Historically hailed as the home of the blues, birthplace of rock (thanks to Sun Studio), and the capitol of soul, Memphis has also proven a haven for garage punk, hip-hop, and a thriving studio scene. It has nurtured envelope-pushers from B.B. King to Project Pat. Urban mayhem, low rents, and a deeply ingrained allegiance to all things eccentric continue to make this Mid-South metropolis a mecca for American music.

Widely considered the "Father of Color Photography," William Eggleston is also a longtime stalwart of the Memphis music scene, whose druggy '70s underbelly he chronicled in the vivid experimental film Stranded in Canton. Eggleston's arty images have been used to great effect on dozens of album covers by bands such as Big Star, Primal Scream, and Jimmy Eat World.

Originally a garage-punk cassette imprint launched by Eric Friedl (of Oblivians fame) in the early '90s, Goner Records has grown into a full-scale operation that's home to up-and-comers like Atlanta's Carbonas and Chicago's CoCoComa.

The label has also expanded its enterprise to include a retail store in the hip Cooper- Young district and an annual Gonerfest extravaganza that draws dirt-hungry bands and fans from around the globe.

Veteran rap duo 8Ball & MJG are best known for their pioneering Dirty South skronk, but the pair have also been busy fostering the next generation of local hip-hop stars. Pulling would-be talents from neighborhoods like their native Orange Mound, these mini-moguls record them at their jointly owned studio and release the results on their nationally distributed labels, 8Ways and MJG Muzik.

Guitarist/raconteur Jeff Evans and motormouth drummer Ross Johnson are known for their decades of service in the trash-rock trenches. More recently, they've formed a kind of absurdist musical-comedy duo that haunts various dives around town. Their marathon shows mix jagged blues with caustic diatribes -- if the White Stripes started writing dick jokes, they'd be on the way to ripping off even more Memphians.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a true Tennesseean who will utter a bad word about the King -- with the exception of Jimmy Denson. Denson grew up with Elvis and supposedly shielded a teenage Presley from neighborhood bullies. These days, he takes any opportunity to spin uproarious tales about Elvis as a demonically possessed mama's boy whose "eyes looked like two pissholes in the snow."

 

The Hi Tone Cafe
1913 Poplar Ave., 901-278-8663
Once a karate dojo used by Elvis Presley, this venue has become the city's premier midsize club, hosting everything from rockabilly to rap acts. Elvis Costello staged a series of intimate shows here in 2004 (resulting in his Club Date -- Live in Memphis DVD), while the regular concert calendar is studded with sold-out appearances from the likes of Daniel Johnston and Neko Case.

The View Sports Bar & Grill at the Executive Inn
3222 Airways Blvd., 901-332-3800
More than the average big-screen-and-hot-wings joint, this South Memphis hotel hangout has become a haven for the city's R&B veterans. Many famous (and infamous) local figures, including reclusive soul queen Carla Thomas, often turn up onstage unannounced.

CC Blues Club
1427 Thomas St., 901-526-5566
An antidote to the rote tourist blues found on Beale Street, this uptown Memphis juke joint is where the true fans go to get their dose of hometown blues. CC's is a haven for whiskey drinkers and seasoned musicians playing for genre-savvy audiences of "grown folks."

Buccaneer Lounge
1368 Monroe Ave., 901-278-0909
This wonderfully grungy nautical-themed bar has been operating uninterrupted since 1967 on the edge of Midtown. Fashioned like the galley of a pirate ship, the Buc boasts a series of weekly residencies, including turns from boogaloo band the Grip and bluegrass ensemble Devil Train.

Lamplighter Lounge
1702 Madison Ave., 901-726-1101
A yellowing, smoke-encrusted beer den, the Lamp radiates ample Southern charm and first-name hospitality, courtesy of longtime bartender Miss Shirley. Cat Power shot her "Lived in Bars" video here, and Shirley's kitchen fries up a dangerously greasy burger to soak up all that Pabst.

 

Tucked away on an anonymous stretch of road in South Memphis sits Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio, an institution responsible for a staggering amount of seminal soul music. Poppa Willie's place continues unabated today as a working studio (he recently cut tracks for John Mayer), and Mitchell himself still can be found holding court in the Royal lobby most days.

Founded in 1957, Stax helped along legends like Al Green and Aretha Franklin. The original Stax building was bulldozed in 1989, but it has since been rebuilt as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, which features keepsakes from Otis Redding and Ike and Tina Turner, and even houses Isaac Hayes' 1972 Cadillac El Dorado.

In a town full of legendary labels, possibly the most colorful was Barbarian, a veritable insane asylum run by music biz fantasist Jim Blake in the '70s. Specializing in non-singers and oddball acts, Barbarian recorded everyone from wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler to screeching all-girl punk band the Klitz to notorious Vietnam vet/outlaw biker Campbell Kensinger.

Al Kapone / Photo by Brad Johnson

Al Kapone
Alkapone.biz
Establishing himself as a distinctive lyrical stylist since emerging in the mid-'90s, Kapone has grown into something of hip-hop polymath in recent years, producing and penning hits for the Hustle & Flow soundtrack ("Get Crunk, Get Buck"), Lil Jon ("Snap Yo Fingers"), and E-40 ("U and Dat"). On the solo side, Kapone recently formed a live hip-hop band, Tha Untouchablez, who blend fierce down-South beats with big rock riffs.

Jay Reatard
myspace.com/jayreatard
Fueled by a charmed collision of synthy new wave and sugar-sweet garage punk, 27-year-old Reatard has the tunes and the attitude to make him the Memphian most likely to break out on a national scale. Born Jay Lindsey, he began his career a decade ago as a teen punk prodigy in the Reatards. He made big waves with last year's Blood Visions, a disarming blast of insistent hooks and horror-show lyrics. He's gained a reputation as a local bad boy, but the jumpy songs and his even jumpier stage demeanor are hard to resist.

Jack Oblivian
myspace.com/officialjackoblivian
Arguably the finest rock talent Memphis has produced since Alex Chilton, Oblivian (né Jack Yarber) rode shotgun in blues-punk favorites the Oblivians and Compulsive Gamblers. Over the course of a half-dozen solo albums, Oblivian has essayed everything from lo-fi blues to skittering electro-pop. Since he's been in so many bands and played so many shows, most everyone in the city limits with a guitar has gigged with Oblivian at some point. He also sold former labelmate Jack White the red Airline guitar that has become his signature.

Harlan T. Bobo
myspace.com/harlantbobo
Forty-one-year-old Bobo began writing and singing only a few years ago, after settling in Memphis and figuring out how to spin his frustration with women into haunting melodies. His albums are obsessive, twisted late-night platters that find him crooning in a warm, ragged voice that sounds as if it's been pickled in scotch, cured in Kools, and steeped in regret.

River City Tanlines
myspace.com/rivercitytanlines
Guitarist/vocalist Alicja Trout is the leader of this riff-fueled guttersnipe trio. Milking the distaff pop-punk vibe of the Pandoras and the Muffs, the group built their reputation on a series of giddy, scuzzed-up seven-inch singles before dropping their full-length debut last year. Trout is a powerful female voice in a male-centric scene who has also collaborated with late Love founder Arthur Lee.