In Performance at the White House

Memphis Soul

President and Mrs. Obama host a celebration of the timeless classics of "Memphis Soul" in this special taped in the East Room of the White House. The all-star concert honors the memorable soul sounds from the mid- to late-1960s that came from Memphis, Tennessee, and legendary labels like Stax-Volt Records, which featured artists such as Al Green, Mavis Staples, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding and many more. The evening pays homage to Memphis, a segregated city in the 1960s, where many whites and blacks nonetheless came together to make soulful music, a mix of gospel and potent rhythmic grooves - known as Memphis Soul.