Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a weekly public affairs program focusing
on the most important issues impacting our community. This week,
here's your host, Ryan Gorman.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
All Right, everybody, it is time. It's the Pulse. I
am Stormy. You know, we keep our fingertips on the
pulse of our community. And this week, another special guest
on the show because September fourteenth, we got something big
happening in the city of Memphis, probably one of the
biggest Black events that happens in the city of Memphis.
(00:32):
Ladies and gentlemen, the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic,
Fred Jones. Hey, Fred, he was waiting for the crowd
in the background.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
No, I don't have to hear the crowd.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
We do have an audience, but our audience is very
quiet right now.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
But that's okay. So Fred, Okay, this is thirty five five.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So this is what year thirty five looks like for
the Southern Heritage Classic.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, and I'm always asked the same question.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Besides that, besides.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
That, you know, did you think that you're gonna get
to thirty five?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Thirty five? Can you believe it?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Thirty five years trying to get to one?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
You know, I mean, I can think about all the
things that we had to do to get one, and
then there was a challenge for two. And it's always
been seemingly a challenge each year for the Classic in
some form.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
But I'm proud of the fact that that.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
The Classic is was was built on with a strong foundation.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Yeah, we're stand all that, you know, all that I
call it turbulence, it's a lot of But again that's
the satisfaction that we can sit here to day twenty
twenty four, thirty five years and we're as strong as
(02:11):
ever we had. You know, it doesn't matter about the
changes and what have you. We just just seem to
be able to keep going. And that's the beauty of
how long the organization. And I'm proud of the organization
that has been with me for the for this long ride.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
But the citizens of Memphics and other communities that.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Have supported the Classic. Yeah, it's a really special.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
And that you can talk about something and that is
still strong after thirty five.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Thirty five years. Yeah, everybody's still talking about it. Everybody
still wants to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
People can remember before they had children and now they've
got children and all of that. You know, thirty five years.
A lot can happen in thirty five years.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
Yeah, well what happened as straight as you mentioned that,
that's the one thing when you think about the classic
the one thing that always comes up is the classic stories.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
The kids my parents brought me. Now I went to college.
Now I got kids, I'm taking my kids. Yeah, and
you got grandparents, they all you know, they all managed
the family shows up and be a part of what's
going on.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So there's a classic story.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Everybody has a classicod a classic story.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thirty five years, that's enough to see three generations.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Yeah, and you and when you hear them, when you
hear the stories, and people can recall a lot of things.
I can't remember every thing that happened with the classic
you know. I know things that happened that I remember
that I had to deal with. Yeah, it happened nine
eleven in Katrina and.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
All of that.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
But you know, they tell us some of the little
deeper story and again it brings a smile to my
face when I hear them talking about and with passion.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, Southern heritage classic. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I was talking to a friend of mine and they
were telling me. They said, Man, I love it when
y'all have the morning broadcast out there and we just
stay out there and just be out there.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Classic story.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I was like, wow, I missed that. I missed those
days too. Yeah, yeah, man, A lot has happened in
thirty five years. What's been I guess one of the
biggest highs for you in thirty five years of the
Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
One of the biggest.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Highs, I think the biggest how this might be. It
was the first year and we always talk about people
and it's rain. You know, we don't go out in
the rain, right, And I remember that first year the
Classic started to rain, and I think the game started
(05:17):
at seven. That year, right before the game started was
just in rain. But what I remember was that nobody
stopped walking, you know, nobody.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You know that That.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Sounds like some years I've.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Been out there.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
You know, you don't stop, you know, you keep going.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
But this was the first year, that old thing about
the rain and what have you. And you know, we
got our outfits. We still got the outfit. The outfits
have changed, haven't.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
They, though, So we're going back to It's interesting though,
because back then the fashion that was happening back then
is probably some of it circling back around.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
Right, But the fact that it was amazed me that nobody,
nobody stopped walking.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Nobody.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Yeah, they had that pride then, Man, they somewhere in
this in their spirit and their soul, they knew that this.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Was going to be something special.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
Yeah, and if we could pull it off, and all
the all that they sales didn't matter at the moment.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
The rain didn't matter, it didn't rain long, you know.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
But I could see the people walking and they were
just happy that to be there, and we're going to
try to do this vent and and all the things
behind the scenes. Even today, there's always something behind the scenes,
but we always try to do it in such way
that we can manage it and the people. It doesn't
(06:48):
get to the public, you know about the issues. Yeah,
you know, you just management.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Because yeah, most of us have no idea what you're
talking about. We don't get to see all of that, you.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Know what I'm saying. That's also behind the scenes. We
all know noneing.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We don't know what happened, honey, We don't even know,
and we don't want to know.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
We don't need to know.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
So yeah, it's amazing that you can pull off something
like that that can be come what it's become from
Memphis and the history of Memphis and still be doing it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, and doing it at a high level.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
Yeah, that's the thing too, that always wanted to do
to this event with pride, you know, you know that
people can be be proud of the fact that there
was you know, all of the controversy didn't stop people
from being from feeling good about what this was, what
(07:43):
this was and what it represented. And you knew early
on there were things that happened along the way. And
that's why I'm glad this year we we were able
to We're gonna be able to spread this message out
a little bit further than we had before in our
(08:05):
association with the National Civil Rights Museum.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Wonderful. And tell me about that.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Well, Jay Henderson and I Jay Handles, the publicity and
I were trying to think of something for the Classic
and she said, well, maybe we need to do an
exhibition and talk about the Classic. Yeah, which I thought
was a good idea, and well would you do it?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
And you kind of get stuck on that.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Then she said, I think we are the National Civil
Rights Museum. Really, you know, I'm like, whoa, yeah, I
might hear this went really and we talked to them
and they said yes and the rest of his history.
