Soul school
Porter’s new music mentor program rooted in Memphis
To get into the new music venture established by Memphis soul legend David Porter, applicants must submit two songs, two photos and a social media profile.
But even if something in that portfolio should hit Porter the way the ordinary phrase “Hold on, I’m coming” once resonated at the Stax studio all those years ago, even then the prospective student must get past the queen.
Because at the top of a backalley stairwell Downtown wallpapered with a panoply of legendary musicians from Memphis and beyond, students will come eye-to- eye with a young Aretha Franklin, holding a pose filled with sass, swagger and soul.
The Memphis-born, Motown-bred queen of soul emanates the attitude captured in “Think” and “Respect,” and Porter wants the experience to generate an essential question for several dozen participants set to enter on July 27 as part of Consortium MMT’s inaugural class.
The six-week class aims to equip a new generation of musicians with the knowledge, methods and techniques needed to gain a foothold in the music industry, with Memphis influences and soul music serving as a guide.
“Look at Aretha sitting in that chair, hand on her hip,” Porter said one morning last week. “The message we are sending is, ‘Before you take your heinie through that red door, you better be dead serious, because we are dead serious.’ Aretha is telling them, ‘If you’re not for real don’t come in here.’”
Porter hits high notes on “real” and “here,” and for
those involved, including 24-year-old executive director George Monger, there is a mix of excitement and relief that the opening is really here. Announced publicly last fall at the Memphis Chamber, which has donated resources including the Front Street office space, the program is free to those who are accepted, will span six weeks and will include specialized instruction and critiques, in person and virtually, from those many friends of Porter who also happen to be giants in the music industry.
Among them — Porter’s oldest South Memphis friend, Maurice White, the Earth, Wind & Fire legend.
From White and others, like Ray Parker Jr. and Steve Jordan, Porter has solid commitments and Consortium has already produced dynamic seminar-like sessions in which the industry veterans engage “MMT,” as Porter is calling the groups. The “MMT” stands for Memphis Music Town, and the history and impact of Memphis music, particularly Memphis’ contribution to the soul genre, is something Porter believes the city at large and his program in particular must leverage.
Porter’s passion for building a program rooted in Memphis music has helped bring aboard “eight or nine” key — but anonymous — benefactors to help him with funding, and won support of the Memphis Chamber.
Already in the planning stages is a music festival celebrating soul music, likely debuting sometime next year, that will help generate resources and momentum for the pro- gram. In fact, the only contractual obligation for Consortium graduates will be a commitment to appear in events like the soul music festival. For one Consortium board member, Clear Channel executive Morgan Bohannon, Porter made a compelling case at a chamber event and he immediately asked to get involved.
“My motivation is similar to David, in that the music history of Memphis is so rich it’s important to keep that alive,” Bohannon said. “If we can develop some talent that will give back to this community the way he is giving back, we will make Memphis a better place.”
Emphasizing that theme is what, in part, inspired Porter’s idea for making first-time visitors access the second-floor offices via the Falls Building’s back door.
Stepping inside, the first image is of the Consortium’s logo, a mix of four images — Porter and his old writing partner Isaac Hayes at the top in the north star slot, then Otis Redding to the viewer’s right, Al Green to the viewer’s left and at bottom is Steve Jordan, a drummer and prolific producer with strong Memphis connections.
At the top of the first landing are the images of dozens of greats, including Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, but taking up a big chunk in the left corner is a gorgeous print of Booker T. & the MGs, the Stax house band that Porter says epitomizes his vision for his program.
“This is the cornerstone of what Stax Records was — two African-American guys and two white guys playing music the world revered as Soulsville USA,” Porter said. “And the feeling that was generated through this collaboration, it permeated the entire artist roster of Stax Records. Yet you would find it difficult to identify them on every record because they were able to gather the personality and the creativeness of the writer and producer that gave each of the pieces its own personal identity.”
Porter emphasizes that he’s not trying to make students replicate ’60s soul but instead inspire young musicians — the program wants applicants ages 17 to 27 — to find inspiration for new, contemporary sound rooted in the Memphis tradition.
“We are going to amplify that continuously in our work with young people, the symbolism of what all this means,” Porter said. “The creative process in music evolves with the times. ... We’re not saying try to re-create ‘Soul Man.’”
Another way he puts it: “They can get it with the encouragement of people from a different time, and they should know we respect that, we’re not trying to get you to duplicate us. This is something that can help you elevate to where you need to be.”
One member of the first class will be Keith Mason, a Cordova resident who was accepted despite being in his 30s and outside the optimal age range. While building what he calls his full-time “professional career” at Medtronic, Mason has cultivated his “passion career” in music that includes an independent label, EnYa WED, and some success working with people like Chris Thomas, the Memphian who advanced on the reality music show, “The Voice.”
Porter and Monger were so impressed by Thomas’ desire and accomplishments that they wanted him in the first class.
And Porter, an avid golfer, felt like he needed to take a mulligan.
As Mason recalls it, 10 years ago Porter accepted a phone call from him, listened to his career aspirations but was not able to do more than offer basic advice.
“He said, ‘I’m in my retirement, enjoying my golf game and good luck to you,’” Mason said.
Mason will pursue the songwriting track. And Porter, still very healthy and spry enough to excel at golf, has been spending more and more time off the links pursuing what feels to him like an extension of his life’s work.
Porter believes deeply in Monger, who graduates in August from the University of Memphis, but says, “Until we are sailing, I’m going to be so involved it’s going to aggravate the hell out of people. But what I’ve got to do is develop other young people, like George and others, so there is a future.”