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Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul
In the 1950s and 1960s, Memphis, Tennessee, was the launch pad of musical pioneers such as Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Al Green and Isaac Hayes, and by 1968 was a city synonymous with soul music. It was a deeply segregated city, ill at ease with the modern world and yet to adjust to the era of civil rights and racial integration. Stax Records offered an escape from the turmoil of the real world for many soul and blues musicians, with much of the music created there becoming the soundtrack to the civil rights movements.
The book opens with the death of the city's most famous recording artist, Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash in the final days of 1967, and then follows the fortunes of Redding's label, Stax/Volt Records, as its fortunes fall and rise again. But, as the tense year unfolds, the city dominates world headlines for the worst of reasons: the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
The book opens with the death of the city's most famous recording artist, Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash in the final days of 1967, and then follows the fortunes of Redding's label, Stax/Volt Records, as its fortunes fall and rise again. But, as the tense year unfolds, the city dominates world headlines for the worst of reasons: the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
256 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2018
76 people are currently reading
356 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Cosgrove
18 books50 followersScottish journalist, broadcaster and television executive. Worked as a journalist on the NME and The Face magazine during the 1980s. Was at Channel 4, London from 1994 to 2015, serving as Controller of Arts and Entertainment and then Head of Programmes (Nations and Regions).
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September 9, 2018
This is the middle book in a trilogy – the first being, “Detroit ‘67” and the final, and forthcoming title, “Harlem ’69.” In, “Detroit ‘67” the book revolved around Motown and this volume centres on Stax, while also telling the story of a tumultuous year in Memphis.
The first of January saw the city of Memphis reluctantly negotiating the process of racial integration, but ridding themselves of segregation was to be a slow process and not helped by the new mayor, Henry Loeb. So contentious was Loeb’s election as mayor, that he was sworn in at his own home, after an acrimonious election. Loeb’s wealthy family owned a chain of launderettes in the city, while he promised to turn back the process of integration.
Without doubt, these entrenched views on segregation led to the events which caused riots in the city. Two garbage men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were forced to take shelter in the back of their truck when it rained (garbage men, being all black, were not allowed to sit at the side of the road, even to eat lunch). This policy of keeping out of sight, led to the two men perching on the back, when it malfunctioned and they were pulled, horribly, into the compactor, heads first. Their deaths led to a strike and Loeb, as former public works commissioner, was blamed.
With the city in turmoil, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. came to the city to support the strikers. Their marching, wearing banners which stated simply, “I am a man,” was a powerful symbol and King was keen to add his weight to their protests. However, as Black Power was growing, King found that his ideas of peaceful protest was becoming unpopular with many – impatient and angry, they wanted change now. However, when King was assassinated, it seemed the end of an era and only highlighted the importance of the Civil Rights movement.
These political events unfold always with an eye on Stax, who also started the year in difficulties – having lost their star, Otis Redding, at the end of the previous year and split from Atlantic at the beginning of 1968. Stax was owned by Jim Stewart and his sister, Estelle Axton, who were white. Although those involved at the time attest that Stax was a place of unity and togetherness, the events of that year would test all those linked to the company. With rioting outside, those white workers, and musicians, felt suddenly afraid. There were voices of dissent, such as Al Bell, who brought a new ambition and self-confidence, as well as a desire for businesses to be owned by those who made the money, but never seemed to benefit from it.
Author Stuart Cosgrove has, again, painted an excellent picture of the events and people involved with soul music in the place, and year, he has chosen. He paints a picture of grinding poverty, casual violence and mounting tension. We read of the Black Panthers, Black Power salutes at the Olympics, peaceful protests being hi-jacked by violent protestors, tragedy and of groups being infiltrated by the police. Through such momentous events, though, Cosgrove does not lose sight of the personal, nor of the music. We have acrimony between Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, downright aggression between unhappy duo, Sam and Dave and casual violence doled out at Stax. A fantastic read and I look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy.
