Columnist
Chris Herrington covers the Memphis Grizzlies and writes about Memphis culture, food, and civic life.
There are 1639 articles by Chris Herrington :
In all, the album comprises the coolest version of the Elvis the public tended to adore and rock puritans resist, mixing great schlock with great art until you can’t quite tell the difference.
Recorded at Midtown’s Ardent Studios in late 1986 and early 1987, the Replacements’ “Pleased to Meet Me” is a fusion of the Minneapolis’ band’s ramshackle, often poetic post-punk with soul-honed Memphis studio sensibilities.
The crazy-talented wunderkind Jay Reatard was coming into his own with 'Watch Me Fall.' Five months later, he was gone.
From King’s WDIA debut in 1949 to his departure from Memphis only a few years later, he recorded a handful of early sides in the city.
John Prine was raised in Illinois and settled in Nashville, but he recorded three of his first six albums at different Memphis studios, including his classic debut, “John Prine.”
The only Pulitzer Prize-winner with “Memphis” in the title, Peter Taylor's 1986 novel explores the fine social distinctions between Memphis and Nashville at mid-century.
The book focuses on the family of Robert Church, who built a fortune operating brothels, then converted his wealth into building a black political dynasty in the Jim Crow-era South.
In a month’s time, during the late summer of 1878, the city’s population plummeted from 50,000 to 20,000, with the vast majority of those remaining infected by the fever. Crosby's "The American Plague" takes you to this crucible moment in Memphis history, and helps explain what it meant.
As a depiction of the terrain of Memphis, circa 1993, “The Firm” is notable for its trip to the now dated and decaying Mud Island River Park, arguably the most inventive use of a Memphis location in any film. Here, it’s the setting for a climactic Hitchockian chase scene.
“Forty Shades of Blue” hit theaters 15 years ago today, and it is now among the many examples of films not currently available on any streaming platform. But if you’re lucky enough to find a way to see it, you’ll encounter a very good move.
In 1997, Matt Damon's first starring role and Francis Ford Coppola's last major film intersected in Memphis with the third and (so far) final locally set John Grisham adapation.
The film stands as both a great Memphis story and a showcase for the city as a filmmaking location that can do more than play itself.
Cash recorded his debut single, released in June 1955, at Sun Records.
Memphis was a way station for the Wolf on a journey from the Delta to Chicago, but he was in Memphis long enough to cut a two-sided single as monumental as anything created in one of America’s signature music cities.
Elvis’ popularity may have started this week in 1956. That’s when “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel”— constituting two sides of one 45 rpm single — reached the top of Billboard's pop singles chart.
At a Chicago church, on the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Mississippi-bred bluesman Otis Spann delivered what arguably remains the most profound musical response to the tragedy.
Opening in Memphis on Wednesday is “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a 36-years-later sequel that features all four key principals from the original.
This week, Memphis musicians preview AmericanaFest sets, pink wines get some love and 35 years of the Southern Heritage Classic are on display.
Will Jackson’s bad luck affect the team? Will Morant have the best season of his career? Drew Hill and Chris Herrington discuss.
Memphis murder and homicide rates are meaningfully down so far this year, Ja Morant was behind the camera this weekend and we tell you where to start for Memphis art.
From Sam Cooke to Motown, blues to the British Invasion to his own classic songwriting, Otis Redding’s groundbreaking 1965 album turned everything it touched into one man’s soulful sound.
“If W.C. Handy was a talented, opportunistic musician in the right place at the right time, Louis Armstrong was a genius, period. And Armstrong and his “All-Stars” band elevate Handy’s famous tunes.”
This week’s special Memphis screenings include “Blazing Saddles,” “Everything Everywhere all at Once” and a free French film festival.
This week, fests feature French films, multiple styles of yoga, live music and more than 430 local artists and vendors.
Should he remain a starter, or does he serve better as the team’s backup point guard?