Preston Lauterbach's Blog, page 4
April 10, 2014
Memphis vs. New Orleans: Essay and Playlist
I pit my two favorite cities in a music celebrity death match for Virginia Quarterly Review. I would not want to get between Barbara Lynn and Memphis Minnie. Enjoy!
December 28, 2013
Reviews of The Chitlin’ Circuit The Wall Street Journal ...
Reviews of The Chitlin’ Circuit The Wall Street Journal Top Ten Non-Fiction books of 2011 The Boston Globe Top Non-Fiction books of 2011 An NPR Best Music Book of 2011 An Onion AV Club Best Book of 2011 “Lauterbach traces the vibrant history of the ‘chitlin’ circuit’ – the dance halls, juke joints and night clubs that catered to black […]
June 10, 2013
National brevities
National brevities: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health, and me. One of these things is not like the others. In any case, an interesting survey on African American quality of life asked how satisfied people are with their entertainment options. I gave some historical context on NPR’s All Things Considered.
March 25, 2013
Why don’t you come up some time and see me?
Why don’t you come up some time and see me? I’m thrilled to revisit Indianapolis, one of the key locations in chitlin’ circuit history, home of the fabulous Ferguson brothers. I’m giving a talk at 4:30 Wednesday afternoon at the University of Indianapolis, admission gratis, plus free autographs for everyone who buys a book. See [...]
August 20, 2012
On Isaac Hayes’ 70th: Remembering Currie’s Club Tropicana and Isaac Hayes’ debut
Memphis music geography centers on Beale Street downtown, but blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and soul have spilled out onto Thomas Street in the section of North Memphis called New Chicago since before WWII. It manages to stay well-hidden from the rest of the city– it’s not on the approved list of tourist attractions despite [...]
August 16, 2012
Sax Kari Sings!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCO-IC...
Here's a recently rediscovered (thank you, attic) snippet of Sax Kari, singing in his living room studio. Location is Seffner, Florida, early September 2005.
July 16, 2012
The Chitlin’ Circuit Paperback!
Is out today, bringing to mind the great Sax Kari, who said The Chitlin’ Circuit was never about making big money, it’s about making constant money. amazon.com Barnes and Noble
April 13, 2012
Al Green
I hear it’s Al Green’s birthday. I repost a classic article in his honor. This has been by far the most popular and frequently viewed item, now on my third website. Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle Church 787 Hale Road Memphis, TN 38116| 901-396-9192 Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle on Hale Rd, Memphis, TN After cementing [...]
March 10, 2012
The One
RJ Smith's James Brown bio The One, out this week, reviewed here for the Wall Street Journal, is loaded: captivating background, hair-raising stories, and fascinating detail. I was thrilled to learn that at the end of his life, Brown had just a few albums at home, one of which was a Sax Kari production! No [...]
December 20, 2011
The Chitlin' Circuit on Fresh Air
Ed Ward reviews The Chitlin' Circuit and Susan Whitall's Fever on NPR's Fresh Air, December 20, 2011. Audio will be available online around 5pm EST that day, or tune in to your local NPR affiliate. 