The first of January saw the city of Memphis reluctantly negotiating the process of racial integration, but ridding themselves of segregation was to be a slow process and not helped by the new mayor, Henry Loeb. So contentious was Loeb’s election as mayor, that he was sworn in at his own home, after an acrimonious election. Loeb’s wealthy family owned a chain of launderettes in the city, while he promised to turn back the process of integration.
Without doubt, these entrenched views on segregation led to the events which caused riots in the city. Two garbage men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were forced to take shelter in the back of their truck when it rained (garbage men, being all black, were not allowed to sit at the side of the road, even to eat lunch). This policy of keeping out of sight, led to the two men perching on the back, when it malfunctioned and they were pulled, horribly, into the compactor, heads first. Their deaths led to a strike and Loeb, as former public works commissioner, was blamed.
With the city in turmoil, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. came to the city to support the strikers. Their marching, wearing banners which stated simply, “I am a man,” was a powerful symbol and King was keen to add his weight to their protests. However, as Black Power was growing, King found that his ideas of peaceful protest was becoming unpopular with many – impatient and angry, they wanted change now. However, when King was assassinated, it seemed the end of an era and only highlighted the importance of the Civil Rights movement.
These political events unfold always with an eye on Stax, who also started the year in difficulties – having lost their star, Otis Redding, at the end of the previous year and split from Atlantic at the beginning of 1968. Stax was owned by Jim Stewart and his sister, Estelle Axton, who were white. Although those involved at the time attest that Stax was a place of unity and togetherness, the events of that year would test all those linked to the company. With rioting outside, those white workers, and musicians, felt suddenly afraid. There were voices of dissent, such as Al Bell, who brought a new ambition and self-confidence, as well as a desire for businesses to be owned by those who made the money, but never seemed to benefit from it.
Author Stuart Cosgrove has, again, painted an excellent picture of the events and people involved with soul music in the place, and year, he has chosen. He paints a picture of grinding poverty, casual violence and mounting tension. We read of the Black Panthers, Black Power salutes at the Olympics, peaceful protests being hi-jacked by violent protestors, tragedy and of groups being infiltrated by the police. Through such momentous events, though, Cosgrove does not lose sight of the personal, nor of the music. We have acrimony between Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, downright aggression between unhappy duo, Sam and Dave and casual violence doled out at Stax. A fantastic read and I look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy.
August 2, 2024
One of the best written books on the celebrated Memphis Soul Music company and recording studios Stax Records I’ve yet to find.
Fits in the music related shelves alongside Peter Guralnick’s astounding Sweet Soul Music, Rob Bowman’s indispensable Soulsville, U.S.A., Robert Gordon’s brilliant It Came From Memphis and Respect Yourself: Stax Records and The Soul Explosion, and an array of investigative pieces originally published in assorted music oriented magazine slicks like Mojo and Grand Royale by our lovely, personal friend and terrific writer Andria Lisle.
In fact, much of the “good stuff” regarding Stax’s slow fade under the questionable “leadership” of Al Bell and the mysterious and still unsolved murder of Al Jackson, best known as the drummer in Booker T. & The M. G.’s as well as occasional in-house producer, I first read in pieces penned by Andria.
I hated to see this book end almost as badly as I hated to see Stax Records shut down due to poor business decisions. As a lifelong Memphian up until about 17 years ago this was an emotional read for me.
If you enjoy tales of the music business wars between rival record companies, parent corporations, and populated with volatile personalities, talent, and principals this book is hard to top.
Many of the book’s potential revelations I’d already known via industry gossip as they’d occurred or shortly thereafter but this book features more jaw-dropping anecdotes that I’d never before heard and I knew a LOT of people employed in music promotions, in distribution, and a few studio musicians themselves.
If you love the music of the 1960s in general and Soul Music in particular you really owe it to yourself to read this book. Cosgrove does a wonderful job expressing the loss and sorrow that haunt the streets of Memphis like vengeful ghosts.
My favorite read of the year so far.
