Best Memphis Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“It's not what it looks like. That was a photo one of my barbecue teammates took. That was our ice luge. It melted, so I was picking it up and throwing it over the fence there. But from the angle he took the picture, my teammates thought it looked funny and posted it online. You can write your story and try to get a couple of clicks. It is what it is. ut it's just stupid. It's a nonstory. Given what’s happening with so many elected officials in the capital with so many real scandals going on, it seems like someone is trying to do a little misdirection and throw some heat onto a political consultant who has no skin in the game.”

Florida Miami Memphis Palm Beach Rick Scott Cooper Josh Tallahassee

Author:Rick Scott Cooper Josh

“I hitchhiked, took trucks 'n' trains - anything that would pick me up. I stopped in Memphis for about six months and they found me and come got me. Stayed about a month an' split again.”

Found Months Six Picks Train Splits Six Months Truck Memphis Pick Me Pick Me Up

Author:John Lee Hooker

“My parents were working in a hospital in Memphis. But I didn't live there for any length of time that I remember. The first thing I remember is the town in Mississippi that I live in now, Charleston.”

Firsts Remember Parent Towns Length Hospitals Hospitality Mississippi Memphis Charleston

Author:Morgan Freeman

“It's been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis.”

Pleasure Talent South Beach Memphis South Beach

Author:Paul Pierce

“I've always been in love with that Delta-flavored music the music that came from Mississippi and Memphis and, especially, New Orleans. When I was 14, I was in a wanna-be New Orleans band in Toronto.”

Band New Orleans Mississippi Toronto Been In Love Memphis Delta

Author:Robbie Robertson

“From Natchez to Mobile, from Memphis to St. Joe, wherever the four winds blowI been in some big towns an' heard me some big talk, but there is one thing I knowA woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing who'll leave ya to sing the blues in the night.”

Two Bigs Faces Night Four One Thing Heard Wind Towns Mobile Memphis

Author:Johnny Mercer

“Growing up in Memphis, I have always admired St. Jude's for the magnificent work they do.”

Growing Up Growing Magnificent Memphis St Jude

Author:Ginnifer Goodwin

“All the really great records or people who made them somehow came from Memphis or Louisiana or somewhere along the Mississippi River...And singers like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters gave me the feeling that they were right there, standing by the river.”

People Made Feelings Water Records Standing Rivers Singers Really Great Mississippi Louisiana Muddy Memphis Mississippi River Howlin Wolf

Author:John Fogerty

“I remember one night in Memphis, I'd come out of a blackout, and I didn't know where I was. I'm feeling through the darkness - I was asleep in the middle of a freeway. I went up to this car in the darkness, and it was a cop car.”

Knows Feelings Remember Night Darkness Middle Car Cop One Night Freeways Memphis Blackouts

Author:Ozzy Osbourne

“I was born in Memphis. There was music all around me, really deep and special music. I heard all these great masters at a young age.There was a great genius in my town, Phineas Newborn, who is one of the greatest pianists ever on the planet. He took me under his wings at about 9 and he put me on the right track.”

Age Young Born Heard Special Planets Masters Genius Towns Wings Track Young Age Pianist Newborn Right Track Memphis Really Deep

Author:Charles Lloyd

“I was always moved by all of the music. As a young man, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and all these great musicians would come through our town of Memphis. There wasn't adequate hotels, so these musicians - the lady who ran the theater knew my mother, who had a large house, and many of them would stay with us. So that was another great blessing, so I'm always around these great geniuses, and to realize their humanity is such a touching thing.”

Men Young Mother Humanity House Realizing Genius Blessing Musician Theater Towns Moved Ran Young Man Hotel Touching Adequate Great Music Dukes Memphis Great Musician Our Town Hamptons

Author:Charles Lloyd

“The first time I saw my wife, Marjorie, I was doing stand-up in Memphis, and she was sitting in the front row. Afterward, I walked up and said, "Ma'am, I'm going to marry you one day". And 15 years later, I did.”

Years Firsts Said Success Faith Saws Wife Relationship Fronts One Day Sitting First Time My Wife Memphis

Author:Steve Harvey

“What would we say if the Chinese sent a gunboat with their marines up the Mississippi River claiming they were protecting their laundries in Memphis?”

Ifs Rivers Chinese Marine Mississippi Laundry Memphis Mississippi River

Author:Will Rogers

“It was special with me being from Memphis and knowing the history of the venue, knowing all of the artists who performed in the Orpheum before me. Even having the idea to approach it was ambitious on my part, but I thought they would turn me down at first.”

Firsts Ideas Artist Turns Knowing Special Approach Ambitious Venues Turn Me Memphis

Author:Yo Gotti

“A friend of mine took me to Memphis advised me that I should get in the musicians' union. He gave me a set of drums and said, Stay on the job, son.”

