Tune in to Memphis

Memphis has inspired many great musicians, as Rafael Alvirez writes in "A Memphis Love Song" in Spotlight 7/2009. Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley all began their careers on Beale Street. Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis. So was Justin Timberlake, who bought Stax, the legendary soul music label, in 2007, acquiring a catalogue of hits by Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes and Sam & Dave. (The Spotlight Online Special Report has videos of many of these songs and artists.)

Stax was a force promoting racial integration in the 1960s, empowering the black and white musicians performing together in the studio and on stage and creating a loyal following of African American fans. Otis Redding and Sam & Dave went on tour of Europe in 1967, introducing the raw, gritty, gutsy sound of Stax to a new audience. Just listen to Sam & Dave turning people on to soul in Offenbach, Germany:

This week let's look at the vocabulary and expressions you need to talk about listening to music, with a focus on false friends, phrasal verbs and tricky translations.

Anne Hodgson