It began in 1975 as a radio station promotion with free hot dogs and soul music in Riverside Park. Half a century later it has become a Memphis music tradition.
In the summer of 1975 three young men — David Acey, Sherman Austin and Garland “Wild Child” Markam — staged what they thought would be a one-time promotion for WLOK radio at Riverside Park, now Martin Luther King Jr. Riverside Park. They promised free hot dogs, Cokes and music. They borrowed the title of The 5th Dimension’s 1968 hit “Stoned Soul Picnic,” though the WLOK event dropped the “d” and became simply the Stone Soul Picnic. A few hundred were expected. Several thousand turned out.
The founders may have seen it as a radio promotion, but for young Black Memphians a community picnic came to represent an emergence from a decade of upheaval. The years leading up to it had included the sanitation workers strike, the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., school desegregation battles and the Black Monday boycotts. Out of that struggle a new sense of pride and power had taken hold, and the picnic became more than a clever idea to promote a radio station. It was a celebration that fit the moment.
Seven hours of praise, community and soul reached their peak when the Bar-Kays closed the show. Dressed in shimmery pants and T-shirts that revealed each member’s name when they turned around, the band introduced the crowd to a new generation of Bar-Kays. With voices that matched their predecessors precisely, they offered a crowd-pleasing act that would make the originals proud. James Alexander, the only original member still with them, kept the bass line steady as lead singer Chris J. presented him to the crowd.
“I have been at every Stone Soul Picnic but two since it started,” said Perry Davis, collecting autographs in his 50th anniversary souvenir booklet. “I appreciated the vision these men had. It was a good atmosphere back then and the atmosphere is still the same — everybody coming together — all the choirs performing, it just feels good to be here.”
That atmosphere is why the picnic became an annual tradition, lasting half a century. This year’s golden anniversary leaned into that legacy with 11 performances and special honors. Radio personality Melvin “A Cooking” Jones paid tribute to Acey and Austin and remembered Markam posthumously. Standing together, Acey and Austin accepted framed commemorative collages. “I’m very, very proud that God has allowed me to be here 50 years later,” Acey said. “We look forward to this event another 50 years.”
Austin recalled its beginnings with a laugh. “We wanted to promote WLOK, and we were trying to come up with something. One day we were listening to The 5th Dimension when someone said, ‘Let’s do a picnic!’ And that was the beginning.”
The picnic is now an indoor event to avoid weather-related cancellations. This year it was held at The Coronet Event Center, where food trucks lined the outside while vendors, health screenings and entertainment filled the space indoors. “I guess it’s Memphis’ largest indoor picnic now,” said Art Gilliam, president and CEO of Gilliam Communications and owner of WLOK.
The first crowd in 1975 was young, steeped in the sounds of the ’70s and shaped by an era of civil rights activism and antiwar protests. That same year the Vietnam War ended, but a 1968 song — part hippie dream, part post-Civil Rights hope — still resonated. Its lyrics suggested a euphoric celebration, and the picnic reflected that promise. Fifty years later the event features more gospel than R&B, but the sense of joy and community remains.
“The event gives everyone a sense of history and culture. It is extremely significant to Black Memphis that this event has endured 50 years and people look forward to it. There are not many events that we go to where the outpouring of love is at this level,” Gilliam said. “And it’s free. It’s the only event of its kind that for no charge has this level of entertainment, community and social interaction.”
Gilliam, who became the first Black radio station owner in the Mid-South when he purchased WLOK in 1977, was honored during this year’s event by Mayor Paul Young, who declared Aug. 30 Stone Soul Picnic Day. Executives from the Beale Street Walk of Fame later came on stage to present Gilliam his gold music note, which will be placed among the city’s music legends.
For Hattie Dailey, the experience was inspirational. “This is where I can get my joy and praise on. This is my second year. My friend invited me last year, and I had to come back again this year. I enjoy seeing gifted young people praising God.”
Seven hours of praise, community and soul reached their peak when the Bar-Kays closed the show. Dressed in shimmery pants and T-shirts that revealed each member’s name when they turned around, the band introduced the crowd to a new generation of Bar-Kays. With voices that matched their predecessors precisely, they offered a crowd-pleasing act that would make the originals proud. James Alexander, the only original member still with them, kept the bass line steady as lead singer Chris J. presented him to the crowd.
Asked about the future, Gilliam was pragmatic. “Next 50 years? We plan one year at a time. That’s probably one of the reasons we have lasted 50 years. Each year when the event is over, we sit down together and plan for the next.”
What began as a simple idea from three young men trying to promote a radio station has become something far larger — a Memphis tradition and a cultural affirmation that says: We deserve joy, we deserve community, we deserve release.
