Train Keeps a’Rollin’
Annual musicians’ reunion hosted by local blues queen Marion James helps keep Nashville R&B—and its progenitors—alive
by Bill Levine
Anyone who saw the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown would have appreciated its compassion for the Funk Brothers, the largely anonymous studio musicians who backed stars like Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson and developed the signature sound that gave Motown its worldwide appeal. Not all the Funk Brothers were still standing when the film came out in 2002, but its illumination of their careers makes it worth asking whether the film speaks to Nashville’s humbler but no less worthy R&B and blues communities.
If Standing in the Shadows is a cautionary tale about the exploitation of talented musicians by a star system that ultimately cut itself off from its base community, then maybe our town should be thankful that it never witnessed such a monstrous birth—at least in this branch of music. More apt for comparison is the film’s most positive accomplishment: to give long-overdue praise to the largely forgotten supporting players in Motown’s hit-making machine.
The “Night Train to Nashville” exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has been remarkably effective in raising awareness of the city’s R&B and blues heritage, but it comes to a graceful halt in a few months. The thousands of visitors who’ve seen it doubtless were impressed by the relics of Jimi Hendrix’s brief, formative sojourn here, the oversized gear and showy outfits that grew out of his participation in the competitive club scene on North Jefferson Street in the early ’60s. En route to a featured role in Little Richard’s band, Hendrix was never built up as a star when he worked in Nashville. Yet owing to both his natural gifts and the circumstances of fame, he’s been the marquee attraction, indirectly drawing attention to many of his peers who never enjoyed the same level of national recognition.
For the past 22 years, blues singer Marion James, in whose band Hendrix once played, has hosted an annual commemoration and fundraiser for her fellow performers—the people who never came anywhere close to Hendrix’s level of notoriety. Her gathering might be less in the public eye than the exhibit at the Hall of Fame, but it’s also more grounded in the lives and work of the musicians. Held at the Pride of Tennessee Elks Lodge (2614 North Jefferson St.), once the site of the Club Baron, her Musicians’ Aid Society Reunion brings together those who helped build the golden era of North Jefferson Street while enabling the blues and R&B impulse to speak for today and look ahead to the district’s resurgence.
This year, joining Nashville legends like Johnny Jones, Bobby Hebb, Earl Gaines and Jimmy Church will be Hendrix’s former sideman, guitarist Larry Lee. Also on hand will be Gorgeous George, the chitlin-circuit emcee who introduced Hendrix to Little Richard. With the goal of raising support for musicians in need and for cancer research, the event rekindles the spirit of a multi-bill revue—or, better yet, an after-hours session with the musicians whose collective energies once put the city on the national R&B map. Call 327-0165 for tickets.
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