by Warren Zanes
First published 2003
Warren Zanes opens with his personal obsession with Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis, an album that fused pop and rhythm and blues like no other recording. He travels to Memphis to trace the album's origins, interviewing the musicians, producers, and studio personnel who created it. Zanes discovers that many of them, like himself, were outsiders who had been drawn to the American South. Through conversations with these key figures, he pieces together the circumstances that led to the album's creation. The book reveals how the South captivated the imagination of artists from different backgrounds, all converging to produce this singular work. Zanes weaves together his personal connection to the music with the stories of those who made it, exploring what happens when outsiders encounter the cultural power of Memphis.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, african-american, non-fiction, music
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Memphis
Period: 20th Century
132 pages · Kindle Edition · Bloomsbury Academic