“Memphis ’69”: When the Music Prevailed

(Photo courtesy: Fat Possum Records)

It was the summer of 1969 in Memphis. Droves of music devotees—white, black, young, and old—braced themselves for the sweltering Memphis heat and flocked to what was then the Overton Park Shell for the fourth annual (and final) Memphis Country Blues Festival.

Among them was Adelphi Records founder Gene Rosenthal, who was in town from Maryland with a camera crew to film the three-day event, which also doubled as a celebration honoring the city’s 150th anniversary.

This piece was written for CultureSonar. For the full story, click here.