So beginning September eleventh, nine eleven till the end of
(09:04):
February Black History Month and twenty twenty five, there will
be exhibition at the National Civil Rights honoring the thirty
five years of the Southern hereadage Last Beautiful, all the
five schools that have participated in it. Yeah, we got
their band uniforms, we got the football uniform.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yes, we got That's exactly where it should be. I mean,
you know, that's a good start.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Well, you know, it's like this when she mentions it
to me, I'm going like, really, yeah, you know, okay,
we didn't know. We know that it was a good
you knew it was a good idea. Sometimes when these
good ideas coming.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
Yeah, just after this, Okay, this was a good a
good idea.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
It's a good idea to have an exhibition.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Southern Heritage. Classic is Memphis history. I mean you know
it's a part of the it's a part of the
history of the stroke.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Well yeah, all again, when you start thinking about it
and you started playing and for me being a Native
Mythian growing up in that area. I mean, I knew
about the Lorraine Motel, and you know, obviously they plays up.
(10:27):
It's a history of what happened with black people in
this community. And I used to walk there from the
claving homes and I knew where it was. And then
I can say today that because of what happened at
the Lorraine Motel and what happened in nineteen sixty eight
(10:50):
to the sanitation workers, played a big part in.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
What has happened to my career.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
Because let's think about this, it happened in April of
nineteen sixty eight.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
That year.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
I was not a good student at Memphis State University.
I had failed all the classes. And I wait a minute,
Wait a minute, So.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Nineteen sixty eight, yeah, is the year that you went
to school.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
No, I was already always already in school, but I
was I had flunked out of school. I graduated in
sixty six, and I was in I was in the
university at Memphis State University, not doing well, flunked out
of college, and have a job trying to figure out
what I was going to do. The events of nineteen
(11:50):
sixty eight happened. I got hired at Union Planner's Bank,
funked out of college, no experience, didn't take a test,
I walked in, stayed there for a while.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
They called my name. You hired now high in the
world that would have happened.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
It was only because of the events that have happened
in April of sixty eight that I was.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
They were able to hire me.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
In May of sixty eight, and then and set I'm
working at the banking in nineteen seventy they moved me
out to Ballevue for almost some of the same reasons,
Revue branch, and it so happened that at that branch
where Stax Records was doing their business.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So from sometime and I think it was.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Probably March or April of sixty eight, my whole life
has been turned around all kinds of ways because of,
you know, the courageous efforts of some people, and unfortunately
what happened in Memphis and doctor King and Civil Rights
(13:13):
Museum and what have you. So for me, it's just
it just struggle with the classic it it's played out
in a way, and now and you get to saying,
somebody is saying, we want to talk about this.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
You know this idea. And as I.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Tell this story, I mean I worked on it for
months and I didn't even have a name for it.
I didn't have a logo, I didn't have anything we
and what what we have today. I mean, there was
no social media that was a facts machine was if
you had one, I had to go to the midd
South Coliseum and use that facts machine and I wanted
(13:57):
to fact something.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Were there were there then?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I can't remember, you know, I don't remember, but you know,
if you had one, it was oversized and I don't
think so. But I'm just saying, how all of this
is happening now you come to now you're talking about
the Southern Heritage Classic and the National Civil Rights Museum,
(14:22):
and it makes all the sense in the world.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Wow. So I'm excited for that.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
A lot of people are excited about it and and
and that's how the Classic has evolved in all of
these years.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I'm waiting for the documentary. I mean to cut you off,
but there's got to be a documentary coming. Yeah, you know,
I think there isn't There needs to be.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Well, I think that this is part of I think
this is the real beginning of the telling of the story.
This so anarative classic, and I think that that people
will will come to understand how strong the people are
(15:15):
because we've only survived, you know. I get a lot
of credit for a lot of things with the Classic,
but people have stood with me all the way they have.
Nobody has, you know, when things went going right, when
going well, we never heard about those things, you know,
(15:37):
in any kind of negative way, and people just responded
to it.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
So I'm proud of that. I'm really proud of that fact.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
And I'm proud of the Association and the participation of
the National Civil Rights me SIM in the thirty fifth
anniversary of the Classic.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, that's pretty amazing, you know. I don't know if
you've got a chance to see the exhibit at the
Brooks Museum. There was an exhibit that they had come
through they I think it was on loan from Atlanta. Maybe,
I'm not sure. I interviewed them, but when I went
to see the exhibit, it was about Black American history.
