Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song, and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis

by Preston Lauterbach

"All aspects of [Beale Street's] complex, fascinating history are told…with verve and vivid erudition." ― Wall Street Journal Between Reconstruction and Prohibition, Beale Street in Memphis thrived as a strip with a unique soul that reshaped American culture. Preston Lauterbach recounts the rise and fall of Beale Street through the life of the South’s first black millionaire, an ex-slave who built an underworld dynasty in the booming river town and created a space for black culture to flourish. A thrilling narrative history, Beale Street Dynasty tells an intriguing, previously unknown story about race in an American city. 22 photographs; map

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Music, Race, American History, Historical, Biography

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2015

About the author

Preston Lauterbach is author of The Chitlin' Circuit (2011), Beale Street Dynasty (2015), and Bluff City (2019) and is co-author of Brother Robert (2020) and Timekeeper (2021).

Reviews

[Still · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this superb “secret” history of Memphis covering its rise from a lawless river port in the late 1850s up to the pretty damned lawless 1940s, touching briefly on the 1950s when many of the major historical figures discussed have slouched off the scene.

It’s a tale of a town that became a metropolis- and for almost 150 years of its life depended upon vice: booze, narcotics, prostitution, gambling halls for its prosperity.

Parts of the book are very upsetting- I had to take a day or two off each time I read chapters describing the daily outrages residents of the Black neighborhood had to contend with -most all Black residents lived in one area bounded by Beale and Gayoso streets.
There are accounts of shootings, beatings, and knifings but fortunately Memphis didn’t have to contend with lynchings of troublesome Negroes. Bad for business.
I know of no lynchings that ocurred in 20th century Memphis.


Atrocities described in brief occurred 20-30 miles outside city limits. Brief as they are these accounts never lose their power to horrify.

It’s also an account of two major power brokers: Robert Church Jr., son of an enslaved Black woman. She was later “emancipated” by her owner and Robert Jr.’s father, a White man, riverboat captain of great respect and renown. He sent Robert Jr. to the best universities of the era. Church Jr. helped make Memphis a prosperous location for all types of businesses- legal and illegal.
He taught young Robert Jr. self-reliance and to respect himself, to be true to himself and to never let another person call him “nxxxxr”.
Church would become the wealthiest man of color in all of the South if not the whole country.

Church struck an alliance with the chief villain of this narrative- Edward Hull Crump… a genuine red-headed son of a bitch who prospered pitting Whites against Blacks, a silent partner in every vice on sale “down around Beale Street” the whole while pledging moral propriety. Crump was finally investigated by FDR’s justice department for voting irregularities and general all-round chicanery.
His traitorous turn against Church, Jr and other prominent Black progressives led to racial animosity among the population. Black versus White, White versus Black.
By the 1940s Church had lost everything he had strived for.
Crump apparently lost his mind.

The book -as thorough and engaging as it is- still left this reader wanting to know more.
To quote Phil Ochs: “…and do you have a picture of the pain?”


Mandatory reading for all lifetime Memphians (or Memphos, if you will).
This book should be required reading for all Memphis area high school students.

Highest Recommendation- excellent writing, compelling history, ultimately- heartbreaking.
They don’t call Memphis “Home Of The Blues” for nothing.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about my hometown, and could really see the impact of the past on the Memphis I grew up in. Lauterbach has a wonderful storytelling style. Must-read for Memphians, blues lovers, and those interested in African American history, political machines, and more.

[Phil Overeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought you knew all you needed to know about Memphis, you don't--until you read this. Goes quite away towards explaining the city's unique but elusive weirdness, and presents a complicated tragedy of racially-shared city power (in an era when, in the South, that was unheard of).

[Lauren Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any Memphian— not only will it help you understand modern Memphis with more clarity but also bring to light so many sleepy street corners and the stories that haunt them. Also, Memphis was just wild— this book reads at time like a Western with all the gun fighting and general lawlessness.

