David Porter
Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy
David Porter & Made In Memphis Host Recording Academy Rap, R&B & Latin Writers Retreat
Some of the top tunesmiths in contemporary music converged in Memphis, Tenn., last month for three days of camaraderie and collaboration.
The occasion was the second in the Recording Academy's new series of writers' retreats. The first one, held last year in Nashville, sought to stir creative juices by mixing and matching songwriters from the worlds of pop and country music. For the second entry, the participants were drawn from rap, R&B and Latin. This year's group of writers — whose stellar credits include songs for Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, and Luis Fonsi — came together in the city that gave the world B.B. King and Elvis Presley. There they held up for three days at the new state-of-the-art Made in Memphis Entertainment studios and did what they do best — created music.
"The purpose of the retreat is to write, but also to meet fellow creators and build lifelong relationships," said Susan Stewart, the Recording Academy's Senior South Regional Director.
The songwriters on the scene included:
- T-Pain, a two-time GRAMMY winner
- Claudia Brant, this year's GRAMMY winner for Best Latin Pop Album
- Mario Cáceres, writer of CNCO's chart-topping "Se Vuelve Loca"
- DalePlay, who has cuts for Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Enrique Iglesias
- Erika Ender, known for penning the mega-hit "Despacito"
- Nate "Danja" Hills, who is a two-time GRAMMY winner and has written for Madonna, Lopez, and Timberlake
- Tish Hyman, writer for Alicia Keys and Diddy
- Sebastian Kole, who wrote Alessia Cara's "Here"
- Motiff, with credits including Lopez, Gloria Estefan and Wisin
- Oscarcito, writer of Lopez's "El Anilo"
- Makeba Woods, who's written songs for likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna
Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy
All in all, this a jaw-dropping collection talent. Hosting them, looking over them almost like a proud mentor, was one of the greatest songwriters in music history, one of the architects of American music, David Porter, who opened Made in Memphis two years ago.
"The great part of this event, that I think really speaks volumes about what can happen when people get together, is just the fact that these are individuals — in some cases that have never met, let alone worked together — that have come together in a structured kind of environment where they are able to collaborate, come up with ideas, and create a little bit of synergy between an urban hip-hop vibe and a Latin kind of influence," said Porter. "And to have that magic happening in Memphis, where so much of the magic in American music originated from, is a compliment to Memphis."
David Porter is himself made in Memphis, growing up just a few miles away from his studio. As a teenager in the early '60s, he worked across the street from an old movie theater that had been converted into a music studio/record store called Satellite records. A fledgling musician, he began trying to talk his way into the studio and spent many hours at the record store counter with the studio's co-founder, 2007 Trustees Award recipient Estell Axton, learning the finer points of songwriting.
By his early 20s Porter was one of the creative forces behind the studio, redubbed Stax Records. With his songwriting partner Isaac Hayes, Porter penned songs for, most notably, label rainmakers Sam And Dave, including the 1967 GRAMMY-winning "Soul Man." Porter also served as an A&R rep for the label, bringing in acts like the Emotions and the Soul Children.
"Stax is at the core of everything that I do," said Porter. "It was great as a beginning for me, but it also taught me the value of understanding what my [responsibilities to new artists are].
Stax folded in the mid-'70s, and Porter eventually turned his attention to matters outside of music, becoming a prominent businessman in the community. But the legacy of Hayes-Porter continued on. The Blues Brothers and Eurythmics, among many others, covered their songs. And his work took on a whole new life when his songs began to be sampled by R&B and hip-hop producers; a song Porter wrote for the Emotions became the backbone of Mariah Carey's 1993 GRAMMY nomated "Dreamlover," while another he wrote for the Bar-Kays was used in Will Smith's 1999 GRAMMY winner "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It."
In 1999 Porter and Hayes received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2005 they were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
With such a long and distinguished career, Porter could have just sat back and basked in accolades. Just in the weeks following the writers' retreat, he was honored by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra with a concert of his music, he released a new record of instrumental versions of some of his most important songs with stories about their creation, and "Soul Man" was selected for the Library of Congress' National Recording registry.
T-Pain at Made In Memphis during the Recording Academy wrtier retreat
Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy
But seven years ago, at the age of 70, Porter decided to get back in the music business. In 2012 he started The Consortium MMT, a nonprofit to identify, nurture, and mentor emerging talent. The organization's programs include the SoulRight Music Mentorship Program and the Talent Development Complex, where resources include speakers' series, one-on-one artist counseling, and a library of 135 videos Porter has amassed of industry legends and friends like Stevie Wonder and Eddie Levert dispensing career advice.
"To have Philip Bailey talking about the vocal exercise that he does religiously in order to still be in this business after almost 50 years as a performer, to give your career a life that extends well beyond what people think your potential is, to put all that kind of information together in structured ways, and to pass it on to young folk, that's what the consortium program is about," says Porter.
In 2016, Porter started Made in Memphis Entertainment as platform to showcase some of the talent he was discovering. He hired a staff that included Tony Alexander as president and managing director and Hamilton Hardin as vice president of A&R, and the label also has offices in Los Angeles where they work on licensing their music. Artists currently signed to the label include Porcelan, Matthew Michael and Jessica Ray.
In 2017 Porter opened Made in Memphis Studios in refurbished building downtown mere blocks away from Sun Studio, where Sam Philips discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The $5 million, 16,000-square-foot facility was designed by renowned studio architect Michael Cronin and includes three recording studios and six breakout rooms that made the facility ideally suited for the writers' retreat.
"I get a lot of energy from all this new talent," said Porter. "When you find artists that are passionate about the music, you know that what you worked years to build, what you were so passionate about, will not be lost."
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