(16:18):
There was a room full of Memphis history and there
were paintings and pictures of the Classic.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 6 (16:28):
Yeah, well it's a here again is Southern Heritage Classic?
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Here again, that's this, that's that's that's a classic story.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And you know, and from.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
As I've illustrated to people and told his story before.
When we was trying to put this together, it was
a blank sheet of paper.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
And when David they swearing down there. He was a.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Marketing guide to commercial appeal at the time, and I
went to talk to him and he said, what are
you gonna do? No, I didn't have a name. I
just said, you know, I'm gonna put this together. I'm
gonna have some entertainment. I'm gonna do this and do
that and the other. And he gave me a sheet
(17:22):
of paper off his desk and I scribbled down on
this paper what I thought about. The still wasn't the
Southern area's classic name, but that was the beginning of it.
And I remember Dave telling me that day the first day,
he said, if you if you pulled this off, you're
(17:42):
gonna have the biggest event in this town.
Speaker 6 (17:45):
He spoke it into existence, and he did everything that
he could while he was alive.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
He never he did everything.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Wo I mean when I say the things that we
take for granted today.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
The.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Logo, the brochure, our presentation, all of that we started
from that blank sheet of paper. So that's why you're
so proud of the fact now that we can go
into a place like the National Civil Rights Museum, it's
known worldwide and and it's and it's it's not okay,
(18:27):
it's not. You never hear anybody say why is the
Southern Areagage Classic at the National Civil Rights Music Never
They'll probably say, well, what.
Speaker 4 (18:37):
It's about time?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So, Fred, September eleventh is four days before the Classic,
So will there be like an opening like ceremony or
were just telling people to go on September the eleventh
or is that a part of the Classic events?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
It's started, that's started off the Classic events.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Okay, so that's the first day we added that we
originally we was on the twelfth through the fourteenth, and
if you go to Southern Heritage Classic dot com, it
has the whole schedule and everything there. But again, when
you started to put these pieces together, and that's what
(19:19):
you end up doing. We know, we've been very fortunate
that there's always been a golf tournament, that's been a
fashion show, you know, there's been the parade that's been entertainment.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
In fact, I was looking at the entertainment list. I
made a listing of the entertainment from nineteen ninety to now.
Now I look at the list and I kept I said, man,
this is it's pretty amazing. Yeah, you know, we went
from from Jerry Butler to Ruth Brown to Ruby Wilson,
(19:57):
Preston Shannon, Bobby playing bb King. Wow, you just go
right through the list of Luther Vandross. Yeah, I mean
it was our brothers, Bobby Womack, Charlie Wilson, Gladys Knape,
(20:19):
oh Frank. Many times when you're looking at the list,
you know, we kind of had a lot of repeace.
But you know, you look at the quality of the
entertainers that played that played in the Classic.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah, they were a perfect fit for what we were doing.
And like this year.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
We got Patty Lebel, which is on that Thursday. We
had Patty booked for for twenty twenty during the COVID
year where we had obviously we canceled the whole Classic
that year, so she's playing the Classic for the first time.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
So it's it's always been a place for real quality entertainment.
I remember, you know we did Usher well most people
don't know, you know, and they I know after the day,
they may have heard it some parts of it before,
but Usher was the first entertainer to play the FedEx Forum.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
On the Friday night of The Classic two thousand and four,
I think wow. I mean, and that year we had
the Old Jays and Jail LeVert the same we cand
So the Classics has been has been able to hold
(21:48):
us own through all the changes and changing the entertainment
business and what have you. But the Classic has been
able to hold his place, and the entertainment lists, uh,
you know, goes without saying it's been top of the line.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Well it's top of the line. This year you got
Patty LaBelle straight off the DNC and she's touring all
over the place.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
She tore it up. They told me.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
I didn't see it, but people called me and said, man,
did you see Patty Leabell? You know, I you know,
we're just coming for the Classic.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
She really tore it.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
But that's the kind of quality entertainer that from that era.
When you saw the the Isley's and Bobby wall Maggen
and Bobby Blue Bland and BB King, that show was
(22:45):
going to be top of the line every single time,
and it's just I'm just glad the Classic and being
able to play a part in that over the years.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I'm excited about Tamiya and Joe.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
A lot of people are excited about to Mia because
they won't do that line dance come on here to
meya ready?
