Memphis Listening Lab

Former WHBQutie, Lisa Stampley Britt, paid us a visit. We could listen all day to her memories of the Talent Party TV show, dancing on stage with Rufus Thomas at the Penal Farm and riding motorcycles with Paul Revere & the Raiders. Wow, Memphis pop culture royalty! Come back soon.

Memphis Listening Lab updated their business hours.

Two weeks from today! The 1st annual Memphis Listening Lab / WYXR Record Swap and the 6th annual Crosstown Arts Zine Fest will be taking place. FREE ADMISSION so mark your calendar.

TONIGHT 08/20 - Come join J.D. Reager, Graham Burks and surprise guests for a Loose Opinions record release and listening party. The album is fantastic and should be fun. Please note that masks and proof of vaccination are required and limited to 50 people. Doors open at 5:00 and event will be kicking off at 6:00. Drop by and pick up an album or t-shirt. See you there.

Celebrating National Vinyl Record Day at MLL. .theartist and groove to some reggae while opted for some early Stevie Wonder. Thanks for stopping by!

Great to have Deep Soul legend L.H. White of L.H. & the Memphis Sounds stop by. Catch him tomorrow (08/11) on Daniel Mathis’ Reachin’ Out program from 8:00 - 9:00 pm on WYXR 91.7. Scott Bomar will be joining so you know it’s going to be great!

Great turnout for the Memphis Punk Archive today. Tons of amazing artifacts pouring in.

The Memphis Punk Archive is seeking old flyers, photos, tapes, etc. they can copy for posterity. They are setting up shop in the Memphis Listening Lab today and tomorrow so please come by if you have some suitable material and support this really cool project.

We will be joining WYXR’s Hot Tub Eric on his Burnt Ends radio show today to celebrate the 69th anniversary of Holiday Inn. Yes, Holiday Inn had its own record label and we will be spinning an hour’s worth of Holiday Inn label 45s from 5:00 - 6:00. Tune in to WYXR 91.7 for all the action.

VENDORS WANTED! The Memphis Listening Lab and WYXR in conjunction with Crosstown Concourse will be holding our 1st annual record swap September 4th & 5th. Please contact us for information on reserving a table - [email protected].

You can also support us by donating your unwanted records, CDs & memorabilia for the sale. Donations are tax deductible. We very much appreciate it!

NEW ARRIVALS! Alex “Al” Greene dropped off a few amazing items from his catalog. We also received fantastic records from Terminus, Black & Wyatt and Soul 4 Real records in Spain. A few classic LPs from Mr. Spock to Jerry Lee Lewis were recently donated, too. Come give ‘em a spin!

A group from the Carpenter Art Garden paid us a visit. We had fun spinning records and dancing in the SoundRoom. Thanks for coming by!

Our good pal, Brody, dropped by with his cool Dad to listen to some Pink Floyd. He said it sounded great!

Saturday, July 10th we will be having a special tribute for John King who donated his amazing collection of music to us. Jody Stevens of Big Star fame will be on hand to say a few words. Our doors will open at 1:00 pm and the festivities will begin shortly thereafter. Space is limited so first come, first served. Come show John King some love and check out the new Memphis Listening Lab!

Record mastering guru, Jeff Powell, dropped off a box of incredible LP’s from Omnivore Recordings. Like everything from Omnivore - GREAT! We really appreciate it and proud to add them to our collection.

Had some new furniture arrive and set up this cool listening nook. Enjoyed having Daniel and Noelle stop by to spin some records.

Happy birthday John King!!! We wouldn’t be here without you. Much love from the Memphis Listening Lab!

We were honored to have a group from the Stax Music Academy “All Star Song Lab” stop by for a visit. What an incredible program!

While we finish construction details and install equipment, we are inviting the public to come see the new Memphis Listening Lab. We will be operating at a limited capacity, but should be fully functional in a few weeks. We are located on the second floor of the Crosstown Concourse right above French Truck Coffee. Our hours are 11:00 - 5:00, Tuesday through Saturday. Come check it out!

Our custom made EgglestonWorks speakers arrived while members of St. Paul and the Broken Bones stopped by to check it out.

Great having Alex Greene from the Memphis Flyer by to check out the soon to be opened Memphis Listening Lab!

A few construction updates showing amazing acoustic panels in our SoundRoom and shelving towering throughout the space. Some of those shelves are 15’ tall!

Memphis music royalty! James Alexander, John Fry, Maurice White, and Isaac Hayes at Ardent Studios. Photographer unknown, but great shot.

Memphian Busta Jones was a producer, songwriter and bassist who worked with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Ramones, Gang of Four and many others. This was his only solo album. Thanks to our good friend, Frank Campagna, for donating this to our collection.

We will be joining Robby and J.B. tonight from 7:00 -9:00 on WYXR’s Talkin’ Memphis program. Tune in at FM 91.7 or check it out later in the archives at WYXR.org. We will be discussing the soon to be opening Memphis Listening Lab, Memphis music and beyond.

Better Together!  Shout out to for making some of our furniture. This will be our main work desk.

The Memphis Listening Lab is really coming along with the carpet and lighting installed and work on the shelving in progress. We should be moving in very soon! Thanks to for the great photos.

Was great having the Blueboys stop by to check out the progress on our facility. Their first release is due in June and they cite Memphis influences ranging from Project Pat to Big Star! Looking forward to having them back when we open.

Our listening stations will be equipped with turntables made especially for us by VPI Industries in Cliffwood NJ. VPI is a family owned business that has been building turntables in the USA for 40 years. Sam Phillips looks on in approval so you know they’re good!

Celebrating

Our best guess is that this unidentified disc jockey is Rubie Stein Hudson of Memphis station WHHM circa 1952. Memphis has a long history of great women disc jockeys which continues today. From our photo collection.

Construction on our facility is really moving forward. The paint crew has been busy and the lighting is being installed. Looking good!