SHOP THE MEMPHIS x MAGIC COLLECTION

The magazine and limited-edition vinyl honors the Bluff City’s endless and ongoing influence on American sound. 

The Oxford American is delighted to announce that its 26th annual Southern Music Issue is centered around the artists and sounds of Memphis, Tennessee. This is our first Music Issue dedicated to a Southern city! And, in the spirit of Memphis’s rich musical legacy, we  pressed a limited-edition vinyl LP to accompany the issue as an optional add-on.

An exceptional lineup of contributors celebrate the Bluff City as the unofficial capital of the Delta, where American sounds and stories flow between the riverbanks of time. Forgotten Memphis melodies resurface, beloved icons mingle with lesser-known trailblazers, and distinctly Memphian spaces come to life through reported essays, profiles, personal narratives, visual art, experimental fiction, and more.    

The Memphis Music Issue is paired with a limited-edition vinyl record featuring a hand-picked collection of songs that trace the city’s incomparable legacy and innovative spirit—on a format that honors the Memphis studio textures song-makers chase to this day. While the 2024 Music Issue does not feature a CD, all issues come with liner notes and a digital download card so that you, our readers, can listen along however and wherever you choose—the limited-edition vinyl LP is optional for a small shipping and handling charge.