New York, NY (Top40 Charts) MEMPHO
Music Festival will honor Steve Cropper and Booker T Jones's legendary influence on Stax Records and
Memphis music with a special tribute on October 7, 2017. Booker T Presents: A Stax Revue &
Journey Through Soul, Blues, and R&B will perform the main stage, followed by an all-star performance from Steve Cropper & Friends. The back-to-back sets will serve as a continuous tribute to Memphis's roots in music, as led by the legends themselves.
"I'm humbled to play a small part of such a momentous occasion," says
Diego Winegardner, Founder and CEO of Big River Presents, the promoter behind MEMPHO. "The impact of Stax Records on American music is immeasurable, while Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones are nothing short of national treasures. It's an absolute honor to bring these two giants back to the forefront of our collective consciousness for the launch of the inaugural MEMPHO
Music Festival."
Booker T. Jones — a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and four-time GRAMMY Award-inner — will present Booker T.'s Star Revue, a presentation of Booker T.'s hits with the MG's. The Stax Revue will feature a ten-piece big band with three lead vocalists, a three-piece horn section and Booker's usual rhythm section. The set will deliver a high energy experience curated to take the audience on a boundary-pushing musical journey of Stax Records through Booker's eyes.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Songwriter Hall of Famer Steve Cropper — the "World's Greatest Living Guitarist" — will follow the Stax Revue with an all-star tribute to
Memphis music. "Being honored anywhere is a great thing but, being honored in
Memphis is very special, says Cropper. "So many STAX alumni will be there to enjoy it so it will make it even more memorable."
Cropper has tapped an eclectic mix of artists, either local to
Memphis or connected to the music, including: Dave
Mason (Traffic), Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers, Dead & Company), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Eddie Floyd (wrote "Knock on Wood" with Cropper), as well as legendary keyboardist Lester Snell (Isaac Hayes, Shaft, B3 organ), drummer and cousin to Al Jackson, Steve Potts, trombonist Victor Sawyer, and tenor sax player Jim Spake.
Current list of artists set to perform tribute:
Booker T. (Stax, Booker T. & The MG's)
Dave
Mason (Traffic, The Reels)
Eddie Floyd (The Blues Brothers)
Lester Snell - Keyboards (MD) (Memphis session player)
Jim Spake - Sax (staple
Memphis session player)
John Popper (Blues Traveler)
Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers, Dead & Co)
Steve Cropper (Stax, Booker T. & The MG's, The Blues Brothers)
Steve Potts -
Drums (Booker T. & the MG's)
Victor Sawyer- Trombone (Stax
Music Academy)
The inaugural MEMPHO
Music Festival takes place Oct. 6-7 at the 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park, one of the largest urban parks in America, just minutes from Downtown Memphis. This year's lineup includes
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Cage the Elephant, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Hard Working Americans, Southern Avenue and more. Tickets -- including single-day and two-day general admission and VIP passes -- are on sale now at memphofest.com.
For more, please visit memphofest.com.
MEMPHO Fest on the web:
Facebook: facebook.com/memphofest
Instagram: instagram.com/memphofest
Twitter: twitter.com/memphofest
Snapchat: memphofest
Official Hashtag: #MEMPHOFEST
About MEMPHO:
MEMPHO is the latest chapter in the rich musical history of Memphis. Its founders are committed to making it an integral part of the
Memphis cultural scene for years to come. MEMPHO has been created to blend today's best sounds with Memphis' storied musical heritage, creating a festival experience filled with music, food, and nature that appeals to people of all ages. The inaugural event on October 6th and 7th 2017 features Grammy award-winning artists Cage the Elephant and
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Other performances include Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Cold War Kids, Booker T Presents: A Stax Revue, Hard Working Americans, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Bishop Briggs, The Weeks, Southern Avenue, Jojo's Slim Wednesday, Dan Luke & The Raid and more.
About Shelby Farms Park:
At 4,500 acres, Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee is one of the largest urban parks in the country. With a visionary master plan designed by
James Corner Field Operations, it is poised to become one of the best. Today, the Park features miles of paved and unpaved trails, dozens of lakes and ponds, the internationally recognized and sustainably designed Woodland Discovery Playground, a buffalo herd, the FedEx Event Center, The Kitchen Bistro and Kitchenette, a water play splash pad, an outdoor event stage overlooking an 80-acre lake, a treetop adventure course and more.
About Big River Presents:
Founded by
Memphis native
Diego Winegardner, Big River Presents is focused on promoting live events like MEMPHO aimed at enhancing Memphis' cultural scene and reputation as a premier destination to live and work. Big River Presents believes
Memphis is sacred ground for all those interested in the music industry.
