Back To The Basics
Stax Records
Memphis Eats
Movies Made In Memphis
901 Slang
100
This major river forms Memphis’s western border and is one of the longest in North America.
What is the Mississippi River?
100
This song by Jean Knight was certified double platinum and became the No. 1 Soul Single of the Year in 1971.
What is Mr. Big Stuff?
100
This slow-smoked pork specialty is Memphis’s most famous food, served “wet” with sauce or “dry” with a spiced rub.
What are ribs?
100
This 2005 film about a Memphis pimp trying to become a rapper won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp."
What is Hustle & Flow?
100
In Memphis slang, this word can refer to a friend, close associate or an everyday person, often used in hip-hop lyrics.
What is "mane"?
200
This Memphis-based company started as a small logistics operation in 1971 and is now one of the world’s largest express transportation services.
What is Fedex?
200
This Stax musician, dubbed the “Godfather of Memphis Music,” mentored young artists like Elvis Presley and B.B. King and hosted a popular WDIA radio show.
Who is Rufus Thomas?
200
This soul food restaurant, beloved by legends like B.B. King and Martin Luther King Jr., is one of Memphis’s oldest surviving eateries.
What is The Four Way?
200
Based on a John Grisham book and set at White Station High School, this 2004 sports drama tells the story of a homeless teen who becomes an NFL star.
What is The Blind Side?
200
In Memphis slang, this all-purpose noun can mean anything—a person, place, thing, or situation—depending on how you use it.
What is “junt”?
300
Often called the spine of Shelby County, this long Memphis road stretches more than 30 miles from downtown through Germantown and Collierville.
What is Poplar Avenue?
300
Held in 1972 as a benefit for the Watts community, this “Black Woodstock” concert—organized by Stax Records—featured artists like Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers.
What is Wattstax?
300
Known for its “World Famous” burgers and toothpicks stuck in the ceiling, this Memphis restaurant chain has been a local favorite since 1970.
What is Huey’s?
300
The 2006 film, Black Snake Moan, shot partly in Memphis, starred this Tennessee-born actor who also appeared in Pulp Fiction and A Time to Kill.
Who is Samuel L. Jackson?
300
This Memphis slang word, meaning “to fake or exaggerate,” is often used when someone is lying or doing too much to impress others.
What is “flaugin’”?
400
This Memphis neighborhood is known for its historic mansions, including the Pink Palace and the Woodruff-Fontaine House.
What is Victorian Village?
400
This Stax house band, known for “Green Onions,” provided the signature sound behind countless soul legends.
Who are Booker T. & the M.G.’s?
400
Known for its square steamed burgers and tiny buns, this fast-food chain, founded in Chattanooga, is why many Memphis have never heard of White Castle.
What is Krystal?
400
The 2021 biographical film Respect, starring this actress, used Memphis as a filming location to recreate this Aretha Franklin’s early recording years.
Who is Jennifer Hudson?
400
A Memphis native might call a bad team, a whack outfit, or a weak performance this single four-letter word rooted in local insult culture.
What is "slaw"?
500
Located in South Memphis, this historically Black neighborhood was one of the first planned African American communities in the country, developed in the 1890s.
What is Orange Mound?
500
Before founding Stax, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton operated their record shop inside this type of repurposed building, which eventually became the label’s legendary studio.
What is a movie theater?
500
This hip restaurant is located in the heart of the Cooper-Young Entertainment District in a former 1940s-style beauty salon.
What is The Beauty Shop?
500
The 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!—starring Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis—was partially shot at this iconic Memphis studio where Lewis recorded many of his early hits.
What is Sun Studio?
500
In Memphis slang, if someone does something foul or low-down to a friend, people might say they’re this color.
What is “green”?