You may remember the legendary T. Graham Brown and Opry member who has recorded 15 studio albums and charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard charts. He has had multiple number-one hits in country, gospel, and blues. Though released well before streaming was a thing, hits such as “Wine Into Water,” “If You Could See Me Now,” and “Hell and High Water” have had millions of views and plays.But what you may not know is that Brown got his start in R & B. He and his buddy would play on his college campus where they had quite the student following.

“We’d sing at night at a little Holiday Inn that was right there next to the campus. We would sing till midnight every night, get into bed, get up in the morning, and go to class. So, we kind of sang our way through school. That's what we used to pay our tuition, it was our singing money,” he informed.

Brown stated, “I had the idea to do a soul tribute album for the last twenty years. When the opportunity came up, we jumped on it. We went down to Muscle Shoals, the heartbeat of soul music. Billy Lawson (co-producer) and I cut fourteen tracks, and I started asking friends to sing along with me. We made ten duets in total. This album was a lot of fun. We cut it to be authentic to the mid-60s. We used the same instrumentation, the horn sections, and some of the instruments and equipment used on the original tracks at the historic Fame Studios. I think this is the ‘truest’ album possible."

The songs on the album encompass every type of Soul Music From Memphis to Muscle Shoals, hence the album title.

Before the full album release this weekend, Brown teased us with a few songs off the album. The first single, “The Dark End of The Street” is one of the greatest cheating songs ever written.

”I wanted Tanya Tucker on it because we are old friends. We have done duets before, including one big hit, “Don’t Go Out With Him.” She’s sultry, and I knew this was the perfect song for us to do together,” he shared.

Then he teamed up with one of the blusiest soul singers in country music, Randy Houser, for “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” They recorded the vocals at Houser’s home studio where “he nailed it,” Brown advised.

Brown teamed with Wynonna to cover Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” and it may be my favorite on the record. “Wy is a masterful vocal stylist and sings with a ton of soul,” he stated. But please note that Brown is no slouch, and together they are as good as a blues duet as any out there.

The final song released before the album came out was “When A Man Loves A Woman,” a duet the Brown recorded with Christian Music’s Zach Williams. It turned out that Williams had been a fan of Brown for years and he was certainly willing and more than capable to sing on his forthcoming record.“He’s a great, soulful, singer, so I asked him if he would be interested in laying down some vocals on a song. When he chose ‘When A Man Loves A Woman,’ boy howdy, he killed it,” Brown inserted.

Brown solicited Bettye LeVette to sing Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and Sammy Hagar to duo with him on “Walking the Dog.” But getting 83-year-old Little Anthony to sing with Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On,” and getting 87-year-old Eddie Brown to sing on his own “Knock on Wood” takes the album to the next level.

Another can’t-miss song off the record is Brown and Delbert McClinton performing Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally.” I am shocked at how well these country crooners cover the old stuff.

Other songs that are included on the From Memphis to Muscle Shoals record are Percy Sledge’s, “It Tears Me Up, “Sam & Dave's “Soul Man,” Clarence Carter’s, “Slip Away” and the frank and honest “Who’s Making Love” covered alongside Sam Moore.

The biggest surprise on the record is Brown’s duet with Dwight Yoakam when they performed “I’m Your Puppet.” When Yoakam found out he was cutting that song, he asked specifically to sing on it. You’ve never heard Yoakam sound this way before and you’ve just got to hear it.

These ageless tunes are the foundation on which R&B, Soul, and Country Music stand. They are timeless masterpieces that must be replayed and remembered.

I want to thank T. Graham Brown for trusting his instincts and teaming up with some of the best in business to uniquely bring these magnificent songs back to the forefront while still honoring the style in which they were originally recorded. From Memphis to Muscle Shoals is going on my playlist immediately.

You can follow T. Graham Brown on his website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and all streaming services.

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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.

 'From Memphis to Muscle Shoals' track listing:
Produced by T. Graham Brown and Billy Lawson
(Songwriters in parentheses)

1. "It Tears Me Up" (Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn)
*originally recorded by Percy Sledge
2. "Take Me to the River" w/ Wynonna (Al Green, Lewis Hodges)
*originally recorded by Al Green
3. "You Better Move On" w/ Little Anthony (Arthur Alexander)
*originally recorded by Arthur Alexander
4. "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" w/ Bettye LaVette (Chips Moman, Dan Penn)
*originally recorded by Aretha Franklin
5. "Soul Man" (Lee Hayes, David Porter)
*originally recorded by Sam & Dave
6. "I’m Your Puppet" w/ Dwight Yoakam (Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn)
*originally recorded by James & Bobby Purify.
7. "Walking the Dog" w/ Sammy Hagar (Rufus Thomas)
*originally recorded by Rufus Thomas. Sammy Hagar appears courtesy of Mailboat Records.
8. "Who’s Making Love" w/ Sam Moore (Homer Banks, Jean Crutcher, Donald Davis, Raymond Jackson)
*originally recorded by Johnny Taylor. Sam Moore appears courtesy of Rhino Entertainment.
9. "When A Man Loves a Woman" w/ Zach Williams (Houston Lewis, James Wright)
*originally recorded by Percy Sledge. Zach Williams appears courtesy of Provident Label Group.
10. "Slip Away" (William Armstrong, Lewis Daniel, Wilbur Terrell)
*originally recorded by Clarence Carter.
11. "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" w/ Randy Houser (Steve Cropper, Otis Redding)
*originally recorded by Otis Redding. Randy Houser appears courtesy of Magnolia Music Group.
12. "Mustang Sally" w/ Delbert McClinton (Mack Rice)
*originally recorded by Wilson Pickett.
13. "The Dark End of the Street" w/ Tanya Tucker (Chips Moman, Dan Penn)
*originally recorded by James Carr. Tanya Tucker appears courtesy of Fantasy Records.
14. "Knock on Wood" w/ Eddie Floyd (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd)
*originally recorded by Eddie Floyd.