Fits in the music related shelves alongside Peter Guralnick’s astounding Sweet Soul Music, Rob Bowman’s indispensable Soulsville, U.S.A., Robert Gordon’s brilliant It Came From Memphis and Respect Yourself: Stax Records and The Soul Explosion, and an array of investigative pieces originally published in assorted music oriented magazine slicks like Mojo and Grand Royale by our lovely, personal friend and terrific writer Andria Lisle.
In fact, much of the “good stuff” regarding Stax’s slow fade under the questionable “leadership” of Al Bell and the mysterious and still unsolved murder of Al Jackson, best known as the drummer in Booker T. & The M. G.’s as well as occasional in-house producer, I first read in pieces penned by Andria.
I hated to see this book end almost as badly as I hated to see Stax Records shut down due to poor business decisions. As a lifelong Memphian up until about 17 years ago this was an emotional read for me.
If you enjoy tales of the music business wars between rival record companies, parent corporations, and populated with volatile personalities, talent, and principals this book is hard to top.
Many of the book’s potential revelations I’d already known via industry gossip as they’d occurred or shortly thereafter but this book features more jaw-dropping anecdotes that I’d never before heard and I knew a LOT of people employed in music promotions, in distribution, and a few studio musicians themselves.
If you love the music of the 1960s in general and Soul Music in particular you really owe it to yourself to read this book. Cosgrove does a wonderful job expressing the loss and sorrow that haunt the streets of Memphis like vengeful ghosts.
My favorite read of the year so far.
December 13, 2021
This is the second in a trilogy about soul music and the events unfolding in a US city in a particular year. Detroit 67 had me hooked but not so much this one. Memphis 68 felt less cohesive and, for me, less compelling. That isn’t to say the author hasn't done some incredible research and written a great piece of twentieth century musical and social history.
Memphis was the home of Stax, and that music company and its artists are one half of the story, and the other half, events unfolding in Memphis in 1968. The year begins with the death of Stax’s biggest star, Otis Redding. Come April, the city was the location for the murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. He was there to support striking sanitation workers, an entirely African American workforce, who faced appalling working conditions.
The irony of Stax, which the author considers 'blacker’ than the ‘bubblegum pop ‘of Motown in Detroit, is that Stax was white owned and had mainly white musicians, whereas Motown was African American owned and the musicians were almost exclusively African American.
If you enjoy soul music and modern American history, it is well worth a read.
Memphis was the home of Stax, and that music company and its artists are one half of the story, and the other half, events unfolding in Memphis in 1968. The year begins with the death of Stax’s biggest star, Otis Redding. Come April, the city was the location for the murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. He was there to support striking sanitation workers, an entirely African American workforce, who faced appalling working conditions.
The irony of Stax, which the author considers 'blacker’ than the ‘bubblegum pop ‘of Motown in Detroit, is that Stax was white owned and had mainly white musicians, whereas Motown was African American owned and the musicians were almost exclusively African American.
If you enjoy soul music and modern American history, it is well worth a read.
July 18, 2018
Memphis 68 is the middle book in Stuart’s soon to be completed trilogy of soul music. 1968 was a turbulent year in Memphis and the book delves into Martin Luther King , the Civil Rights battle and the Black Power Movement . However music and on particular Stax music is the pillar to this interesting and easily accessible book. Thank goodness for Spotify - I am listening to that soundtrack that underpins the book. I cannot wait until next Father’s Day when my son buys me Harlem 69 - the final part of the triptych,
June 1, 2025
It was some time ago that I read the book that covered the era before 1967, where Stuart Cosgrove wrote about the Motown corporation and the personal lives of it's stars. With Motown the ambition, the tours, the drugs, the affairs, and wrangling of money out of Berry Gordy, the man at the centre of Motown, by the artists and song writers all went on behind a high gloss projection of success in which the rule of three to five years of high pressure behind the scenes work before new artists and project, new songwriters, had to replace the earlier sporadic successes for the company to continue proved true.