[victor harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly provided excellent coverage of the Memphis political wars in the 19th and early 20th century where Beale St. would play a central role. Racial interaction and coalitions would be critical in shaping alliances with Bob Church (the first black millionaire in the South) one of the main power players. Church would also be important for sponsoring muckraking journalist Ida Tarbell, and W.C. Handy who is among those credited with beginning the blues music tradition. Memphis itself would alternate between enlightened and reactionary in terms of its racial attitudes.
Wealth and power was built on controlling vice in the city with prostitution and gambling being the primary sources of income. The music that evolved would speak to the cultural dynamics, particularly those concerning the blacks; to wit, the blues. It was disappointing that treatment of the music seemed disjointed and patchy and never followed through with a coherent narrative thread.
Satisfactory, especially if one wants to learn more about the evolution of the famous Beale St., but plodding and dry in a number of spots.

[Lynnetoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a biography of post-Civil War Memphis, Tennessee. Robert Church is a part of the shaping of the town into a city and is noted for becoming wealthy while navigating the tricky political path between whites and blacks. Broad insight is shared about Memphis's development during reconstruction and Jim Crow, and race relations.

I chose this book based upon the recommendation of a fellow book reader. It is marvelously detailed, but the writing is so encased in academic documentation that the flow of the story is quirky reading at best. Several members said they needed to make notes. One suggested taking a black marker to redact all the extraneous material. Another member suggested that reading this over a semester would make it much more manageable and the chapters would be discussed each week giving folks time to reflect. Perhaps this book is the result of Lauterbach's PhD dissertation...

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit diffuse at times, this could be more a matter of subject matter girth than storytelling flab. Lauterbach tells the history of a street, and he therefore gives voice to a multitudinous litany of its inhabitants. Although he probably could have taken four volumes and not wasted a word, what he does include he tells with admirable zeal and vivid detail. And, what he includes is important. His March 2016 piece in Places Journal is an exciting indication that Lauterbach is not through singing about Memphis.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Beale Street Dynasty taught me more about a city I once called home for a few years but long enough for the experience to harken me back each and every year. It's an historic look back at Beale, Memphis' political machinery and the roots of the city post civil war. Can't wait to return and imagine Crump, Church, Handy and others walking that famous street of blues.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This…is a book I read.

Okay, honestly my issues with this book are entirely my own fault. I wanted it to be something different, and it is not the book or Lauterbach’s fault that it didn’t match my expectation. I’ve read some really great nonfiction this year (Madame Restell, Madness, The Exceptions) that don’t necessarily *feel* like nonfiction, ya know what I mean? They feel more like character driven stories, and I guess I wanted Beale Street Dynasty to feel that way too but instead it sort of felt like a textbook.

It is super well researched, and has the appendix to prove it - I love that. It’s clear Lauterbach takes his job as a historian very seriously, and I certainly learned a lot about Memphis. But I wouldn’t necessarily call this an enjoyable read because it was quite dry - I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they, like me, are obsessed with Memphis history.

Lastly, and please tell me if I am being overly sensitive here, but I feel weird about white authors using the N word uncensored in quoted material. Like, Lauterbach is not SAYING the N word…he is quoting material that is saying it, and I think it is important that we as readers KNOW that that language was used…but like…idk I feel weird about him doing this! Maybe I feel especially weird because I listened to the audiobook, narrated by a white man, and he just said it with no qualms. Am I the only one with qualms??? Sound off in the comments pls

Anyway, this book is great for the right audience. I was only half the right audience (a lover of Memphis history), and so it was an average book for me.

[Konrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating. There was a magical quality to his narrative style that brought to life so many of the sleepy blocks and corners that I pass everyday. The Memphis of today is inextricably linked to its past; definitely a must read for all Memphians.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is, in quite a few ways, similar to another book I read earlier this year, about another storied street in another American city. I'm referring to St. Marks Is Dead: The Many Lives of America's Hippest Street about New York's St. Marks Place. The St. Marks book covers a wider time period, and New York and Memphis have different histories, but the overall premise is similar. Both books even mention a 19th Century black musician named "Blind Tom"!

