Memphis Young Soul

Memphis Young Soul celebrates the life and sounds that resonate from the city of Memphis, Tennessee through photographs that capture students of the city’s Stax Music Academy, located adjacent to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music at the original site of Stax Records. It also highlights the city of Memphis and others influenced by the musical heritage, people, and places that make up such a remarkable city.

The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted Simon to capture the essence of the Stax Music Academy and the young talent that still maintains the heart of the neighborhood surrounding Stax known as Soulsville, USA. This includes icons such as the late Wayne Jackson of the Mar-Key Horns Memphis Horns, who played with everyone from Elvis Presley and Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield, as well as others like Warren Lewis, the infamous “fire torch barber” of Memphis. The area surrounding Stax is one of the most deprived zip codes in the US, making the musical success and heritage of the city even more incredible.