Covering Stax records and the soul music scene in 1968 is proving to be a much grimmer, and far less prim, read than any five year plan for success ala Motown. The book starts with a fairly grim scene, an improvised recording studio set up in the back of a blood bank for the blood of black people. So this is about creativity amid an ingrained apartheid in Memphis where from the 1940s the hospitals separated blood by the colour of the donor, thus besmirching The Red Cross, who were involved in the blood collection with an undeserved reputation for racism that stuck to them for decades after. And yet some astonishing singles were made in that, and many other, makeshift studios where black musicians and singers poured themselves into the music as if they had no other tomorrow than creating impassioned soul singles where very few brought remuneration or reward. When they did have tomorrows, some of those tomorrows were bleak beyond belief before the good days arrived.
When major success came to the leading talents of the era, people like Otis Redding it was hazardous and short lived. It was him being a trained pilot and enjoying flying that made him buy the plane that in the midst of weather that was not for flying in he and several others of his band died. But in a hand-to-mouth music business, the dates were booked so they had to fly. The numbness his death caused seemed dry on the page to me. But that is a problem with the simplicity of how the death happened which allowed nearly no new angles or interpretation so many decades since December 10th 1967. Where the text expanded how Otis wrote songs and sang in the studio definitely added to how Otis Redding should be understood as an artist. He leaned into the conventions of his day. But there was his voice, his charisma, and his inability to stand still when singing live that cuts through the camera to any device the viewer is watching footage of him on. For anyone who does not know what the fuss was about. Pick any youtube video of him and his astonishing band, The Bar Kays, you like and it will leave you feeling charged by the passion and sharpness of the playing recorded, rather than sad that such a wealth of talent was snuffed out with such ease so instantly. The youtube video I would commend most would be the Ready Steady Go special where Otis sweated less than his slightly older comparative performer Little Richard would have but is hypnic to watch. There a young Eric Burden guests and looks like he has won the opportunity of his life fronting The Bar Kays, singing a Sam and Dave song.
With soul music there is the vexed question of the spirit vs the flesh. With music that moves musicians singers on the stage, and the audience, may also animate the performers to passions off the stage. This leads me into the murky life and all too easy death of Martin Luther King. April 4th 1968. It is not and understatement to say that the death of King truly shattered the aspirations of his supporters, but also true to add that he was a man who was flawed and his enemies knew his flaws better than he or his wife did. He was never going to lead the way he had so far, five years on from the 'I have a dream' speech and winning the Nobel Peace Prize, in future if he led at all. Some scandal would dented his ability to lead.
Between the two deaths, the first accidental and the second murder the Memphis music scene, particularly Volt-Stax records and the audience/community it represented took a serious blow that when the recovery came would divert them sideways into new younger writers and performers and into film soundtracks. Strong as the return was, there were business/distributor problems where whoever Volt-Stax turned to the prestige of the company was worth more than the whole hearted support that promoting and distributing their work required. From here on ward I read the book in chunks and missed bits, knowing that there could only be one end to the Stax story.
Similarly where MLK had set up plans for the six months before he was gunned down, those plans went ahead but the weather, as well as the political climate, defeated the endeavours of Coretta Scott King and others to press home the issue of race based poverty and homelessness.
I will get back to reading the decline of Volt-Stax and Memphis another time. The end made this book rather time out for me.
Covering Stax records and the soul music scene in 1968 is proving to be a much grimmer, and far less prim, read than any five year plan for success ala Motown. The book starts with a fairly grim scene, an improvised recording studio set up in the back of a blood bank for the blood of black people. So this is about creativity amid an ingrained apartheid in Memphis where from the 1940s the hospitals separated blood by the colour of the donor, thus besmirching The Red Cross, who were involved in the blood collection with an undeserved reputation for racism that stuck to them for decades after. And yet some astonishing singles were made in that, and many other, makeshift studios where black musicians and singers poured themselves into the music as if they had no other tomorrow than creating impassioned soul singles where very few brought remuneration or reward. When they did have tomorrows, some of those tomorrows were bleak beyond belief before the good days arrived.