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Well again we got something again.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
We just got something that's.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Really good for the for for the for people and
variety and you know, quality.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Entertainment, black excellence. You talk about black excellence. That's what
the Classic has been consistently throughout the years.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah, consistently. Well that was what we wanted to do.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
And you know when they drag me screaming about man,
you're the only person that could put this together, and
they meaning that was the ads from Tennessee State in
Jackson States, you know, because everybody felt that Memphis was
(23:55):
the place. But when you started tracing it here we
go back talking about history again in uh, the migration
of a lot of black people out of out of
the Delta, what have you from straight through Memphis, m
you know, and then and then especially when I started
(24:16):
the Classic and I started talking to these businesses, when
have you there are a lot of people from the
from the Jackson area, Jackson, Mississippi area of the Delta,
the area between Memphis and Jackson that have come to
Memphis and settle here and families here, and it's a
lot more than people imagine.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
I can believe it. Yeah, yeah, again, I'm just.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
I'm just proud of the fact that we're able, we've
been able to sustaining sustain ourselves with that excellent you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Know, it's.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Ain't une changed.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
Now I'm trying to the word I don't want to
say is it's a special place in people's minds. And
I got a classic story that you know that revolves
around me, really personally involved my mother. She knew when
I was having an issue years ago with the double
(25:23):
header and we were game and what have you, and man,
she spoke it so well, you know, and they were
we were kind of fighting over the date and who
had the date at first and all that, and you know,
and she said, you know, they we got one date
(25:45):
and they want to take it away from us. And
she stood there, man, with tears in our eyes, you know,
and that passion that that black people, having black women
in particular, yea, oh man, she was like she was
just furious, and I was glad to this day that
(26:07):
I was there. Let you know, I'm gonna work this out.
You know, we're gonna we're gonna savage this because this
is all we got, yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
You know.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
And so that passion for a lot of people throughout
the community has always been there. It's you know, and
we don't want to keep you know, just keep repeating
this over and over again. But it's it's a special moment.
I tell people every every year. If people in this
(26:38):
community have that same expression that they have the week
of the Classic, we wouldn't have no problem.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I mean it's like everything is okay, special time.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Yeah, even being out there tailgating on that day it's special.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's But once you see it in play,
that's the thing, and that's the thing that that that
pushes you hard to keep going forward.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Now we only have a few minutes left, but I
wanted to talk about I know there's been some renovations
at the the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. So what should
we expect different this year? I know we've got clear
the clear bad policy that's been in effect for a minutes.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But should we expect anything else this year?
Speaker 5 (27:27):
No other than the fact that you're looking out from
the east side to the west side and you see
the top of the South Coliseum.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
That that big that tower.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
That tower has been there, the press box has been
there for years.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Yeah, and I think that you know, as far as
the game is concerned, everything was remaining the same.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
The only thing is that you know, because there's a
construction site, you got the same areas are blocked off
to go certain directions. The people that will pay attention
and bring an abundance of patience, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Or get dropped off. Well, if you plan to stay
for a very long time.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
This year, the abundance of patients start even earlier because
Cooper Young Festivals is the same day. Oh wow, So
it's it's a lot of activity going on. You have
to plan your day. But in terms of the stadium
and how that would work, you know, there was it's
(28:44):
we saw that at the game last week at the
University of Memphis, and that was the first time that
they had done that, so they kind of got an
outline of what what what what happened that day and
how you make that were changes.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Okay, so pack on your patience and for any information
where can they go.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Southern Heritage Classic dot com. I repeat, Southern Heritage Classic
dot com.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Everything you need to go, everything is.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
There, and call us at nine O one three nine
eight six sixty five five or one eight hundred three
three two one nine nine one toll free. And if
we don't answer, we'll leave a message and I get
we'll call you back shortly. You know, we we're trying
(29:36):
to be as as tentive if we can. But again,
storm it. I just want to thank the people in
this community, are people that's living listen to this, for
all their support, and I want to thank the people
who will work with me all of these years. Twain,
(29:58):
Maxine Uh, Pat shyy Uh, the late Joe Barge of
George Blackman, Jane's Pilott. I mean they're working. They worked
tiredly to make this happen. And you cannot be successful
(30:20):
without a strong support based around you. So I had
my hats off to them and for for hanging in
there with me. And they know firsthand what it takes
to make this work, and they all got that. We
all got the same passion about this, wanted to be
(30:42):
successful because we want our neighbors and our friends to say, man,
you know I had a good time at the Classic.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Well, we're excited about it, y'all.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
A week and a half away or week away, and
y'all get your tickets. Go to Southern Heritage Classic dot com.
And you're on social media as well, so Classic Memphis
on Instagram and on Facebook, You're on Twitter, You're everywhere.
So go follow all the pages and stay in touch
with the Classic. Thank you again, Fred for stopping by
and talking to us this year. We appreciate you well.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Thank you storming again. I thank the.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
People's here at our Heart Media for the years of support. Yeah,
and we're looking forward to a great time this year.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
It's gonna be amazing. All right, I'm stormy.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It is the pulse keeping our fingertips on the pulse
of our community. Talking to the founder of the Southern
Heritage Classic, Fred Jones, And like we said, go to
Southern Heritage Classic dot com to find out more. It's
gonna be an amazing weekend, y'all. It's the pulse keeping
our fingertips on the pulse of our community. We'll see
you next week, same time, same station. God bless you
have a great week.
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a weekly public affairs program focusing
on the most important issues impacting our community. This week,
here's your host, Ryan Gorman.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
All Right, everybody, it is time. It's the Pulse. I
am Stormy. You know, we keep our fingertips on the
pulse of our community. And this week, another special guest
on the show because September fourteenth, we got something big
happening in the city of Memphis, probably one of the
biggest Black events that happens in the city of Memphis.
(00:32):
Ladies and gentlemen, the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic,
Fred Jones. Hey, Fred, he was waiting for the crowd
in the background.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
No, I don't have to hear the crowd.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
We do have an audience, but our audience is very
quiet right now.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
But that's okay. So Fred, Okay, this is thirty five five.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So this is what year thirty five looks like for
the Southern Heritage Classic.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, and I'm always asked the same question.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Besides that, besides.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
That, you know, did you think that you're gonna get
to thirty five?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Thirty five? Can you believe it?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Thirty five years trying to get to one?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
You know, I mean, I can think about all the
things that we had to do to get one, and
then there was a challenge for two. And it's always
been seemingly a challenge each year for the Classic in
some form.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
But I'm proud of the fact that that.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
The Classic is was was built on with a strong foundation.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Yeah, we're stand all that, you know, all that I
call it turbulence, it's a lot of But again that's
the satisfaction that we can sit here to day twenty
twenty four, thirty five years and we're as strong as
(02:11):
ever we had. You know, it doesn't matter about the
changes and what have you. We just just seem to
be able to keep going. And that's the beauty of
how long the organization. And I'm proud of the organization
that has been with me for the for this long ride.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
But the citizens of Memphics and other communities that.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Have supported the Classic. Yeah, it's a really special.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
And that you can talk about something and that is
still strong after thirty five.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Thirty five years. Yeah, everybody's still talking about it. Everybody
still wants to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
People can remember before they had children and now they've
got children and all of that. You know, thirty five years.
A lot can happen in thirty five years.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
Yeah, well what happened as straight as you mentioned that,
that's the one thing when you think about the classic
the one thing that always comes up is the classic stories.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
The kids my parents brought me. Now I went to college.
Now I got kids, I'm taking my kids. Yeah, and
you got grandparents, they all you know, they all managed
the family shows up and be a part of what's
going on.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
So there's a classic story.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Everybody has a classicod a classic story.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Thirty five years, that's enough to see three generations.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Yeah, and you and when you hear them, when you
hear the stories, and people can recall a lot of things.
I can't remember every thing that happened with the classic
you know. I know things that happened that I remember
that I had to deal with. Yeah, it happened nine
eleven in Katrina and.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
All of that.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
But you know, they tell us some of the little
deeper story and again it brings a smile to my
face when I hear them talking about and with passion.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah, Southern heritage classic. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I was talking to a friend of mine and they
were telling me. They said, Man, I love it when
y'all have the morning broadcast out there and we just
stay out there and just be out there.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Classic story.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I was like, wow, I missed that. I missed those
days too. Yeah, yeah, man, A lot has happened in
thirty five years. What's been I guess one of the
biggest highs for you in thirty five years of the
Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
One of the biggest.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Highs, I think the biggest how this might be. It
was the first year and we always talk about people
and it's rain. You know, we don't go out in
the rain, right, And I remember that first year the
Classic started to rain, and I think the game started
(05:17):
at seven. That year, right before the game started was
just in rain. But what I remember was that nobody
stopped walking, you know, nobody.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You know that That.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Sounds like some years I've.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Been out there.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
You know, you don't stop, you know, you keep going.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
But this was the first year, that old thing about
the rain and what have you. And you know, we
got our outfits. We still got the outfit. The outfits
have changed, haven't.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
They, though, So we're going back to It's interesting though,
because back then the fashion that was happening back then
is probably some of it circling back around.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
Right, But the fact that it was amazed me that nobody,
nobody stopped walking.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Nobody.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Yeah, they had that pride then, Man, they somewhere in
this in their spirit and their soul, they knew that this.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Was going to be something special.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
Yeah, and if we could pull it off, and all
the all that they sales didn't matter at the moment.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
The rain didn't matter, it didn't rain long, you know.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
But I could see the people walking and they were
just happy that to be there, and we're going to
try to do this vent and and all the things
behind the scenes. Even today, there's always something behind the scenes,
but we always try to do it in such way
that we can manage it and the people. It doesn't
(06:48):
get to the public, you know about the issues. Yeah,
you know, you just management.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Because yeah, most of us have no idea what you're
talking about. We don't get to see all of that, you.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Know what I'm saying. That's also behind the scenes. We
all know noneing.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We don't know what happened, honey, We don't even know,
and we don't want to know.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
We don't need to know.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
So yeah, it's amazing that you can pull off something
like that that can be come what it's become from
Memphis and the history of Memphis and still be doing it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, and doing it at a high level.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
Yeah, that's the thing too, that always wanted to do
to this event with pride, you know, you know that
people can be be proud of the fact that there
was you know, all of the controversy didn't stop people
from being from feeling good about what this was, what
(07:43):
this was and what it represented. And you knew early
on there were things that happened along the way. And
that's why I'm glad this year we we were able
to We're gonna be able to spread this message out
a little bit further than we had before in our
(08:05):
association with the National Civil Rights Museum.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Wonderful. And tell me about that.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Well, Jay Henderson and I Jay Handles, the publicity and
I were trying to think of something for the Classic
and she said, well, maybe we need to do an
exhibition and talk about the Classic. Yeah, which I thought
was a good idea, and well would you do it?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
And you kind of get stuck on that.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Then she said, I think we are the National Civil
Rights Museum. Really, you know, I'm like, whoa, yeah, I
might hear this went really and we talked to them
and they said yes and the rest of his history.
