Andria Lisle
Andria Lisle (pictured at Ellen's Soul Food restaurant in 1997) is a Memphis-based writer on blues, soul and other genres. She has written for Mojo, Raybeat, the Memphis Flyer and The Oxford American.
78 articles
List of articles in the library
Booker T & The MGs: Memphis Sunset: The Mysterious Death of Stax Heartbeat Al Jackson, Jr.
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, Grand Royal, Fall 1997
JULY 31, 1975 – Booker T & the MGs drummer and Stax session musician Al Jackson, Jr. is shot in the chest with a .22-caliber ...
Othar Turner: Seven decades of blowin’ fife and hollerin’ goat: Othar Turner
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Pulse!, May 1998
"PURE FUNK and earth" is what Luther Dickinson calls the lilting blues played by 90-year-old Othar Turner, last surviving master of the cane fife. And ...
Overview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Downtowner, July 1998
There’s an old saying that goes like soKeep trying and you’ll get where you want to goWhen things get rough, buckle downDon’t give up – ...
Review by Andria Lisle, Ray Gun, October 1998
OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, I've endured a recurring theme in my late night dreams: the Rolling Stones, finally realizing the vapid decline of their ...
The Grifters, Those Bastard Souls: Bastards No More: Life After Grifting
Interview by Andria Lisle, Ray Gun, July 1999
The Grifters’ David Shouse seeks redemption with THOSE BASTARDS SOULS. ...
Guided By Voices: Do The Collapse (TVT)
Review by Andria Lisle, Ray Gun, August 1999
GUIDED BY VOICES’ Bob Pollard has reinvented his rock’n’roll vision, trading his home recording ethos for a slick pop sound. This aesthetic change reflects other ...
Royal Trux: Veterans of Disorder
Review by Andria Lisle, Ray Gun, October 1999
Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema, the "Glimmer Twins" of Royal Trux, have packed a lot of living into the past decade – including heroin abuse ...
Essay by Andria Lisle, Oxford American, Summer 1999
"Oxford Town in the afternoon,Ev’rybody singin’ a sorrowful tune.Two men died ‘neath the Mississippi moon,Somebody better investigate soon.Oxford Town, Oxford Town,Ev’rybody’s got their heads bowed ...
Obituary by Andria Lisle, Living Blues, March 2000
FOLLOWING A STRUGGLE with cancer, legendary saxophonist Fred Ford died on November 26, 1999. He was 69. Ford, a pillar of the Memphis music community, ...
Jeff Buckley: Our Glorious Spring: Jeff Buckley
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, Oxford American, Summer 2000
THERE IS A PICTURE, taken early in May 1997, at Ellen’s Soul Food Restaurant in Memphis. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and we’ve just arrived from ...
The Staple Singers: I'll Take You There: The Everlasting Legacy of the Staple Singers
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, MOJO, April 2001
THE DRIVE FROM Memphis to Drew, Mississippi, is a treacherous one even today. Highway 61 will take you as far south as Clarksdale, before you ...
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, Oxford American, June 2001
WHEN ANN Peebles and Gene "Bowlegs" Miller first crossed paths at the Rosewood Club in South Memphis, neither would have called it destiny. As Miller ...
Ike Turner: The Redemption Of Ike
Review and Interview by Andria Lisle, Stereotype, July 2001
ROCK AND BLUES trailblazer Ike Turner celebrates a new outlook, new album and his 50th year in music. ...
Andre Williams: Bait and Switch (Norton)
Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 24 August 2001
R & B LEGEND Andre Williams first achieved acclaim the mid-'50s on Detroit's Fortune Records with classics like 'Bacon Fat' and 'Jail Bait' on which ...
Robert Randolph: Sacred Steel… Live
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 11 October 2001
Pedal-steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph delivers The Word at B.B. King’s. ...
Review by Andria Lisle, Living Blues, November 2001
IN 1949, THE year that Leadbelly died, Odetta made her first appearance on stage – in a Los Angeles production of Finian’s Rainbow. ...
The Mighty Hannibal: Hannibalism! (Norton Records)
Review by Andria Lisle, Living Blues, November 2001
THESE 28 TRACKS, spanning 15 years of the Mighty Hannibal’s career, epitomize Southern soul at its finest – and most obscure. ...
Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 1 November 2001
I FELL IN LOVE with Ryan Adams the moment I first heard his voice. It was in the early fall of ‘97 and I was ...
Roots-Music Renegades: Fat Possum Records
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, December 2001
With artists Robert Belfour, T-Model Ford, and Hasil Adkins, Fat Possum Records captures the last gasps of a dying art. ...
Jerry McCain: Absolutely the Best – The Complete Jewel Singles
Review by Andria Lisle, Oxford American, Summer 2001
BLUES HARMONICA fans beware: Jerry "Boogie" McCain's harp-blowing is anything but conventional, and this collection, featuring material cut a decade into his career, during the ...
North Mississippi Allstars: North Mississippi All Stars: 51 Phantom (Tone-Cool)
Review by Andria Lisle, Living Blues, January 2002
EARLIER THIS YEAR, the North Mississippi All Stars received a nomination for a Grammy (Best Contemporary Blues Album), the LB Critics' Awards for Best Debut ...
R.L. Burnside: R. L. Burnside: Burnside On Burnside (Fat Possum)
Review by Andria Lisle, Living Blues, January 2002
IN THE LAST decade R.L. Burnside, the best-known purveyor of Mississippi hill country blues, has become almost an anti-hero of the blues scene. His label, ...
Lazy Lester: Blues Stop Knockin’
Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 24 January 2002
ONE OF THE LAST of that great fraternity of Excello bluesmen – and a throwback to the days when harp-blowers like Little Walter Jacobs, Jimy ...
Review and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, September 2002
CATEGORISING RICK James isn't as easy as one might think. Sure, he's the bad boy of black pop, a groove-minded funkster with a nasty attitude, ...
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, MOJO, December 2002
"SOMETHING TOLD ME IT WAS OVER/When I saw you and here talking/Something deep down in my soul said, 'Cry, girl'/When I saw you and that ...
Elvis Presley: Sam Phillips: Rock'n'Roll Evangelist
Obituary by Andria Lisle, MOJO, September 2003
For Sam Phillips rock'n'roll was a religion And, boy, did he spread the gospel. ...
The Dixie Chicks: Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, October 2003
When they criticised President Bush's war, the Dixie Chicks went from being new country darlings to enemies of the state. Now they’re unlikely keepers of ...
Al Green, Willie Mitchell: Al Green and Willie Mitchell: Let's Stay Together
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 13 November 2003
Singer Al Green and his legendary producer Willie Mitchell try to make magic once again. ...
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 12 February 2004
Rodney Crowell creates art for the soul in the cracks of Nashville's music machine. ...
Gillian Welch: Revival: Gillian Welch
Profile and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 18 March 2004
Roots renegade Gillian Welch tries to resuscitate classic rock with a two-person band. It worked for the White Stripes. ...
Al Green, Willie Mitchell: Al Green: Soul Searching
Profile and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, April 2004
In the late '70s, Al Green was a troubled superstar who abandoned the stage in favour of the pulpit. Then last winter, after 25 years, ...
Rodney Crowell: Fate's Right Hand (Sony/DMZ)
Review and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, April 2004
Texas-to-Tennessee country star takes a lonely, introspective journey on this breathtakingly unconventional release. ...
Review by Andria Lisle, MOJO, June 2004
The Coal Miner's Daughter becomes a country music queen – with a little help from one of The White Stripes. ...
Bobbie Gentry: Chickasaw County Child – The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry
Review by Andria Lisle, MOJO, July 2004
A 23-track set that further mystifies the story of the songwriter behind 'Ode To Billie Joe'. ...
Hi Rhythm, Willie Mitchell: Hi Rhythm: Love and Happiness
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 2 July 2004
Hi Rhythm, Memphis' other soul house band, made music into a family affair ...