When major success came to the leading talents of the era, people like Otis Redding it was hazardous and short lived. It was him being a trained pilot and enjoying flying that made him buy the plane that in the midst of weather that was not for flying in he and several others of his band died. But in a hand-to-mouth music business, the dates were booked so they had to fly. The numbness his death caused seemed dry on the page to me. But that is a problem with the simplicity of how the death happened which allowed nearly no new angles or interpretation so many decades since December 10th 1967. Where the text expanded how Otis wrote songs and sang in the studio definitely added to how Otis Redding should be understood as an artist. He leaned into the conventions of his day. But there was his voice, his charisma, and his inability to stand still when singing live that cuts through the camera to any device the viewer is watching footage of him on. For anyone who does not know what the fuss was about. Pick any youtube video of him and his astonishing band, The Bar Kays, you like and it will leave you feeling charged by the passion and sharpness of the playing recorded, rather than sad that such a wealth of talent was snuffed out with such ease so instantly. The youtube video I would commend most would be the Ready Steady Go special where Otis sweated less than his slightly older comparative performer Little Richard would have but is hypnic to watch. There a young Eric Burden guests and looks like he has won the opportunity of his life fronting The Bar Kays, singing a Sam and Dave song.
With soul music there is the vexed question of the spirit vs the flesh. With music that moves musicians singers on the stage, and the audience, may also animate the performers to passions off the stage. This leads me into the murky life and all too easy death of Martin Luther King. April 4th 1968. It is not and understatement to say that the death of King truly shattered the aspirations of his supporters, but also true to add that he was a man who was flawed and his enemies knew his flaws better than he or his wife did. He was never going to lead the way he had so far, five years on from the 'I have a dream' speech and winning the Nobel Peace Prize, in future if he led at all. Some scandal would dented his ability to lead.
Between the two deaths, the first accidental and the second murder the Memphis music scene, particularly Volt-Stax records and the audience/community it represented took a serious blow that when the recovery came would divert them sideways into new younger writers and performers and into film soundtracks. Strong as the return was, there were business/distributor problems where whoever Volt-Stax turned to the prestige of the company was worth more than the whole hearted support that promoting and distributing their work required. From here on ward I read the book in chunks and missed bits, knowing that there could only be one end to the Stax story.
Similarly where MLK had set up plans for the six months before he was gunned down, those plans went ahead but the weather, as well as the political climate, defeated the endeavours of Coretta Scott King and others to press home the issue of race based poverty and homelessness.
I will get back to reading the decline of Volt-Stax and Memphis another time. The end made this book rather time out for me.
May 18, 2022
It’s a risky thing to start this book after the events of late 1967, with the cover hinting that Otis will cast a long shadow over the events. But Cosgrove is a canny enough writer to know that by starting his story with the after effects of that awful shock, the even more horrifying events of April 1968 and the death of Martin Luther King feels like a chaotic howl of pain from an area just barely keeping it’s shit together after the Redding tragedy
It’s a more disparate story than the Detroit volume, because that could combine the tragedy of Florence Ballard and the controlled world of Berry Gordy as sort of mirror images of each other. This is more the story of a terrible moment of horror and the combined PTSD and fallout it had for all concerned for the rest of the year. Cosgrove is a better writer here and less prone to cliche, and is again very even handed (especially in the case of frequent scapegoat Johnny Baylor), albeit far more willing to point the finger at Jerry Wexler as the architect of Stax’s real decline than the other books have done
It’s also, again, fucking astonishing on a sociological level with a really fierce intellect and quiet anger simmering through the whole book. Cosgrove is a very clever man and a very astute one. He knows how to tell one hell of a story but never allows that to overwhelm the real story he wants to tell: that of the continued suppression of the black people of the United States and their fierce desire to articulate their rage and power and experiences through music