So beginning September eleventh, nine eleven till the end of
(09:04):
February Black History Month and twenty twenty five, there will
be exhibition at the National Civil Rights honoring the thirty
five years of the Southern hereadage Last Beautiful, all the
five schools that have participated in it. Yeah, we got
their band uniforms, we got the football uniform.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yes, we got That's exactly where it should be. I mean,
you know, that's a good start.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Well, you know, it's like this when she mentions it
to me, I'm going like, really, yeah, you know, okay,
we didn't know. We know that it was a good
you knew it was a good idea. Sometimes when these
good ideas coming.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
Yeah, just after this, Okay, this was a good a
good idea.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
It's a good idea to have an exhibition.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Southern Heritage. Classic is Memphis history. I mean you know
it's a part of the it's a part of the
history of the stroke.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Well yeah, all again, when you start thinking about it
and you started playing and for me being a Native
Mythian growing up in that area. I mean, I knew
about the Lorraine Motel, and you know, obviously they plays up.
(10:27):
It's a history of what happened with black people in
this community. And I used to walk there from the
claving homes and I knew where it was. And then
I can say today that because of what happened at
the Lorraine Motel and what happened in nineteen sixty eight
(10:50):
to the sanitation workers, played a big part in.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
What has happened to my career.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
Because let's think about this, it happened in April of
nineteen sixty eight.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
That year.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
I was not a good student at Memphis State University.
I had failed all the classes. And I wait a minute,
Wait a minute, So.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Nineteen sixty eight, yeah, is the year that you went
to school.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
No, I was already always already in school, but I
was I had flunked out of school. I graduated in
sixty six, and I was in I was in the
university at Memphis State University, not doing well, flunked out
of college, and have a job trying to figure out
what I was going to do. The events of nineteen
(11:50):
sixty eight happened. I got hired at Union Planner's Bank,
funked out of college, no experience, didn't take a test,
I walked in, stayed there for a while.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
They called my name. You hired now high in the
world that would have happened.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
It was only because of the events that have happened
in April of sixty eight that I was.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
They were able to hire me.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
In May of sixty eight, and then and set I'm
working at the banking in nineteen seventy they moved me
out to Ballevue for almost some of the same reasons,
Revue branch, and it so happened that at that branch
where Stax Records was doing their business.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So from sometime and I think it was.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Probably March or April of sixty eight, my whole life
has been turned around all kinds of ways because of,
you know, the courageous efforts of some people, and unfortunately
what happened in Memphis and doctor King and Civil Rights
(13:13):
Museum and what have you. So for me, it's just
it just struggle with the classic it it's played out
in a way, and now and you get to saying,
somebody is saying, we want to talk about this.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
You know this idea. And as I.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Tell this story, I mean I worked on it for
months and I didn't even have a name for it.
I didn't have a logo, I didn't have anything we
and what what we have today. I mean, there was
no social media that was a facts machine was if
you had one, I had to go to the midd
South Coliseum and use that facts machine and I wanted
(13:57):
to fact something.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Were there were there then?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I can't remember, you know, I don't remember, but you know,
if you had one, it was oversized and I don't
think so. But I'm just saying, how all of this
is happening now you come to now you're talking about
the Southern Heritage Classic and the National Civil Rights Museum,
(14:22):
and it makes all the sense in the world.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Wow. So I'm excited for that.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
A lot of people are excited about it and and
and that's how the Classic has evolved in all of
these years.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I'm waiting for the documentary. I mean to cut you off,
but there's got to be a documentary coming. Yeah, you know,
I think there isn't There needs to be.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
Well, I think that this is part of I think
this is the real beginning of the telling of the story.
This so anarative classic, and I think that that people
will will come to understand how strong the people are
(15:15):
because we've only survived, you know. I get a lot
of credit for a lot of things with the Classic,
but people have stood with me all the way they have.
Nobody has, you know, when things went going right, when
going well, we never heard about those things, you know,
(15:37):
in any kind of negative way, and people just responded
to it.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
So I'm proud of that. I'm really proud of that fact.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
And I'm proud of the Association and the participation of
the National Civil Rights me SIM in the thirty fifth
anniversary of the Classic.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, that's pretty amazing, you know. I don't know if
you've got a chance to see the exhibit at the
Brooks Museum. There was an exhibit that they had come
through they I think it was on loan from Atlanta. Maybe,
I'm not sure. I interviewed them, but when I went
to see the exhibit, it was about Black American history.
