Memphis Soul

Memphis soul, also known as Memphis Sound, is stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard-edged as Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, bass, and a driving beat on the drums. Many of the songs in this style were performed by vocalists backed by the house bands for Stax and Hi Records. The Memphis soul sound was different from the Motown Sound from Detroit Michigan. After the rise of disco in the late 1970s, Memphis soul declined somewhat in popularity. Stax Museum of American Soul Music is dedicated to preserving the Memphis sound.