Memphis Music InnerView
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -Mitch McCracken has been a part of Memphis radio since the early seventies. This podcast started as a series of articles McCracken wrote for the Examiner about Memphis musicians. It started with the death of Jim Dickenson, with him died a lot of great stories. Before long, Willie Mitchell was also gone taking his stories with him. There was no documentation of their stories, and Mitch wanted to do that, document the stories of Memphis music and musicians. After writing several articles on people like Jimi Jamison, Jim Dickenson, Willie Mitchell, and Shawn Lane, he wanted to take it to the next level by doing a radio interview show. He pitched his friends David Fleischman and Jon Scott of All Memphis Music.com, who liked the idea, and McCracken started recording the interviews. The first Interview with Jack Rowell, Jr. aired on 8/13/2013. Since then, Mitch McCracken has done interviews with Don Nix, Reba Russell, Jimi Jamison, Jon Fry, JoJo Jefferies, Steve Cobb, Eric Hughes, Greg Reding, and many more. These are not question and answer interviews; they are conversations. Many of the people interviewed have shared stories that they have never told anyone else in an interview. That was what Mitch was looking for, not just stories but unique stories. The response to the show has been overwhelmingly positive, much better than he ever imagined. "This is a dream come true. It is an honor to sit down and talk to these icons of Memphis music and to document their stories," said McCracken. Credits: The Memphis Music InnerView theme song is “Blue Sky Blues” by Kara Square (ft. Admiral Bob).Memphis Music InnerView is a Get Cracken Production.
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Episodes
Season 2 Episode 7 - Steve Ingle
February 15, 2021 18:00 - 38 minutes - 26.1 MBCREED is a band that still stands tall in Memphis music even after more than 40 years. Their one album, CREED, released in 1978, offers Southern-edged hard rock that has a slight AOR flavor thanks to the keyboard magic of Hal Butler. “Firecracker” and “Time and Time Again” are standouts. While Steve Ingle had all the drawing power any band would need, in the end, so did Hal Butler. In the ‘70s, a band had drawing power if they had an excellent soloist. Some bands had guitar soloist, while ot...
Season 2 Episode 6 - Billy Burnette
February 08, 2021 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBThis week, my guest is a second-generation Memphis musician. His Uncle Johnny had a few hits in the early ‘60s, including “You’re Sixteen”. His father, Dorsey Burnette, wrote songs like “It’s Late” for Ricky Nelson. Billy has recorded his own solo material and was with Fleetwood Mac for almost a decade. He has also toured with John Fogerty and Bob Dylan, among others.
Season 2 Episode 5 - Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith
February 01, 2021 20:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBWhen I saw the recent purchase of Sun Records by Primary Wave, it reminded me of a conversation I had with an early Sun session man. As it turns out, there wasn’t just one Jerry Lee at Sun. There were two. I’m talking about “Honky Tonk” piano session man Jerry Lee “Smoochy” Smith. Smoochy has some great stories to tell about what The Stage Stop in Memphis was like before it was the Stage Stop. Back then, it was Smoochy’s Steak House and Lounge, a steak house fit for a king. You see where I’m...
Season 2 Episode 4 - Bobby Whitlock
January 26, 2021 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBBobby Whitlock was born in Arkansas but spent his teen years living in Millington and hanging out at some Memphis recording studios. In fact, he found himself in the Stax studio where Sam and Dave were recording “I Thank You.” You can hear Bobby supplying some of the handclaps on that record. Bobby went on to be the first white artist to be signed by Stax’s Hip imprint label. Bobby is a keyboard player, that is his instrument, but he was persuaded to play piano for the first time on a stud...
Season 2 Episode 3 - Remember Pat Taylor Pt 2
January 18, 2021 21:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBThis week’s Memphis Music Inner View is the conclusion of my conversation with Pat and Susanne Taylor. Once again, you can hear the love between them that was so apparent in last week’s episode. Listen for Pat to mention Missouri, Susanne jumps in and teases him. If you listen closely, you can hear Pat give Susanne a raspberry before explaining his pronunciation. This is my tribute to Pat Taylor, who touched so many in the Memphis music community. We also hear from part of that community, th...
Season 2 Episode 2 - Remembering Pat Taylor
January 11, 2021 21:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBSeason 2 of the Memphis Music Inner View Podcast continues with episode 2, my conversation with Pat and Susanne Jerome Taylor. I worked hard to get this interview. Our mutual friend, Freddy Tate helped make it happen. I wanted the Taylors to share their story with the whole world. It is one of the most loving and respectful stories in the history of Memphis music. You can hear the love in this interview. Check it out on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, Pandora, or whe...
Season 2 Episode 1 - Gary Talley
January 04, 2021 21:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MBMy guest this week is Gary Talley of the Box Tops. Gary was an original member and then went on to tour and record with some of the greatest recording artists of the time. I'm talking about people like Billy Preston, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Tim McGraw, and Tammy Wynette, to name a few. Gary tells the story of the Box Tops. He also talks about the Happy Together tour and meeting Leslie West many years ago.