(16:18):
There was a room full of Memphis history and there
were paintings and pictures of the Classic.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 6 (16:28):
Yeah, well it's a here again is Southern Heritage Classic?
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Here again, that's this, that's that's that's a classic story.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And you know, and from.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
As I've illustrated to people and told his story before.
When we was trying to put this together, it was
a blank sheet of paper.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
And when David they swearing down there. He was a.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Marketing guide to commercial appeal at the time, and I
went to talk to him and he said, what are
you gonna do? No, I didn't have a name. I
just said, you know, I'm gonna put this together. I'm
gonna have some entertainment. I'm gonna do this and do
that and the other. And he gave me a sheet
(17:22):
of paper off his desk and I scribbled down on
this paper what I thought about. The still wasn't the
Southern area's classic name, but that was the beginning of it.
And I remember Dave telling me that day the first day,
he said, if you if you pulled this off, you're
(17:42):
gonna have the biggest event in this town.
Speaker 6 (17:45):
He spoke it into existence, and he did everything that
he could while he was alive.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
He never he did everything.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Wo I mean when I say the things that we
take for granted today.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
The.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Logo, the brochure, our presentation, all of that we started
from that blank sheet of paper. So that's why you're
so proud of the fact now that we can go
into a place like the National Civil Rights Museum, it's
known worldwide and and it's and it's it's not okay,
(18:27):
it's not. You never hear anybody say why is the
Southern Areagage Classic at the National Civil Rights Music Never
They'll probably say, well, what.
Speaker 4 (18:37):
It's about time?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So, Fred, September eleventh is four days before the Classic,
So will there be like an opening like ceremony or
were just telling people to go on September the eleventh
or is that a part of the Classic events?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
It's started, that's started off the Classic events.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Okay, so that's the first day we added that we
originally we was on the twelfth through the fourteenth, and
if you go to Southern Heritage Classic dot com, it
has the whole schedule and everything there. But again, when
you started to put these pieces together, and that's what
(19:19):
you end up doing. We know, we've been very fortunate
that there's always been a golf tournament, that's been a
fashion show, you know, there's been the parade that's been entertainment.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
In fact, I was looking at the entertainment list. I
made a listing of the entertainment from nineteen ninety to now.
Now I look at the list and I kept I said, man,
this is it's pretty amazing. Yeah, you know, we went
from from Jerry Butler to Ruth Brown to Ruby Wilson,
(19:57):
Preston Shannon, Bobby playing bb King. Wow, you just go
right through the list of Luther Vandross. Yeah, I mean
it was our brothers, Bobby Womack, Charlie Wilson, Gladys Knape,
(20:19):
oh Frank. Many times when you're looking at the list,
you know, we kind of had a lot of repeace.
But you know, you look at the quality of the
entertainers that played that played in the Classic.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah, they were a perfect fit for what we were doing.
And like this year.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
We got Patty Lebel, which is on that Thursday. We
had Patty booked for for twenty twenty during the COVID
year where we had obviously we canceled the whole Classic
that year, so she's playing the Classic for the first time.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
So it's it's always been a place for real quality entertainment.
I remember, you know we did Usher well most people
don't know, you know, and they I know after the day,
they may have heard it some parts of it before,
but Usher was the first entertainer to play the FedEx Forum.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
On the Friday night of The Classic two thousand and four,
I think wow. I mean, and that year we had
the Old Jays and Jail LeVert the same we cand
So the Classics has been has been able to hold
(21:48):
us own through all the changes and changing the entertainment
business and what have you. But the Classic has been
able to hold his place, and the entertainment lists, uh,
you know, goes without saying it's been top of the line.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Well it's top of the line. This year you got
Patty LaBelle straight off the DNC and she's touring all
over the place.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
She tore it up. They told me.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
I didn't see it, but people called me and said, man,
did you see Patty Leabell? You know, I you know,
we're just coming for the Classic.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
She really tore it.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
But that's the kind of quality entertainer that from that era.
When you saw the the Isley's and Bobby wall Maggen
and Bobby Blue Bland and BB King, that show was
(22:45):
going to be top of the line every single time,
and it's just I'm just glad the Classic and being
able to play a part in that over the years.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I'm excited about Tamiya and Joe.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
A lot of people are excited about to Mia because
they won't do that line dance come on here to
meya ready?