It’s a more disparate story than the Detroit volume, because that could combine the tragedy of Florence Ballard and the controlled world of Berry Gordy as sort of mirror images of each other. This is more the story of a terrible moment of horror and the combined PTSD and fallout it had for all concerned for the rest of the year. Cosgrove is a better writer here and less prone to cliche, and is again very even handed (especially in the case of frequent scapegoat Johnny Baylor), albeit far more willing to point the finger at Jerry Wexler as the architect of Stax’s real decline than the other books have done
It’s also, again, fucking astonishing on a sociological level with a really fierce intellect and quiet anger simmering through the whole book. Cosgrove is a very clever man and a very astute one. He knows how to tell one hell of a story but never allows that to overwhelm the real story he wants to tell: that of the continued suppression of the black people of the United States and their fierce desire to articulate their rage and power and experiences through music
October 12, 2024
Memphis '68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul" by Stuart Cosgrove is a gripping and deeply researched book that captures the essence of a pivotal year in American history. As the second installment in a trilogy that began with "Detroit 67", which focused on the Motown story, this book delves into the world of Stax Records and the Southern soul scene. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which not only explores the music of legendary artists like Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, and Rufus Thomas, but also provides a nuanced examination of the civil rights movement and its impact on the music industry.
What made my reading experience even more special was that it coincided with watching the HBO series "Stax: Soulsville U.S.A." - I highly recommend pairing the two for a richer understanding of the era. Cosgrove's writing is engaging and immersive, making this book a must-read for music lovers and history buffs alike.
I've already purchased the final installment, "Harlem 69", to complete the set - a testament to how much I enjoyed this book! If you're interested in soul music, civil rights, or American history, do yourself a favor and read "Memphis '68".
What made my reading experience even more special was that it coincided with watching the HBO series "Stax: Soulsville U.S.A." - I highly recommend pairing the two for a richer understanding of the era. Cosgrove's writing is engaging and immersive, making this book a must-read for music lovers and history buffs alike.
I've already purchased the final installment, "Harlem 69", to complete the set - a testament to how much I enjoyed this book! If you're interested in soul music, civil rights, or American history, do yourself a favor and read "Memphis '68".
September 16, 2025
1968 Was Tough But It Had Soul
1968 was a big, raucous, heart-breaking, occasionally inspiring year for our country … and for individuals like me.
I’m a white guy who grew up a long way from Memphis at the beach near Los Angeles, graduated high school in May 1968, left home and entered college in time to embrace being a faux hippie. I seemingly had little knowledge of life in the black South.
But, my friends and I loved the music and for us naive white kids, soul music was a cultural unifier - something we shared with black kids our age. And that understanding paid dividends when I made my first black friends while in college. We even got to see Booker T and the MGs open for Creedence Clearwater Revival in Oakland in 1970.
This book pays homage to that year in Memphis - the music and life that surrounded it, in its full range of emotion from the murder of MLK in Memphis to the magic of the soul artists of Stax Records. As a child of the times, this book was a nostalgic read.
1968 was a big, raucous, heart-breaking, occasionally inspiring year for our country … and for individuals like me.
I’m a white guy who grew up a long way from Memphis at the beach near Los Angeles, graduated high school in May 1968, left home and entered college in time to embrace being a faux hippie. I seemingly had little knowledge of life in the black South.
But, my friends and I loved the music and for us naive white kids, soul music was a cultural unifier - something we shared with black kids our age. And that understanding paid dividends when I made my first black friends while in college. We even got to see Booker T and the MGs open for Creedence Clearwater Revival in Oakland in 1970.
This book pays homage to that year in Memphis - the music and life that surrounded it, in its full range of emotion from the murder of MLK in Memphis to the magic of the soul artists of Stax Records. As a child of the times, this book was a nostalgic read.