The story of Beale Street as presented is very much a story of black history. The main character is a man named Robert Church and then his son, also named Robert Church. This two-generation dynasty emerged from slavery and became prominent in black culture, politics, and as owners of brothels. As the story progresses, we see tolerant times where blacks in Memphis could prosper give way to worse times, as bigots come to power and force the black citizens to endure multiple atrocities.

I've read so many books about New York City, and it was nice to spend some time learning about an American city that I've never really devoted a lot of attention to. I'm sure I would have appreciated Beale Street Dynasty a lot more if I had more familiarity with Memphis. I've only spent one day in Memphis, and that was 25 years ago. (We went to Graceland during the day and a baseball game in the evening.) I don't know its history, I don't know its streets or landmarks, and I don't know much about the blues, other than what I learned from Ringo Starr's It Don't Come Easy, which probably isn't the most authoritative source.

If I had a basic familiarity with the key players from Memphis' history, if I was as familiar with E.H. Crump as I was with Boss Tweed or Fiorello LaGuardia, for example, I would have had an easier time following the ever-changing cast of characters that figure in to the story.

[Julie Guardado · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the walls and pavement of Beale Street could speak... Well, actually, in this book they do! As many other reviewers have noted, you don't really know Beale Street until you read this book. Where the author excavated all the quotes, facts, and juicy tidbits is beyond me, but I'm sure glad he had the dedication to do so.

The book gives a detailed look at those key figures that established this small and powerful area of Memphis. The cast of true life characters range from downright shady to highly intellectual and persuasive. Key figures, Robert Church and Ida B Well, were so courageous in their fight and determination. You can't help idolize the two. Reading through the shootouts, brawls, trickery, politics, drugs and sex... well, it's better than the Wild West and at any hour it could possibly be High Noon on Beale or Gayoso Street.

I enjoyed the book, being I love the Memphis vibe and now have a better understanding of it. The storyline, no fault to the author, was at times hard to keep track of, as there are so many people, cliques and things going on at once and they lead back to a key event that was taking place, culturally and politically.

It's definitely worth the read. What I really find amusing is that not far from Memphis is Mound Bayou, Mississippi. This town was also established by free slaves that stressed the importance of education, health care, and good moral practices. That city had some success but eventually fell to the poverty line. On the other hand, Beale Street, also established by African Americans, ran this area with gambling, prostitution, drugs and other "indecencies". Beale Street is alive and well today. It's kind of indicative of what prevails - vices...

I'll enjoy going back to Memphis knowing that those shops that hold every imaginable Elvis memorabilia have a far richer story behind them.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beale Street Dynasty is about more than just the beginning of Memphis' music scene. It's about the influential Church family (Robert Sr. was the first black millionaire in the USA) and their effects on politics, vice, and more.

We get a look not only at the Church family, but also at E.H. Crump (arguably the Memphis version of Boss Tweed) and his political rise ... which depended upon the influence Church Sr. had over the people of color in the city. We also learn about Ida B. Wells, who was one of the first black female journalists in the country ... and whose investigative reporting on lynchings brought them into the entire country's awareness.

Finally, we see the rise of Memphis music, with W.C. Handy writing the first blues song ever about the aforementioned Mayor Crump.

This is a well-researched and interesting book, with a great deal of information packed into it. Highly recommended for those who, like myself, are studying Memphis history for any given reason.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This vivid history brings to life a long-gone Beale Street, with its brothels, gambling establishments, saloons, underworld figures, and deep-rooted political corruption.

Beale Street Dynasty illuminates a history I had previously only scratched the surface of. While it is impossible to overstate the power of E.H. 'Boss' Crump and his corrupt machine in determining the course of Memphis politics, the lesser-known story of the influence of Robert Church and his son Bob Church in nurturing a politically engaged African American community deserves a wide audience. Add the remarkable and tireless Ida B. Wells and the musical stylings of W.C. Handy and you have a portrait of a vital American city which has made an enormous contribution to world culture.

