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This week we’ll hear from one of the architects of Memphis soul.

While many of the Stax Records originators are gone, William Bell is still here. And the soulful, horn-driven Stax music and the Memphis sound are still here, too. Now Bell, 81 and an Atlanta resident, is being honored as a creator of the soul that put Memphis in the pantheon of American music. Bell is one of nine artists and craftspeople who have been named as National Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

The AJC’s Bo Emerson recently spoke with the R&B legend and, on this week’s podcast, we’ll bring you that conversation.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo