The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts was filled with music, memories, and Memphis pride as six trailblazers were inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.
The ceremony, grounded by the dynamic MMHOF House Band, was a powerful tribute to the city’s unmatched legacy and its undeniable global impact.
Pat Mitchell Worley, president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, and Marcus Cox, executive director of Welcome to Memphis, a Memphis Tourism initiative, emceed the evening. The program celebrated the lives and work of Cordell Jackson, Art Gilliam, Denise LaSalle, Robert Johnson, Wendy Moten and Johnnie Taylor, artists who expertly weaved the fabric of Memphis music.
The night opened with the MMHOF House Band’s smooth performance of “Just for Your Love,” followed by a funky rendition of The Jones Girls’ classic “You’re Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else.” That tune was reimagined by The Jewels, the powerhouse MMHOF background singers Dani McGhee Barlow, Candy Fox, and Shunta Mosby. The trio earned that name at the 2024 Porretta Soul Festival in Italy.
In addition to the following inductees, two non-Memphians were bestowed Legacy awards due to their global contributions to music through Memphis music connections. Those awards were presented to Graziano Uliani, founder of the Porretta Soul Festival and John Mellancamp, who recorded in Memphis.
Cordell Jackson: Rock ’n’ Roll Granny Who Broke Every Mold
The first honoree of the night was Cordell Jackson, who died in 2004 at age 81. Known as the “Rock ’n’ Roll Granny,” Jackson was the first woman to write, sing, engineer, produce and release her own records on her own label, Moon Records.
“She was a renaissance woman,” said Dawn Hopkins, a stage manager and audio engineer who presented the award alongside John Hornyak, longtime president of the Memphis chapter of National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. “She blazed the trail and paved it for people like me to pursue a career in the music business,” said Hopkins.
Jackson’s son accepted the award, and Susan St. James paid musical tribute by performing three of Jackson’s songs: “City Lights,” “Hold On Baby,” and “So Easy.”
Art Gilliam: The Voice Behind WLOK
Next came Art Gilliam, who at 80 years old, remains a living legend in Memphis radio. A Yale-educated journalist, Gilliam was the city’s first Black television reporter and columnist for The Commercial Appeal before purchasing WLOK 1340 AM in1977. He changed its format from rock to a blend of R&B, gospel and social commentary, transforming it into a powerful platform for Black voices.
In his speech, Gilliam called on the city to recognize its power: “It’s all Memphis music, and we are the vehicle by which it is spread throughout the world.”
He added, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of Memphis could come together to realize how amazing we are?”
His friend and colleague, Rev. Melvin Jones presented his award and Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith delivered a soul-stirring gospel musical tribute, “Magnify Him.”
Denise LaSalle: A Bold Queen of the Blues
The posthumous induction of Denise LaSalle, “Queen of the Blues,” honored a bold woman whose influence spanned soul and gospel. Her daughter Bridgette Edwards and nephew accepted the award, while Carla Thomas, “Queen of Memphis Soul,” gave a warm tribute.
“She was well-respected, strong and kinda wild too, now,” Thomas laughed. She went on to share some of LaSalle’s accomplishments, such as founding the National Association for the Preservation of the Blues. “Watching her do all this was kind of amazing,” said Thomas.
Her musical tribute featured Johnathan Ellison, Karen Wolfe, her former background singer and family member, and Marcella Simien, who performed LaSalle’s hits “Lady in the Street,” “Trapped by a Thing Called Love,” and “Toot Toot.”
Robert Johnson: A Legend Lives On
Though his death in 1938 is still steeped in mystery, Robert Johnson’s legendary spirit was very much alive at the MMHOF induction ceremony. New information from a 2020 family book revealed Johnson lived on Georgia Avenue in Memphis.
Worley said “He wasn’t a great guitar player at first,” before referencing the fabled story that Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads. “When he came back, he could really play.”
Famed rocker John Mellencamp performed “Stones in My Pass Way” representing the rock side of Johnson. After which he said, “Everywhere you look, you’re gonna find a little Robert Johnson.”
Johnson’s grandsons Michael and Steven Johnson accepted the award before another tribute, this time by Memphis-native Eric Gales, representing the blues influence of Johnson.
Gales brought the house to its feet with a guitar tribute that channeled Johnson’s spirit, before which he said “Johnson is single-handedly the most influential guitar player of all time.”
Wendy Moten: Memphis Soul, Global Voice
Wendy Moten, the only other living inductee present, brought tears and cheers with her powerful voice and humility. The Overton High School graduate is known for her chart-topping ballad “Come In Out of the Rain” and her standout run on “The Voice,” where Blake Shelton called her “the best singer I’ve ever heard.”
Country singer and friend, Martina McBride praised Moten, saying, “She can sing any style. Her versatility is something very few can pull off.”
A video featuring John Oates, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill and other friends and colleagues honoring Moten played before her musical tribute.
Moten’s tribute included performances by her niece Tamara Jones Monger (“Step by Step” by Moten) and friend Stefanie Bolton (“All I Do,” a duet Moten recorded with Kirk Whalum), and she closed with “Ain’t No Way” and “Come In Out of the Rain.”
Moten dedicated her award to her friends, band-mates, colleagues and family, saying, “You all have followed and supported me my entire career.”
Johnnie Taylor: Philosopher of Soul
Jared ‘JB’ Boyd, Memphis journalist and program manager for WYXR radio, who played the overhead announcer all night, introduced Taylor’s tribute segment. Johnnie Taylor, who died 2000, was honored last by James Alexander of The Bar-Kays, who inducted his son Jazzy Phae last year. Alexander added some humor, saying “Taylor called everybody Pete.” Taylor’s son TJ Hooker Taylor accepted the award, saying what a great honor this is for his dad who “never understood how powerful and loved he was.”
A soulful and spirited medley by Gerald Richardson, Jerome Chism and Bird Williams celebrated Taylor’s hit songs, including, “What About My Love,” “Steal Away,” “Last Two Dollars,” “Still Called the Blues,” “Running Out of Lies,” “Good Love,” “Just Because,” and “Who’s Making Love.”
John Doyle, executive director of the MMHOF and Memphis Rock & Soul Museum, took advantage of the opportunity to announce the museum’s relocation to Beale Street, in the former Lansky Brothers and Hard Rock space, to become a 24,000-square-foot hub for Memphis music education and preservation.
“Music broke down barriers long before the laws ever tried,” Doyle said. The new space will include a free rehearsal room, student studio and educational programming. Tours are already underway.
Throughout Thursday evening, the MMHOF band, led by Kurt “KC” Clayton, played and sang for everyone, creating a strong backdrop and beautiful palette for each artist tribute, including a moving version of “Sailing” for the “In Memorium” tribute. The band is composed of: Steve Bethany and Garry Goin on guitar, Doc Samba on bass, Paul McKinney on trumpet, Vic Sawyer on trombone, Alan Clayton on saxophone and flute, KC and Darryl Sanford on keys, and The Jewels on background vocals.
More than 100 singers, songwriters, musicians and industry greats have been inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Click here to see the past inductees.
Learn more at https://memphismusichalloffame.com/
