Listen and subscribe to our podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify.

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.

Listen to accessAtlanta now or open in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen and download the podcast using the player above.

More from accessAtlanta podcast:

Podcast: Exhibit show homes of U.S. presidents that held enslaved people

About the Author

Keep Reading

Foo Fighters closed out Shaky Knees 2024 at Central Park with extended versions of their biggest hits. The indie rock festival has moved to Piedmont Park for this weekend's event. (Ryan Fleisher for the AJC)

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT