I've never heard a rendition of "That's How I Got to Memphis" that I didn't like. Being from Memphis might have a little bit to do with that. The Tom T. Hall classic was originally recorded for Hall's 1969 album Ballad of Forty Dollars & His Other Great Songs and has been covered A LOT - most recently by Charlie Crockett, The Avett Brothers, and Whitey Morgan and the 78s, but also by old schoolers like Bobby Bare, Buddy Miller, Soloman Burke, Sid Selvidge, Roseanne and Johnny Cash, and even the man of the moment, Elvis Presley.
But just because I like the song doesn't mean I don't hear it as a back-handed compliment. The song starts with:
If you love somebody enough
You'll follow wherever they go
That's how I got to Memphis
The connotation being that the only reason you would end up in Memphis is that you had to hunt down a woman who ran away from you. But it was written in the 60s when stalking was romantic. I'm just kidding. Sort of.
Anyway, The Brother Brothers (Fiddler/violinist Adam Moss and cello player/guitarist David Moss, identical twins born and raised in Peoria, Illinois) are set to release their new album, Cover to Cover, in which they pay homage to their early influences and favorite songwriters. They kick the album off with, “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” adding a unique organ melody which not only updates the classic song, it gives it a nice new groovy sound.
Other songs on the album, out on August 5th, also includes new renditions of Jackson Browne’s “These Days,” James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes,” Hoagy Carmichael’s “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes),” Robert Earl Keen’s “Feelin’ Good Again,” Richard Thompson’s “Waltzing’s for Dreamers,” Judee Sill’s “Rugged Road” and Tom Waits’ “Flowers Grave.” Their stunning version of The Beatles’ “I Will” is especially significant since they created their own harmonies over the solo-vocal original when they were six.
WMOT is excited to give you a First Listen of The Brother Brothers' cover of Tom T. Hall's, "That's How I Got To Memphis."
The brothers had this to say about the recording:
"Have you ever heard a word randomly that you hadn’t heard before, learned its meaning, and then subsequently heard that word multiple times as if everybody’s always known the word and been saying it all their lives? We had a similar experience with this well-known, well-covered Tom T Hall song. We admire it for its unique writing and rhythmic style, as well as its general message. This is one we just couldn’t stop singing backstage and around campfires."
Was the word "Memphis?"