The Year in Memphis Music

http://www.commercialappeal.com/go-memphis/music/news/the-year-in-memphis-music-best-performances-and-moments-of-2014_13438283

From the site:

Moman Markers: It was a brutally hot summer day in August, as Chips Moman and the Memphis Boys were recognized with a Shelby County historical marker on the site of the old American Sound Studios. Now the location of a Family Dollar store, there had been little trace of the funky studio that once occupied the corner of Thomas and Chelsea. But for a decade between 1962 and 1972, American was a veritable hit factory that produced more than 120 chart records. Later in the fall, Moman was also inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. B.J. Thomas’ performance of the Moman-produced Elvis hit “Suspicious Minds” was the emotional highlight of the ceremonies. Despite an often stormy relationship with the city where his greatest triumphs took place, 2014 finally saw Moman — a true giant of Memphis music — given his due at long last.

Dan Penn: "Dark End of the Street" - David Letterman

From the 12/12/14 appearance of Dan and Bobby on the David Letterman Show:
Enjoyed this from commenter 'spearmusic':

saw this last night on t.v.  wonderful to hear (& see)  it (again) just on guitar (with understated keyboard accompany by Bobby Emmons) by the guy who co-wrote the song, Dan Penn.   for guitar players & other musicians or non-musicians, one tab i saw had the chords in the verse as G to D to Em, which is incorrect. rather, it's G to F#m to Em,  seen clearly on this video; the G to F#m in the key of G  gives the song its unique feel IMHO.  i like the understated half step modulation (via passing chord D# or D#7)  to the key of  G# in this live version.  (according to Wiki... Dan & Chips Moman co-wrote this song in 1966 during a poker game break in Memphis, with the  goal of writing an ultimate cheatin' song. mission accomplished).

Spearmusic is right -- a common progression for this would have been G to D / F# (i.e. D major with F# in the bass) to Em but this song is different! Great performance Bobby and Dan!

Producer's Corner -- Dan Penn

Great 2005 interview with Dan Penn from Performing Songwriter magazine. It's available from their site (for a small fee) here:

http://performingsongwriter.com/articles-interviews/producers-engineers/dan-penn/

Here's a brief excerpt:

You worked at both Fame and American
Studios. What was the difference between
the Muscle Shoals and Memphis style
of recording?

I got to watch Chips Moman at American
for several years. He cut different from Rick
at Fame. Rick, not really knowing any better,
had to put together a lot of bands, because
people kept leaving. He had to take green
musicians and teach them how to play in the
studio. Which was not what was happening
in Memphis. They had a band that already
had been playing for years—Reggie Young,
Bobby Emmons, Gene Chrisman, all them
guys. They weren’t leaving. So in Alabama,
it was more or less Rick saying, “Don’t do
it that way.” He’d go out and take the guitar
and show them what to play. Maybe a little
bit uncouth, but he got his message across.
But in Memphis it was not that way at all.
Moman basically just sat there, and it looked
like he was praying. He had this look on
his face like, “I know it’s coming through
any time.” They’d go into take 42 in a New
York minute, because that band was so good
that they’d take a piece of crap—excuse my
English—they’d take any old song and hit
such a groove that the song actually started
sounding good. So I got to watch that band
and watch him work for several years, and
I’ve got a big dose of that in me. Chips didn’t
really get on the talkback a lot. In Alabama,
it was talk, talk, talk. A lot of communi-
cation, because nobody knew what the heck
they were doing (laughs). But in Memphis,
they’d done passed that stage, and they
were into, “Try that again.” Everybody in
the band knew what to do. I guess if I’m
anything, I’m a combination of those two
studios. Plus my own stupidity that I throw
in there with it (laughs).