Mavis Staples: The Long and Winding Road
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 16 July 2004
From the civil rights movement to a collaboration with Prince, former Stax artist Mavis Staples has taken us there. ...
Jay Farrar: Independent Streak
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 30 July 2004
Alt-country godfather goes it alone. ...
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 6 August 2004
From Miles to Usher: George Benson on four decades of musical changes. ...
Obituary by Andria Lisle, MOJO, October 2004
Rick James died on August 6, after last month's MOJO went to press. Andria Lisle pays belated tribute. ...
Review by Andria Lisle, Tracks, December 2004
OUTBACK COUNTRY: the Aussie singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers staked her claim to the genre with The Captain (2000), her folksy debut. ...
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 18 February 2005
THE FIRST TIME Samuel Charters came to Memphis, it was in the fall of 1956. "I bought a car for a hundred and fifty bucks ...
R.E.M.: R.E.M: The Warner Years 1988-2004
Review by Andria Lisle, MOJO, March 2005
The best — and worst — of major label era R.E.M., repackaged in deluxe, 2-CD sets that include DVDs full of surround sound mixes, live ...
Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard: Robert Pollard: Last Call
Interview by Andria Lisle, Harp, March 2005
BY THE time you read this, Robert Pollard will have pulled the plug on Guided By Voices: The band's final concert occurred on New Year's ...
Alex Chilton, The Replacements, Paul Westerberg: According to Paul
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 11 March 2005
Rocker Paul Westerberg talks about fame and his bad reputation. ...
Interview by Andria Lisle, Harp, May 2005
"WE FEEL outside of things, and we like that feeling and we don't like that feeling, depending on our mood at the time or the ...
Alvin Youngbood Hart: Alvin Youngblood Hart: His Way
Profile and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 20 July 2005
Ignoring the "blues Nazis", Alvin Youngblood Hart patches rock, blues, and country into a musical crazy quilt. ...
Elvis Presley: Elvis Slept Here ... and here and here
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 12 August 2005
Keeping house for the King ...
North Mississippi Allstars: In the Footprints of Giants
Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 7 September 2005
The North Mississippi Allstars salute hill-country blues as the culture loses a titan. ...
Isaac Hayes, David Porter: Isaac Hayes and David Porter: Perfect Match
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 21 October 2005
Songwriting legends Isaac Hayes and David Porter come together (again) for two big events. ...
David Banner, DJ Shadow: DJ Shadow and David Banner: Two Worlds Collide
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 4 November 2005
Regional rapper David Banner and turntable legend DJ Shadow make an unlikely pairing. Memphis plays a part. ...
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 10 February 2006
With an all-star Memphis band, Chan Marshall lets her music do the talking. ...
Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Endless Love
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, May 2006
He missed a European tour last summer and it seemed the end had come. Now, Arthur Lee convenes a new band in Memphis. ...
Annie Leibowitz: Captured the Magic
Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 1 June 2006
Annie Leibovitz's American Music at the Brooks. ...
Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Love Story
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 17 August 2006
Psychedelic-rock legend ARTHUR LEE began and ended his life in Memphis. In between was quite a journey. ...
Tony Joe White: Just Like Fonzie
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 14 September 2006
Nearly 40 years into his music career, Tony Joe White still feels cool. ...
Bettye LaVette: Betty Lavette: On the Comeback Trail
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 28 September 2006
Soul singer Bettye LaVette on the path from obscurity to sensation. ...
Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Love Hurts
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, October 2006
Egomaniac, original, troubled genius: Arthur Lee — who died last month — was all of these and more, his band, the legendary Love, kicked viscerally ...
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 5 October 2006
The good news and the bad news, according to Frank Black ...
North Mississippi Allstars: South Toward Home
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 12 October 2006
When the Allstars come home and play blues all night long, it's a family tradition. ...