Should Said Jobs Mines Son Musician Unions Memphis

Author:Levon Helm

“I'm singing the way that I love to sing, which is like old soul, like old Al Green. I grew up about an hour from Memphis. So all that music that I grew up with - the Stax music and early rhythm n' blues - I'm doing that. I'm actually getting out from behind my guitar and I'm singing.”

Way Soul Hours Behinds Grew Grew Up Singing Green Guitar Rhythm Als Memphis Old Soul

Author:Sheryl Crow

“I like New Orleans music, I like Memphis music and I like the way that the sound like those places. I like how there are stars and there are people in those cities that are revered in the community.”

People Way Stars Sound Community Cities New Orleans Memphis

Author:Joel Plaskett

“I have some that I have become a well-known-even infamous-client of, mostly in Memphis. But a great deal of that is legend and doesn't have anything to do with truth.”

Wells Deals Known Legends Clients Well Known Infamous Memphis

Author:William Eggleston

“I find it deeply upsetting when I see justice not being served. How do we as human beings deal with the unknown? The West Memphis Three trial is a joke on so many different levels.”

Humans Different Three Justice Human Beings Levels Deals Jokes West Trials Upset Different Levels Memphis

Author:Atom Egoyan

“[William] Eggleston's photographs look like they were taken by a Martian who lost the ticket for his flight home and ended up working at a gun shop in a small town near Memphis. On the weekend he searches for the ticket - it must be somewhere - with a haphazard thoroughness that confounds established methods of investigation.”

Looks Home Lost Taken Gun Towns Method Photograph Flight Shops Weekend Investigation Tickets Small Town Martians Memphis Haphazard Thoroughness

Author:Geoff Dyer

“After my early days of being a passionate young Elvis fan, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. I got interested in Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. Then I got turned on to the blues. I realized how important it was to our music in England at the time. Everyone was into the blues. Then you start looking at the different kinds of blues, and you follow the journey backwards from Chicago to earlier times back down to the Delta to the Memphis Blues.”

Kind Littles Important Different Young Journey Fans England Passionate I Realized Etc Chicago Rays Different Kinds Backwards Chuck Berries Memphis Delta

Author:Ian Gillan

“Before too long I was playing badly out in some bars around Memphis, but as soon as I learned a few chords I started writing my own stuff.”

Writing Long Stuff My Own Bars Chords Memphis

Author:Bryan Hayes

“Memphis held onto me until I was far enough along in my art and then it let me go.”

Art Enough Let Me Let Me Go Memphis

Author:Valerie June

“When I talk about music in Memphis, it's a place you can go if you are a beginning artist or anywhere in your career, and you can incubate.”

Ifs Artist Careers Memphis

Author:Valerie June

“I feel a lot of cities are like, you go and you are trying to do your art, and there are so many other artists there who are so brilliant. And it's kind of like they stomp on the scene, and they are like, "You're not already Picasso? Get the hell out of here!" And Memphis is like, "Well, you'll get there one day!"”

Feels Trying Wells Kind Art Artist Cities Hell Like You Scene One Day Brilliant Memphis

Author:Valerie June

“I don't know enough about hip-hop, though I've heard some great hip-hop. I just did a thing with Qwest Love - we did a performance together in Memphis at the Folk Alliance Festival, and we had a great jam and a conversation.”

Knows Enough Together Heard Conversation Performances Folks Hip Hop Hips Hops Festivals Alliances Jam Memphis

Author:Bela Fleck

“I love the South. Although I grew up primarily in Memphis, my family moved around a ton when I was a kid. I guess I never stayed in one place long enough to pick up the accent, but I definitely identify as a Southerner.”

Long Enough Kids Grew Grew Up Picks My Family Moved South Accents Southerner Memphis

Author:Chris Hardwick

“I have opinions about the differences between Memphis barbecue and Texas barbecue. Put me in the kitchen and you'll see how Southern I can be.”

I Can Differences Opinion Kitchen Texas Southern Barbecue Memphis

Author:Chris Hardwick

“When working abroad you work pretty hard, but with time off, this is the greatest job in the world. You drive. You explore Memphis, or wherever you've landed, or go and see Dr John, or the Californian landscape. And, yes, I've had a few good meals.”

World Hard Jobs Landscape Meals Drs Time Off Memphis Good Meals Californians

Author:Toby Jones

“If someone had said to me ten years ago "Yo, we have this role of this pimp who wants to be a rapper, he lives in Memphis", I'd be like, "Really?" But then when you read it and you see it, you say "That's a great role."”

Ifs Want Years Said Roles Ten Years Ago Rapper Pimp Memphis

Author:Morris Chestnut

“I was always drawn to the roots music, bluegrass, blues, early rock - Sun Records, Elvis [Presley]. And I still love that music to this day. Memphis never gets the credit. It's much more musically rich than Nashville ever will be. Nashville manufactured that hokey-hillbilly image way back.”