February 5, 2021
The second of Stuart Cosgrove's Soul triology is another fascinating read. Each book focuses on a particular year in the life of a specific city and the record label it is indelibly linked with; in this case its a snapshot of a heady, tempestuous time for Stax, in Memphis, in a year when tensions over segregation threatened to spill over, a fatal plane crash ripped the heart out of the label, and the assassination of Martin Luther King did the same for the whole country. Like its predecessor, this book is filled with nuggets of information about the many characters, stars, background figures, charlatans, thugs, and visionaries, including the likes of Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes. A minor criticism in that a couple of these nuggets were repeated when a character re-entered the story in a later chapter, which was a little jarring, but minor editing oversights can't detract from the book's appeal.
June 22, 2018
The second book in Cosgrove’s ‘soul’ trilogy which tells the story of African-American social history in the 60s through its music & three key locations (Detroit, Memphis & Harlem).
This second volume broadly takes as its focus the Memphis based Stax record label and its artists. However death stalks the book. It opens in the closing weeks of 1967 with the plane crash into a frozen lake which killed Otis Redding & most of his band. It covers the assassination of Martin Luther King & the violence which follows it and ends with the shooting of a young couple as they are out Christmas shopping.
It’s lacks a bit of the focus of the previous book (Detroit ‘67) but as a study of an important time in Black American history it’s still an essential read.
This second volume broadly takes as its focus the Memphis based Stax record label and its artists. However death stalks the book. It opens in the closing weeks of 1967 with the plane crash into a frozen lake which killed Otis Redding & most of his band. It covers the assassination of Martin Luther King & the violence which follows it and ends with the shooting of a young couple as they are out Christmas shopping.
It’s lacks a bit of the focus of the previous book (Detroit ‘67) but as a study of an important time in Black American history it’s still an essential read.
August 24, 2021
I must admit that I started with the third book last year in this Soul Trilogy, and now moving on to the second. "Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul" maintains the momentum of his other books, being well research and jam packed with fascinating music and social history snippets. Focusing on Memphis, Stax records and their many artists of note (Redding, Hayes, Cropper and Booker T for example), Cosgrove examines the music scene in the a year of racial tensions, labour disputes, and the Vietnam War. A great read for fans of Soul and music generally. I look forward to reading the first book in the series.
April 30, 2019
The second in Cosgrove’s Soul Trilogy suffers from some of the same criticisms I had of Detroit 67. There’s a tendency to repeat certain facts and incidents as well as occasionally circular writing. There are a couple of glaring errors and a lot of typos, but arguably that’s down to the need for a decent proofreader. The focal point of the book is the legendary Stax Records following the death of Otis Redding, and while this was genuinely interesting, it was the social history of the city that really stood out.
March 28, 2018
Just as it's predecessor Detroit 67 did, Cosgrove focuses on the seismic events that overwhelmed Memphis in 1968 to create a marvellous narrative around the music of the city and how that interacted with the wider world.
Essential reading not only for fans of the music but also for those interested a more street-level view of Memphis.
Looking forward immensely to the final part of this trilogy of books.
Essential reading not only for fans of the music but also for those interested a more street-level view of Memphis.
Looking forward immensely to the final part of this trilogy of books.
April 3, 2019
Thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable read and smack dab in the epicentre of my musical obsessions: MEMPHIS. I have records by most of the people he writes about, even the long-forgotten ones. But these are more than a music books: the real triumph of the trilogy is his skilfully placing music and musicians in the socio-political context of 1968, and still keeping it a great read. One less star than Detroit 67 as this one is a tad bittier. Harlem 69 next, can't wait!
September 23, 2024
Interesting read about southern soul music and the turbulent times.
This is not as well written as Detroit '67, which is an epic book, yet it is still really interesting to learn the history of Memphis Soul and it's coexistence with the turbulent, late '60s. I learned information about Martin Luther King's assassination that I never knew about. Also getting a perspective about the black power movement without our own American bias is quite refreshing.
This is not as well written as Detroit '67, which is an epic book, yet it is still really interesting to learn the history of Memphis Soul and it's coexistence with the turbulent, late '60s. I learned information about Martin Luther King's assassination that I never knew about. Also getting a perspective about the black power movement without our own American bias is quite refreshing.