Season 1 Episode 13 - Ron Hall
November 17, 2020 19:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBI went to high school with this week’s guest on the Memphis Music InnerView Podcast. Ron Hall started “collecting” (albums, Memphis music memorabilia, all kinds of stuff) when he was in high school. I was aware that Ron was collecting and selling albums at the Flea Market, but in 2001 my good friend, Steve Johnston, told me about a great new book he got as a birthday gift. It was Ron’s first book, Playing for A Piece of the Door. I loved it and read about so many bands that I followed and ot...
Season 1 Episode 12 - Reba Russell
November 09, 2020 06:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBYou can’t have a conversation about Memphis Music without today’s guests’ name coming up. Reba Russell is a published songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, backing vocalist, bandleader, and producer, as well as a touring and recording artist. Reba Russell and her band tour the United States and Europe and have released 8 Independent Albums. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 11 - Robby Turner Pt 2
November 02, 2020 13:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBHere's the conclusion of my interview with Robby Turner. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 10 - Robby Turner
October 26, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBThis week’s show is my conversation with Robby Turner and what an Inner View it was. Robby has toured with the Highwaymen, Waylon Jennings, the Dixie Chicks, and he has worked with Sam Phillips, Chips Moman, Reggie Young, Tony Joe White, and Sun Records, to name a few. Although he is known for his steel guitar playing, he also plays drums, bass guitar, and many more instruments. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 9 - Dan Penn
October 20, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBThe Memphis Music InnerView Podcast this week is Singer, Songwriter, and producer Dan Penn. Dan wrote hit songs for The Box Tops, Conway Twitty, James and Bobby Purify, and many more. He worked with American Studios, Ardent, and Fame. He also had his own studio, Beautiful Sounds, in east Memphis. This is a fun and interesting interview. We had fun doing it, and you can hear that. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 8 - Danny Jones
October 12, 2020 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBDanny Jones is a producer/engineer who has worked in three major music cities, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and New Orleans. He has worked on some incredible projects. I really enjoyed this interview; Danny has worked with some friends and a few I wish I knew better. This is a very interesting interview. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 7 - Linda Gail Lewis
October 05, 2020 21:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBMy guest today is Linda Gail Lewis, the Killer’s Little Sister. As you will hear, Linda Gail has her own talent and even toured with her brother and Van Morrison as his Piano player. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 6 - John Fry
September 28, 2020 13:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBToday’s podcast is my conversation with a Memphis Music icon, John Fry of Ardent Studios. From my 2014 interview with John, who was involved with Memphis music for decades. John talks about Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Big Star and their contribution to Memphis music. We also talk about when Ardent broadcast live shows over FM100, and two of John’s favorite subjects, the Big Star Movie and digital versus analog sound. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it...
Season 1 Episode 5 - Sid Herring
September 21, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBGood Morning Facebook, today the Podcast is with a man I have great respect for. He, like almost every American male in the ’60s, was in a garage band. His band was formed in Greenwood, MS, but he recorded and lived in Memphis for a while. Sid Herring and his band became well known in the midsouth. He looked like Peter Noone (Herman) of Herman’s Hermits, but his singing voice was compared to that of John Lennon. Sid lived in Memphis and recorded at TMI Studios with my friend, Jerry Willia...
Season 1 Episode 4 - Bobby Wood
September 14, 2020 15:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBIt's Monday, so here is my new podcast. This is my conversation with "Memphis Boy" piano player Bobby Wood. Bobby talks about the first time he met Elvis and it wasn't while recording with him at American Studios. He also talks about his current gig in the Garth Brooks recording band. Great interview, check it out. If you have heard the podcast and would like to review it, just go to RateThisPodcast.com/memphismusic
Season 1 Episode 3 Andy Black
September 08, 2020 19:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MB“The Memphis music story that you’ve never heard.” Shoe: A Memphis Music Legacy. Memphis musicians, singers, songwriters, engineers, and producers reunite to remember and record their days at Shoe Productions. This underground studio was about to be left out of Memphis Music History. In this episode of Memphis Music InnerView, I talk with Andy Black about the making of Shoe: A Memphis Music Legacy. While some are talking about the difficulties of home quarantine with their family, here is...
Season 1 Episode 2 George Klein pt 2
September 08, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBGeorge Klein is much more than a friend of Elvis Presley. He was one of the first DJ's in Memphis to play rock and roll on the radio, before Elvis. That was just the beginning of what George would do for Memphis, music wise. He became one of the most famous disc jockeys in Memphis history. He had the RKO "Boss" jock sound down when he was at WHBQ. You can't mention those call letters without thinking of George Klein or GK as Elvis called him. If you have heard the podcast and would like to r...