Way Stills Sun Rich Records Rocks Roots Credit This Day Nashville Memphis Bluegrass Hillbilly

Author:Steve Young

“The Faces do not, as some have recently alleged, play badly. They are more than competent, especially at creating a mid-Sixties Rolling Stones-styled groove, as their excellent version of 'Memphis' proves.”

Play Faces Prove Creating Stones Versions Excellent Sixty Rolling Competent Rolling Stones Groove Memphis

Author:Jon Landau

“When I got outta High School I was driving a truck. I was just a poor boy from Memphis, Memphis.”

School Poor Boys High School Driving Boots Truck Memphis Poor Boy

Author:Elvis Presley

“Man, that record came out and was real big in Memphis. They started playing it, and it got real big. Don't know why-the lyrics had no meaning.”

Knows Men Real Bigs Records Memphis

Author:Elvis Presley

“I sang in church growing up. Memphis is the blues capital of the world, we like to say.”

World Church Growing Up Growing Memphis

Book:Justin Timberlake

Source: Justin Timberlake

“Museums do not share their collections with other museums unless they get something in exchange. The Metropolitan will deal with the Louvre, but will they send their stuff to Memphis? No.”

Stuff Deals Share Collections Museums Memphis Metropolitan Louvre

Author:Eli Broad

“No such thing as a hard woman, Memphis,just soft men. With that, I turned, and the others followed me.”

Men Hard Memphis

Book:Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter collection 16-19

Source: Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter collection 16-19

“Facinating." He broke into a wide grin. "I've discovered something, Khufu. This is not Memphis, Egypt." Khufu gave me a sideways look, and I could swear his expression meant, Duh. "I've also discovered a new form of magic called blues music," the man continued. "And barbecue. Yes, you must try barbecue.”

Men Trying Looks Form Magic Expression Wide Broke Swear Egypt Barbecue Sideways Memphis Blues Music Duh Khufu

Author:Rick Riordan

“Most guys my age have girlfriends and drinking buddies on their speed dial. Me, I have the Memphis CDC.”

Age Guy Drinking Speed Girlfriend Buddy Memphis Drinking Buddy

Author:Mira Grant

“Memphis—it’s just a bird. Birds fly around, brother. It’s what they do. It’s not following you, and it’s not a sign. Unless you really did give it candy and flowers, in which case you are one strange brother.”

Giving Cases Strange Brother Flower Bird Following Candy Memphis

Author:Libba Bray

“Life don’t come to you, Memphis. You gotta take it. We have to take it. Because ain’t nobody handing it to us.”

Memphis

Author:Libba Bray

“It's funny, when you're a child you think time will never go by, but when you hit about twenty, time passes like you're on the fast train to Memphis. I guess life just slips up on everybody. It sure did on me.”

Thinking Children Like You Twenties Train Slips Time Passes Memphis

Book:Fried Green Tomatoes, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You: Three Bestselling Novels

Source: Fried Green Tomatoes, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You: Three Bestselling Novels

“That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station.”

Dream Bigs Force Growing Up Growing Doors Air Singing Radio Stations Big Things Knocking Air Force Radio Stations Memphis Knocking On Doors

Author:Johnny Cash

“Memphis found his smile. 'You know me, sir. I don't wear worry.”

Knows Found Worry Know Me His Smile Memphis

Author:Libba Bray

“The nation is sick; trouble is in the land, confusion all around...But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century. Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee, the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.'”

“I used to go down every year for the remembrance of Elvis' birthday. Memphis State College invited me to sit in the auditorium and speak to the people for one of those Elvis days.”

People Years States Used Speak College Birthday Remembrance Invited Redneck Memphis Auditoriums

Author:Otis Blackwell

“God chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career.”

Careers Memphis

Author:Allen Iverson

“The city of Memphis has demonstrated that neither character nor standing avails the Negro if he dares to protect himself against the white man or become his rival.”

Ifs Men Character White Cities Protect Standing Dare White Man Rivals Memphis

Book:Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells

Source: Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells

“I'd been to Memphis before, but we stayed out of Memphis early on in the late 70s for obvious reasons. People were very sensitive about Elvis Presley, and my stage name obviously would be provocative to some people in that area at that time.”

People Reason Would Be Names Stage Late Areas Obvious Sensitive Provocative Memphis

Author:Elvis Costello

“I think it is good for people who are incarcerated or who are bound up one way or the other-people like Lily Kimball and all the prostitues of Memphis. This gal, she needs some wings, and a good song can make that happen.”

People Thinking Way Needs Writing Happens Song Wings Bounds One Way Songwriting Lilies Gals Memphis

Author:Ketch Secor

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