Talk:History of Memphis, Tennessee

Foundation - 1819
I came by to do some basic research on antebellum Memphis and I am sorry to say I was disappointed in this section, starting with the title. I am not an expert on Memphis, having visited the city only a half a dozen times over the years. I would like to submit the following as ideas for improving this section:

Title: Foundation (1819) - 1860 The dash implies a date range. and the section covers the foundation of Memphis through the Civil War.

Public Squares I'm not sure this is important, but I have corrected the text from "only Court Square" to "Court, Market, and Auction". If you match the foundation street plan with Google Maps you will see that both Market and Auction are still public areas. They may not carry their original names but they are still open and public.

Memphis became a major slave market. Well, yes, but the detail is missing. At very least, some mention of (Nathan Bedford) Forrest & Maples should be made. After all, Mr. Forrest was a prominent citizen and member of the city council. Were there any other major traders active in the city during the antebellum period? Was some area of the city devoted to the trade?

Prior to the Civil War, one quarter of the city's population were slaves. Per the Historic Census Browser at the University of Virginia ((2004). Historical Census Browser. Retrieved 02/11/2011, from the University of Virginia, Geospatial and Statistical Data Center: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/index.html.) in 1860, 35.25% of the population of Shelby county, of which Memphis is the county seat, was enslaved. The 25% currently cited figure is from a 1917 publication.

Can someone help with this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Miletan (talk • contribs) 17:18, 11 February 2011 (UTC)

Music section
''The following was posted in the article by a new contributor. I moved it here because it's more appropriate for the talk page. --Orlady (talk) 03:27, 9 May 2011 (UTC)''

This is a good beginning however we miss many great musicians such as Willie Mitchell who championed the Memphis Horns, Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, Donald "duck" Dunn, both of which were major contributors to the sounds coming out of Stax including but not limited to, Sam & Dave, Booker T and the MG's, Isaac Hayes, and David Porter plus many others too vast to include in this addition.

For a few years Willie Mitchell and the Memphis Horns were the house band for, the club my parent’s,  Asa & Gail Lewis who were owners and operators of the "Manhattan Club" on hwy 61 ran, at that time just outside the Memphis, TN border. Elvis Presley held New Year’s parties there for several years until the parking lot was so full one year that he could not find a parking place so it was then moved to another club. This was a local bar that Elvis and the "Memphis Mafia enjoyed frequenting along with other Memphis musicians such as B.J. Thomas & Charlie Rich just to mention a couple. Booker t and the MG's played there along with other Stax groups. The club had a definite influence in allowing the Memphis sound to flourish.

I find it a shame that only the ones thought of were the obvious "Greats" were mentioned, Willie "Papa" Mitchel discovered Al Green in Texas when he was a young teen and brought him back to Memphis to help create one of the most profound soul/gospel artists we have ever known. Papa Mitchel has now passed and his son Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell still owns & runs Royal Studios in Memphis, the Studio passed on by his Father Willie “Papa” Mitchell. He grew up in the industry and continues to carry on the legacy of his father. I am sure Papa is looking down and smiling as Boo continues to work the basic Memphis sound and expand its horizons. These are just a few of the people who should never be forgotten nor overlooked when you think of the Memphis Music Scene. The truth is it was a conglomeration of Black, and Whites who made the Music sound, forget the color of skin and remember the color of the Memphis Music. I take nothing from the African-American infusion; I do however find it incomprehensible as Americans, especially Memphians, we cannot accept that we all play a part in how we shape the country. So let’s try to treat it like a jam session where skin color did not matter in Memphis, the soul breathing through the music did. This was true then, and is definitely true now. -- User:Itismybizness, 02:33, 9 May 2011 (UTC)


 * I think that there may be an article about "music of Memphis" where this would fit best. Regardless, Wikipedia needs to cite sources. Has this information been published somewhere? --Orlady (talk) 03:27, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Timeline of Memphis, Tennessee
What is missing from the city timeline? Please add relevant content. Thank you. -- M2545 (talk) 11:07, 19 May 2015 (UTC)

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External links modified
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