Season 1 Episode 1 George Klein
August 22, 2020 21:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBIt bothers me that for so long, George Klein has been seen as just Elvis' friend. George is an innovator and an ambassador to Memphis music. He has helped bring Memphis music to the world and the world of music to Memphis. George Klein is much more than a friend of Elvis Presley. He was one of the first DJ's in Memphis to play rock and roll on the radio, before Elvis. That was just the beginning of what George would do for Memphis, music wise. He became one of the most famous disc jockeys...
Season 1 Episode 7 - Tim Riley
April 22, 2020 15:00 - 59 minutes - 40.7 MBMy guest on this episode is Tim Riley, Tim is what’s called a promotion man. Record promotion is the division of a record company that places songs on the radio. They build relationships with program directors and music directors at radio stations and try to get them to play their records. They may also contract a third party, known as an independent promotion man or woman, whose responsibility is to take their artist's new song and get it on the radio by any means necessary. Tim is an indep...
Season 1 Episode 6 - Sid Herring
March 30, 2020 16:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBMy guest this week is Sid Herring of the Gants. The Gants were a great garage band from Greenwood, Mississippi originally known as the Kingsman. The Kingsman began with Sid Herring & Johnny Freeman in 1963 playing R&B covers and the type of instrumentals inspired by The Ventures. For a short period, Sid Herring lived in Memphis and the Gants recorded there. The British were invading, and Sid Herring was getting to be well known as the local singer who not only resembled Peter Noone of Herman...
Season 1 Episode 5 - Jimmy Tarbutton
March 14, 2020 20:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBJimmy Tarbutton got his start in Memphis music by playing in a few garage bands including the Jimmy Hart led Gentrys. He and two others quit the Gentrys to form one of the best Memphis bands of the seventies, Edgewood. He worked at Jerry Williams’ TMI studios for a while before moving to Nashville seeking work as an engineer and producer. Jimmy has worked with José Feliciano, JJ Cale, and the Oak Ridge Boys to name but a few. He shared a lot of great stories in this interview and I enjoyed...
Season 1 Episode 4 - John Fry
March 07, 2020 21:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBThis episode's guest is a Memphis Music Icon, John Fry the owner of Ardent Studios. I believe this is John’s last interview before his untimely death on December 18, 2014. John Fry had been involved with Memphis music for years. His Ardent studios survived when others like Sun and Stax have fallen. John talks about Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Big Star and their contribution to Memphis music. Here’s the interview from September of 2013. I started by talking about the first b...
Season 1 Episode 3 - Linda Gail Lewis
January 18, 2020 02:00 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MBWait until you hear my conversation with Linda Gail Lewis, she is so much more than Jerry Lee's little sister. She is talented, warm, charming and a great storyteller! She talks about recording and touring with Van Morrison, her collaboration with Robbie Fulks, the legend of the Killer and the truth about him as well. It's interesting to hear about Jerry Lee from his little sister's perspective. You will also hear her play the piano in that undeniable Lewis style. If you listen, you will bec...
Season 1 Episode 2 - David Beaver
January 11, 2020 19:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBBack in the seventies, nobody was bigger in the emerging new Memphis sound than David Beaver. With Memphis bands like Cargoe, Big Star, and Zuider Zee dominating the Memphis music scene, David Beaver was also a standout. First in the Gentrys then Edgewood and finally with D Beaver and Combinations. The latter two recorded at Jerry Williams’ TMI studios. The Combinations album was some pretty heavy stuff and Memphis loved it. I talked to David Beaver about all of it.
S1 E2 - David Beaver
January 11, 2020 19:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBBack in the seventies, nobody was bigger in the emerging new Memphis sound than David Beaver. With Memphis bands like Cargoe, Big Star, and Zuider Zee dominating the Memphis music scene, David Beaver was also a standout. First in the Gentrys then Edgewood and finally with D Beaver and Combinations. The latter two recorded at Jerry Williams’ TMI studios. The Combinations album was some pretty heavy stuff and Memphis loved it. I talked to David Beaver about all of it.
S1 E 1 Andy Black
November 27, 2019 16:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBAndy Black has been involved in the Memphis music scene since he was in high school. He played bass and sang with the Strayfers. I know, because I was there. We met at Frayser High School and we have been friends ever since. He was at Shoe Productions for years helping create little ditties like "The Dog Police", "Disco Duck" and "Memphis I'm Coming Home To You." I talked to Andy about his time at Shoe Studio and the documentary about the importance of Shoe to the history of Memphis music. W...
Season 1 Episode 1 Andy Black
November 27, 2019 16:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBAndy Black has been involved in the Memphis music scene since he was in high school. He played bass and sang with the Strayfers. I know, because I was there. We met at Frayser High School and we have been friends ever since. He was at Shoe Productions for years helping create little ditties like "The Dog Police", "Disco Duck" and "Memphis I'm Coming Home To You." I talked to Andy about his time at Shoe Studio and the documentary about the importance of Shoe to the history of Memphis music. W...