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Well again we got something again.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
We just got something that's.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Really good for the for for the for people and
variety and you know, quality.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Entertainment, black excellence. You talk about black excellence. That's what
the Classic has been consistently throughout the years.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah, consistently. Well that was what we wanted to do.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
And you know when they drag me screaming about man,
you're the only person that could put this together, and
they meaning that was the ads from Tennessee State in
Jackson States, you know, because everybody felt that Memphis was
(23:55):
the place. But when you started tracing it here we
go back talking about history again in uh, the migration
of a lot of black people out of out of
the Delta, what have you from straight through Memphis, m
you know, and then and then especially when I started
(24:16):
the Classic and I started talking to these businesses, when
have you there are a lot of people from the
from the Jackson area, Jackson, Mississippi area of the Delta,
the area between Memphis and Jackson that have come to
Memphis and settle here and families here, and it's a
lot more than people imagine.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
I can believe it. Yeah, yeah, again, I'm just.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
I'm just proud of the fact that we're able, we've
been able to sustaining sustain ourselves with that excellent you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Know, it's.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Ain't une changed.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
Now I'm trying to the word I don't want to
say is it's a special place in people's minds. And
I got a classic story that you know that revolves
around me, really personally involved my mother. She knew when
I was having an issue years ago with the double
(25:23):
header and we were game and what have you, and man,
she spoke it so well, you know, and they were
we were kind of fighting over the date and who
had the date at first and all that, and you know,
and she said, you know, they we got one date
(25:45):
and they want to take it away from us. And
she stood there, man, with tears in our eyes, you know,
and that passion that that black people, having black women
in particular, yea, oh man, she was like she was
just furious, and I was glad to this day that
(26:07):
I was there. Let you know, I'm gonna work this out.
You know, we're gonna we're gonna savage this because this
is all we got, yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
You know.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
And so that passion for a lot of people throughout
the community has always been there. It's you know, and
we don't want to keep you know, just keep repeating
this over and over again. But it's it's a special moment.
I tell people every every year. If people in this
(26:38):
community have that same expression that they have the week
of the Classic, we wouldn't have no problem.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I mean it's like everything is okay, special time.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Yeah, even being out there tailgating on that day it's special.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
Yeah, yeah, it's But once you see it in play,
that's the thing, and that's the thing that that that
pushes you hard to keep going forward.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Now we only have a few minutes left, but I
wanted to talk about I know there's been some renovations
at the the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. So what should
we expect different this year? I know we've got clear
the clear bad policy that's been in effect for a minutes.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But should we expect anything else this year?
Speaker 5 (27:27):
No other than the fact that you're looking out from
the east side to the west side and you see
the top of the South Coliseum.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
That that big that tower.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
That tower has been there, the press box has been
there for years.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
Yeah, and I think that you know, as far as
the game is concerned, everything was remaining the same.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
The only thing is that you know, because there's a
construction site, you got the same areas are blocked off
to go certain directions. The people that will pay attention
and bring an abundance of patience, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Or get dropped off. Well, if you plan to stay
for a very long time.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
This year, the abundance of patients start even earlier because
Cooper Young Festivals is the same day. Oh wow, So
it's it's a lot of activity going on. You have
to plan your day. But in terms of the stadium
and how that would work, you know, there was it's
(28:44):
we saw that at the game last week at the
University of Memphis, and that was the first time that
they had done that, so they kind of got an
outline of what what what what happened that day and
how you make that were changes.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Okay, so pack on your patience and for any information
where can they go.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Southern Heritage Classic dot com. I repeat, Southern Heritage Classic
dot com.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Everything you need to go, everything is.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
There, and call us at nine O one three nine
eight six sixty five five or one eight hundred three
three two one nine nine one toll free. And if
we don't answer, we'll leave a message and I get
we'll call you back shortly. You know, we we're trying
(29:36):
to be as as tentive if we can. But again,
storm it. I just want to thank the people in
this community, are people that's living listen to this, for
all their support, and I want to thank the people
who will work with me all of these years. Twain,
(29:58):
Maxine Uh, Pat shyy Uh, the late Joe Barge of
George Blackman, Jane's Pilott. I mean they're working. They worked
tiredly to make this happen. And you cannot be successful
(30:20):
without a strong support based around you. So I had
my hats off to them and for for hanging in
there with me. And they know firsthand what it takes
to make this work, and they all got that. We
all got the same passion about this, wanted to be
(30:42):
successful because we want our neighbors and our friends to say, man,
you know I had a good time at the Classic.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Well, we're excited about it, y'all.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
A week and a half away or week away, and
y'all get your tickets. Go to Southern Heritage Classic dot com.
And you're on social media as well, so Classic Memphis
on Instagram and on Facebook, You're on Twitter, You're everywhere.
So go follow all the pages and stay in touch
with the Classic. Thank you again, Fred for stopping by
and talking to us this year. We appreciate you well.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Thank you storming again. I thank the.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
People's here at our Heart Media for the years of support. Yeah,
and we're looking forward to a great time this year.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
It's gonna be amazing. All right, I'm stormy.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
It is the pulse keeping our fingertips on the pulse
of our community. Talking to the founder of the Southern
Heritage Classic, Fred Jones, And like we said, go to
Southern Heritage Classic dot com to find out more. It's
gonna be an amazing weekend, y'all. It's the pulse keeping
our fingertips on the pulse of our community. We'll see
you next week, same time, same station. God bless you
have a great week.
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