Coming to Memphis
Each
of the necessary musical components began to merge together among the
streets and juke joints of the River City. For some displaced
sharecroppers, Memphis held the promise of jobs, in construction, on
the riverfront, and in the mills and warehouses of King Cotton.
Although the city was segregated through the 1950s, black Memphians
found the services of doctors, bankers, and merchants along Beale
Street - the same thoroughfare which was alive with their music at
night. The music of Memphis crossed the color line. While Memphis was
socially segregated, airwaves, recordings, and live performances
brought the city’s music to its people - black and white.