description: The Soulsville USA website gives information about this museum dedicated to Stax Records. The site discusses the development of soul music, the rise of Stax Records and the lasting imprint soul music made on the music world and in the community of Memphis. Also outlined are revitalization efforts underway through the Soulsville USA foundation.

Title of Web Page: History of Rock – Soul Music
Web Address: http://www.history-of-rock.com/soul_music.html
Description: This site gives a lengthy description of how and why Stax Records was developed in the 1960’s, the artists that recorded under the Stax label and how soul took shape as a genre in Memphis.

Title of Web Page: The Stax Story
Web Address: http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/stax_aquisition.html
Description: This page explains how Stax Records came into being and the events the contributed to its growth and, ultimately, its demise. It talks about artists popular in the soul era. The page also describes how Fantasy Records gained control of the Stax catalog.

Title of Web Page: Soul
Web Address: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=10:42:10|AM&sql=J120
Description: This essay gives the political and cultural context of soul music. The author explains the genre’s origins and credits Memphis’s Stax Records as influential in soul’s development.

Section V: Internet Mini-Essay

Net-savvy singles are searching online for partners now more than ever before thanks to the increasing social acceptance of online dating services. In December 2002 alone, 26 million people frequented dating sites (2). As digital matchmaking continues to lose its social stigma, business for dating services, such as industry forerunner Match.com, is booming.

To make a profit, dating sites charge a subscription fee, usually in the neighborhood of $20. With a subscription, love-seekers can post personal photos, biographical information and criteria for a potential mate. Consumers say the benefits of online sites outweigh those of a traditional newspaper personals ad: the newspaper ad has a similar price tag but offers only four or five lines of text (1).

The surge in online daters is raising the stakes among online dating services, which are bolstering their marketing strategies in order to compete (2). According to Marketdata Enterprises, a Tampa-based firm, online dating services brought in $304 million in revenue in 2002. Part of that is credited to advertising campaigns that target audiences of popular television dating shows such as “The Bachelorette” and “Joe Millionaire.” Online dating services spent $10 million on advertising in 2002, and that is estimated to triple in 2003 (2).

Some of the common complaints about online dating services include the lopsided gender ratio: 60 percent of users are men. Consumers also worry about the reliability of personal information listed in the ads, such as height, weight and age (1). Perhaps the most startling misrepresentation, however, is that 30 percent of all visitors to matchmaking sites are married (2). But the sites tout accessibility, selection and anonymity as factors that make looking for love online an increasingly attractive option (1).

Notes:
(1) Kopytoff, Verne, “Digital Dating,” The San Francisco Chronicle, 19 August 2002, Also Available [Online]: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [Accessed: 1 February, 2003].

(2) Lauro, Patricia Winters, “The Media Business: Advertising; Online Dating, a Hushed Subject but a Roaring Business, Goes Very Public in Marketing Battle,” 27 January 2003, Also Available [Online]: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [Accessed: 1 February, 2003].

Related Web Sites:

Title of Web Page: Electronic Cupids
Web Address: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/onlinedating000712.html
Description: A story about aspects of online dating, including pros and cons.
Source of Web Site: ABC News

Title of Web Page: Meatmarket.com
Web Address: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2002/05/15/online_dating/
Description: Article describes the online dating phenomenon and what motivates singles to “peddle” themselves on the web.
Source of Web Site: Salon.com

Title of Web Page: Love at First Site
Web Address: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,851081,00.asp
Description: A review of some of the most popular online dating services.
Source of Web Site: PC Magazine