Tav Falco's Panther Burns: Tav Falco: Approaching the Unapproachable
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 19 October 2006
Memphis cult figure Tav Falco takes a break from self-imposed exile for a rare local performance. ...
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 26 October 2006
FOR MANY music afficionados, Memphis' Madison Avenue is the Southern equivalent of Abbey Road. Yet thousands cruise past the low-slung brick building at 2000 Madison ...
Big Star, Alex Chilton, Jim Dickinson: 40 Years of Ardent
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 26 October 2006
The little recording studio on Madison has played a big part in Memphis music history. ...
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 15 February 2007
Legendary producer Joe Boyd hits Memphis. ...
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, MOJO, April 2007
He founded Atlantic, the greatest "indie" record company ever, signed everyone from Ray Charles to The Rolling Stones, and did it all with a rare ...
Booker T & The MGs, Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones: Booker T. & the MGs: Soul Survivors
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 3 May 2007
Decades after helping create the Stax groove, no one represents the living legacy of Memphis soul quite like Booker T. & the MGs. ...
The Beatles, Booker T & The MGs, Elvis Presley: Visiting Royalty
Retrospective and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 3 May 2007
Stax artists weren't the only ones who wanted to record at Soulsville: Tales of the ones who got away and one who didn't. ...
Live Review by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 28 June 2007
Glorious past and uncertain future of Stax on stage at the Orpheum ...
Blue Mountain: Back to Blue Mountain
Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 30 August 2007
WAS 1993 REALLY so long ago? It seems like almost yesterday when Oxford, Mississippi's Blue Mountain arrived on the alt-country scene. With songs such as ...
Felice Brothers: Roots-Revivalist Wind Propels Earthy Band
Interview by Andria Lisle, The Commercial Appeal, 2 November 2007
A FEW years ago, New York native James Felice was living in his car. Now, in a band called the Felice Brothers — which includes James' real-life ...
Memoir by Andria Lisle, MOJO, March 2008
Demonised during his lifetime, Ike Turner left a musical legacy that matched his fearsome reputation. Andria Lisle, a former associate, pays her respects to one ...
Bobby "Blue" Bland, Simply Red: Mick Hucknall meets Bobby "Blue" Bland
Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, June 2008
He revolutionised soul in the early '60s, sings like an angel in anguish, and has influenced everyone from Otis Redding to Van Morrison. Now Bobby ...
Speaking Of Dying: R.I.P. Vibe
Comment by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 2 July 2009
A MERE three years after purchasing the 16-year old Vibe magazine from founder Quincy Jones, the Wicks Group pulled the plug this week, dumping the hip-hop publication on the top ...
Jim Dickinson: For the Benefit of Mr. Dickinson
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 6 August 2009
A Memphis legend gets by with a little help from his friends. ...
Jim Dickinson: Remembering Jim Dickinson
Obituary by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 25 August 2009
I'VE SAID GOODBYE to a lot of cultural heavyweights and big personal influences over the last few years: Otha Turner, Ike Turner, Rev. Gatemouth Moore, ...
Chris Bell, Big Star: Big Star Boxed Up
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 10 September 2009
Big Star is celebrated with a lavish musical "scrapbook." ...
Big Star: Behind the Scenes of the Big Star Box Set
Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 15 September 2009
DURING HIS seven-year career at Ardent Studios, 34-year old engineer Adam Hill has worked with the White Stripes, Cat Power, George Thorogood, Montgomery Gentry and the Raconteurs. One ...
Willie Mitchell: R.I.P. Poppa Willie Mitchell
Comment by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 5 January 2010
EIGHTY-ONE-year old producer/trumpeter Poppa Willie Mitchell died at 7:25 a.m. today, at Methodist University Hospital. ...
Al Green, Willie Mitchell: Sunset Serenade: Saying Goodbye to Memphis Music Legend Willie Mitchell
Obituary by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 14 January 2010
AT 7:25 A.M. ON Tuesday, January 5th, 81-year-old producer "Poppa" Willie Mitchell died at Methodist University Hospital. An entire chunk of local music history died with ...
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