Despite the occasionally clunky prose, Beale Street Dynasty is an engaging history of a very special city.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you will notice, it took me months to make my way through this book. It was very well-researched. Hence, the four stars. Light reading it was not. It was like a textbook, but I did enjoy it. I have new respect for Memphis, Tennessee.. What a colorful history and yet it had far more racial tolerance than so many other cities of the South.
Beale Street's history - my word. At times it was nothing but saloons and houses of ill repute, one after the other, all owned by black entrepreneurs and visited by white customers and black.
The book finally got to the rich music heritage on page 230 or so when W. C. Handy came to town. It mostly consisted of politics and how the machinations of the businesses grew to allow Blacks to grow into political strengthin Memphis.
A fascinating book.

[Holly Ites · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memphis and Beale Street are almost synonymous. If you've ever visited and thought, "If streets could talk...", this is the book to answer that question. While I can't laud Lauterbach's prose, the story carries the book. And, what a story it is! Every interesting city is built on an intriguing, albeit notorious, past. That holds true for New Orleans, Chicago, New York, my beloved Kansas City... and Memphis. This is an interesting read about the people who built Beale Street. And, let's face it... just as Bourbon Street is the story of New Orleans, and 12th an Vine is the story of Kansas City, Beale Street is the story of Memphis.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really impressed with this book. I learned a lot about Memphis, and although I love Chattanooga, I now have an exceptionally great impression of Memphis.

The big thing for this book is the history from the 1860's until the 1940's with the Robert Church family. To state again, the Memphis has their family history and the Church family is obviously the biggest in the Beale Street area.

Great musical links in the way of song titles and the importance of Blues in Memphis.

Highly recommended.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too chatty for a history book, but all in all a gap that needed to be filled.
I liked feeling transported to another era & visiting that time, while learning how Beale St. came together.
Visited there a few years back & it felt like a parody of its old self. Would love to see a real revision instead of a row of bars encouraging party time, coupled with made in China souvenirs.
Well worth reading.

[CURTIS NUGENT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the history of the infamous Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee before it became a tourist attraction. It covers the development of the area from the end of the Civil War to 1940. If you are looking for a book about music, this one is not the one. It tells mostly of the inter-racial political development during that time. The book is well written and highly recommended if you are interested in the racial and political events during that period.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this and it was relatively not dry to get through and the people were interesting and I had some more insight to take on my trip to Memphis. I continued reading when I got there... and then the narrative got more scattershot and the people it described were much more boring and it was more about politics than social history (I realize there's overlap), so I stopped reading at around 2/3 through because life is short.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting insights but not really academic at all.
Heavy reliance on white Memphis newspapers provides limited perspective on black Memphis.
Initial chapters are very choppy, skip around in chronology and character. The entire book feels a bit like an effort in cataloging tidbits the author had available.

[Ellen bransford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating content and I learned a lot about my hometown, but the writing was ultimately pretty dry and academic. I’d just read several nonfiction books with a more narrative feel; this was NOT that even though the content could’ve lent itself to a more engaging structure. I read it on a kindle and wish I could’ve highlighted And dog eared And flipped to footnotes/endnotes.

[Nick Rabkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkably well told and researched social/cultural/political/racial history of Memphis that demonstrates the depth of what we have seen so clearly over the last weeks and months--how corruption and racism systematically combine to crush black Americans.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 4 out of 5]

a love of the blues and upcoming journey to Memphis spurred this reading and it's a cool story about a world unto itself that existed in high fashion from civil war times ... a unique tale about Robert Church, forward-thinking black leadership and a strange kind of equality

[Rick Cheeseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed accounting of Memphis and Beale Street. Thoroughly researched and reported, a good book for anyone wanting to understand the politics, economics, and social aspects surrounding Beale Street since the end of the Civil War. Recommended.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, vivid history of politics, corruption, race relations, and music in old Memphis.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most engaging read but I have a fond affection for Memphis so i persevered.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history is well told, and fascinating! Well worth the read

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting! Well written!

[Dawn Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different story of Memphis history. Very well written and truly interesting.