Memphis, TN
The New, Classic Stax Sound

“Basically Turkish and Hebrew pop.” That’s how guitarist Ori Naftaly describes the music he grew up listening to outside Tel Aviv, Israel. But his father’s record collection mapped out the path he eventually followed around the world. “James Brown, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters and Albert King,” he recalls. “Everything before 1976 was in that collection.” A few decades later, Naftaly has assembled Southern Avenue, a deeply soulful Memphis blues band that’s turning the scene on its head. The guitarist first arrived stateside in 2013 with his all-Israeli psych-blues act, The Ori Naftaly Band. “We sold the Americans what they sold to us,” he says. “But touring on an artist visa, you’re on a time limit. And I wasn’t evolving musically—I had to change it up.” That’s when he met gospel singer Tierinii Jackson, who turned out to be Naftaly’s missing link. After recruiting Tierinii’s sister, drummer Tikyra Jackson, the new trio began writing songs together and quickly honed in
on a distinct musical vision: fiery, guitar-led soul rock, with punchy horns, hard-shuffling beats, sparkling ballads and barroom throwdowns. Bassist Daniel McKee and keyboardist Jeremy Powell signed on soon after and Southern Avenue started lighting up the Memphis scene. Suddenly, things fell into place. An early EP grabbed the attention of the legendary Stax Records, and Southern Avenue found themselves recordingtheir gritty, grooving debut with help from North Mississippi Allstars’ Luther Dickinson. Church-approved, electrifying cuts like “Don’t Give Up” and the gorgeous “Peace Will Come” offer timely doses of healing soul power. The buzz has spread quickly, and the group is slated to play a choice mix of jam and blues festivals this summer. “It’s a live record,” says Naftaly. “There’s no element we can’t repeat onstage.”