November 29, 2017
Soul man
A heady brew of soul , civil rights and politics ; cosgrove gives an insight into the most dramatic of years in one of America's most incendiary cities.
If I had one criticism I wish it has been longer and slightly more in depth in areas of particular interest to me.
Ill give no spoilers , but highly recommended.
A heady brew of soul , civil rights and politics ; cosgrove gives an insight into the most dramatic of years in one of America's most incendiary cities.
If I had one criticism I wish it has been longer and slightly more in depth in areas of particular interest to me.
Ill give no spoilers , but highly recommended.
January 28, 2019
I enjoyed 68 Memphis as it helped amplify what I had learned after a visit to Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum, which also included Stax Records, Sun Records, and Graceland along with two nights on Beale Street. The book is clear and direct without a lot of spin the book put you in the action of a unique period of American civil rights movement. Recommend the book.
July 5, 2019
This book sweats soul.
Coming from detroit, Motown has always been my music. After reading this book and listening to the artists while reading, it was Stax where the real soul was coming from. An amazing read
Coming from detroit, Motown has always been my music. After reading this book and listening to the artists while reading, it was Stax where the real soul was coming from. An amazing read
September 14, 2020
Brilliant snapshot of a city burning with hatred
Superb storytelling by a man steeped in the history of soul music. Unbelievable detail and plenty notes taken to compile a scorching Stax playlist
Superb storytelling by a man steeped in the history of soul music. Unbelievable detail and plenty notes taken to compile a scorching Stax playlist
September 22, 2021
The 2nd book in the trilogy of soul music by Stuart Cosgrove the 1st was detroit 67 and the 2nd memphis 68 is another great read if you love soul and black history read this book now on to the final book harlem 69
May 17, 2025
Loved this book. I'd read the 1st book of the trilogy, Detroit 67, and this follows a similar pattern, mixing regional music with details of social unrest at the time.
I've just ordered the 3rd book, Harlem 69.
I can heartily recommend.
I've just ordered the 3rd book, Harlem 69.
I can heartily recommend.
February 21, 2018
Superb story of the converging events from Memphis 1968, from the Memphis invaders through to MLKs killing. I remain fascinated with the music, commentary and social history of soul music across the USA. Can’t wait for Harlem 69.
June 22, 2018
another fantastic read from mr cosgrove. really takes you to the heart of it and leaves no stone un-turned. bring on Harlem 69.
September 15, 2018
Cosgrove mixes music with history in a fascinating narrative that encompasses Otis Redding, the assassination of MLK, Elvis, and virtually all of Stax Records and the great artists in that universe.
December 17, 2018
A labour of love.
June 6, 2020
I loved this book. A perfect blend of social history and music history.
February 20, 2023
Fascinating look into politics, music and civil rights history in Memphis.
August 25, 2023
Good overview of the decline of Stax Records . Not as heavily political as the previous book .
Solid
Solid
May 30, 2020
The second book in a trilogy of books which are as much about soul music as it is about the civil rights movement and racial unrest. The other 2 books are set in Detroit in '67 and Harlem in '69. Each book is divided up in 12 chapters, 1 for every month of the year they cover. Certain significant musical and civil rights related events from each month are used as jumping off points to describe the history and future impact of those events.
All the books are fascinating accounts of how soul music was shaped by the racial unrest of the time and how soul music influenced the civil rights movement... All of it intrinsically linked with many of the players crossing over from one to the other.
These books are a must read for anyone who has an interest in either soul music or the history of the American civil rights movement. Can't recommend these highly enough.
All the books are fascinating accounts of how soul music was shaped by the racial unrest of the time and how soul music influenced the civil rights movement... All of it intrinsically linked with many of the players crossing over from one to the other.
These books are a must read for anyone who has an interest in either soul music or the history of the American civil rights movement. Can't recommend these highly enough.
October 23, 2025
so good!
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