By: Tori Manuel
The Memphis blues genre stands as one of America’s most essential and historic art forms. It has intertwined itself in the foundation of legendary modern melodies while also demanding its listeners to reconcile with the flaws of our country’s past through the lyrics and stories of the pioneers themselves. This deep South harmony, originating from the extraordinary talents of Black musicians, was notably amplified through the culture-shifting Memphis Country Blues Festivals in the 1960s.
Dr. Augusta Palmer, Department Chair of Media and Communication here at St. Francis College as well as the director of “The Blues Society”, made this festival the center point of her latest feature-length documentary. The film explores the existing legacy of the blues through the lens of race and social injustice endured by Black Americans regarding their craft and lived experiences.
The Memphis Country Blues Festival was created to highlight the voices behind a genre that would inspire some of today’s most iconic figures. From the Rolling Stones to The Beatles, part of their cherished harmonies can be traced back to these roots.
“There were all these different people involved, different personalities, different races, different ages… and just that idea that they came together and made something happen, not something perfect of course, but you know that’s a pretty inspiring and exciting thing,” Palmer recalled regarding her admiration for the event and its collective spirit that drove her film.
The festival set the stage for blues legends to revive their careers in the public eye and receive worthy recognition. This motive was evident throughout preserved footage, by means in which Palmer also uncovered a fascinating truth.
History on Record
When viewing records of the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival, Palmer learned that she herself had nearly experienced the historic event first-hand, although not quite.
“One of the first things I heard… was a recording of my mom making, as far as I know, her first and only public speech begging people to give money to support blues players,” Palmer said, moved by the compassion heard in her mother’s voice.
The festival’s admission fee was a simple aspect of the beneficiary's cause and her mother had overseen collecting it. While some had no issue donating to access the music they loved, many others had excessively bypassed the entryway in a fit of chaos. When I asked how much entry had cost that day, Palmer replied that it was merely a dollar.
At the time of that speech, Palmer’s mother had been pregnant with her, hence the clever story she told me about the film’s timeline.
“I like to joke because of what I told you about that speech being made by my mom when I was in utera that I’ve been working on it my whole life, but that’s a slight exaggeration,” She remarked.
The documentary’s development actually took place over the course of 7 years. A key foundational aspect was funding and fortunately, Palmer had support from many who believed in her cause.
“Luckily there were a lot of people who donated to the campaign who were not the fence jumpers from the original concert,” Palmer joked as she earnestly expressed gratitude toward the individuals and institutions that helped make the film possible, including faculty development and research grants from St. Francis College.
Aside from financing, Dr. Palmer faced another challenge unique to this project. Numerous subjects are highlighted in this film and a main goal was to convey a cohesive narrative.
“You could think about it as a mosaic in the form of a film,” Palmer stated. “Getting it to be both those pieces of things that are spread out around a lot of people but also giving that whole image of the story of this festival.”
The Collective Spirit
One of Palmer’s priorities encompassed in this goal was the inclusion of diverse viewpoints, especially regarding the inclusivity of Black voices and sentiments toward the blues genre and its legacy. Memphis writer Jamey Hatley, author of a piece titled Why I Hate the Blues, appears frequently throughout the film.
Hatley’s relationship with the blues began with avoidance as she perceived the genre to be a consistent reminder of suffering, mirroring her lived experiences as a Black individual who had grown up in Mississippi. Over time, this opinion gradually evolved into something more empowering and reflective.
Palmer quoted Hatley’s newfound description of the genre as “putting the survival and joy on record.”
When piecing the film together, another standout story for Palmer was that of Nathan Beauregard. Beauregard was a gifted blues player who had achieved such a keen sound that his guitar playing had been mistaken by a festival organizer for audio coming from a record. Beauregard soon became a festival regular, although with his immense talent came a notable misconception.
Without any consultation, it was decided that Beauregard was “the world’s oldest living blues man,” Palmer stated, emphasizing that this lie could have been resolved by simply asking the man his true age. It was falsely perceived that Nathan was about 102 years old when he was actually in his 70s.
With assistance from the Mount Zion Memorial Fund, Dr. Palmer waded through historical records to uncover his actual age. The accuracy of the documents wasn’t always consistent.
“Records weren’t kept well because White people basically didn’t care about keeping those records about Black people, which is sad, but very true,” Palmer added.
The beloved musician passed away in 1971, laid to rest in an unmarked grave. Disturbed by that occurrence, Palmer worked alongside the Mount Zion Memorial Fund to create and preserve a monument for Nathan Beauregard in January.
A Pathway to Culture and History
Throughout Dr. Palmer’s projects and teachings, there is a theme of pursuing social justice through art. She dedicated part of that inspiration to the memory of her father.
“He was always very concerned about social justice as being part of studying music. He felt very strongly that so much work by Black artists had been appropriated by White rock and rollers without proper credit being due,” Palmer expressed. “...I think that we live in a racist society and it's very hard for us not to have internalized some parts of that.”
Palmer also credited her love of the blues to her father, Robert Palmer’s, same passion. Robert Palmer was a music critic and writer for the New York Times and The Rolling Stone, as well as the author of a textbook titled Deep Blues, a resource still used to study the genre today.
To all the students who share that same passion for seeking out social justice or are just curious to see the film, Dr. Palmer shared a final message for what you could take away from it.
“History isn’t this dry dull thing that should make you fall asleep, it can be fun, and it can have glitter and animation in it, as my film does,” Palmer remarked. “But also… maybe we should be most suspicious when it appears to be objective, it has some kind of subjective angle to it. Looking at that and being aware of that is something that’s really important for people to get from my films.”
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