← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Exploring Music History: Buzz Knight and David Porter Discuss the Soulful Sounds That Shaped American Music
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A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Introducing the all new Mazda CX5 featuring more connection. Hey Google, where's the nearest pilates class? Safety that has your back. More discovery on the scenic routes, more passion in the details and more control in changing weather. The all new Mazda CX5 more to move every side of you. See it in five films at mazdausa.com fivesides Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Sequences shortened and simulated number one hits. Millions of records sold. Awards sold out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied? Nope. It's podcast time.
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B
We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.
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A
Hey Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd.
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C
You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Didn't he tell you not to audition at the office or something?
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B
I told him, whoa, we were filming Anchorman. Clearly I was the idiot. Thank God you didn't listen to them, right?
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A
Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you eat if you had to start over?
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B
Real simple.
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C
Poor man's poor woman's food.
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B
Black beans, chicken, rice, plantains.
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A
On the podcast Eating While Broke, I sit down with celebrities, entrepreneurs and creators as they revisit the meals they once relied on and the moments that shaped their journey. Named Best food podcast at the 2026 I Heart Pod Awards, the full season is available to binge right now. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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C
Taking a Walk I'm Buzz Knight and this is the Taking a Walk podcast. Soul Man. Hold on, I'm coming when something is wrong with my baby. You know these songs. You felt these songs. But do you know the man who wrote them? Today on Taking a Walk, we're going to be with a living legend, and for the first time, he's going to be telling his own story. My guest today has over 1700 songwriting and production credits. He co wrote the classics that define the Memphis soul sound at Stax Records alongside Isaac Hayes. He's been called the architect of the Memphis sound by Questlove. Keith Richards says, and I love this. There ain't no soul music without David Porter. He's in the Songwriters hall of Fame. Rolling Stone named him one of the 100 greatest songwriters of all time. And this spring, for the very first time, telling his own story in his debut memoir, the Soul Life of a Songwriter. Coming up Next. We are proud to welcome David Porter to Taking a Walk. David Porter, a true honor having you on the Taking a Walk podcast.
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B
Glad to be with you, Buzz.
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C
So you grew up in segregated Memphis, and you've said that the church is where you first felt the power of music. What does that moment feel like in your memory?
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B
Well, to me, it feels like that there was a personal connection for a young, innocent kid who didn't know what the world was going to confront him with. But it made me feel that there were possibilities for people to feel passionate about you in an emotional, connectable way. And that gave me a sense of safety. And I. I learned, you know, shortly after that, that that outside of the church environment, the world was quite, quite different in that. So you had to, in essence, hope that there were more people would be. That would be touched by the church. But it gave me a sense of. Of comfort, a sense of acceptance, a sense of appreciation that was very, very invigorating for. For a young kid. And music was the beginning and intro to that for me.
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C
And you knew then you were hooked with music, didn't you?
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B
I felt that these people couldn't be just any more excited than anything by hearing me sing. And I just felt like, wow, you know, eight, seven, eight years old. And then I learned later that it was. They were worshiping David, not. Not Porsche and not worshiping you. So. But. But I thought it was about me, my singing, and. And it really. We were in church, David, and people were worshiping, and you were part of the worship environment for them. But it just drew me in because of that false sense of acceptance, thinking it was my talent that. That. That had me, that they were worshiping David. Big lesson, right? A big lesson. Yeah, a big lesson.
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C
You were contemporaries on Beale street with a teenage Elvis Presley. What was that world like? And did you sense that something historic was happening then with him?
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B
Well, let me just say this now. I wasn't. Elvis was older than me, and I didn't know it was Elvis Presley until years later. And so I was a kid who would walk. I live very close to Beale street, matter of fact, Maurice White and I, who were best friends. Maurice White, that Irf went and Fry Maurice White. We would walk up to Beale street as youngsters and just look at it, because it was exciting to us. And it was not a very long walk. And there was just one white kid that would be on that street walking at different places that looked like clubs, and we didn't know who he was, but there was a certain kind of Amy aura about him. He was not ever Presley the star at that time, so we didn't know who he was. We later found out that it was Elvis Presley. So when I realized that, then I realized that what he was doing was putting in his. In. In his emotional bank, something that would ultimately carry him around the world, which, in essence, it did. Just seeing the spirit of a person brave enough to be in a. It wasn't that the environment on Beale street was bad. It was that he was a rarity because generally it was black people on that street, except for the ownerships, who were. Many of those were white, and he was not an owner of any business there. But that was fascinating to me. And to see him, the few times that. That Maurice and I did see him was interesting. And then to later find out that he was going up also to Lansky Brothers men's store, which was up the street, and he became Elvis Presley in a short order was really something.
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C
So you mentioned Maurice White, Booker T. Jones, they were close friends. Coming up. When you look back at how remarkable it is that so much talent was just concentrated in one place at one time, David, I have chills thinking about all that talent. How did it make you feel?
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B
Well, at the time, for a kid, Maurice and I. Maurice was born December 19th. David Porter was born November 21st, the same year. And so we actually, in essence, just grew up together. He lived right across the street, four doors up from me. And so we became friends because we were playing together. It was. It was as the friendship grew that he learned that I like to sing, and I learned that he liked to be on cans with sticks, which ultimately led him to being a drummer. And so just getting the friendship started and going to this church was something that was very, very special.
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C
Well, we want to talk about the Stax days and time with Isaac Hayes. You became Stax's first staff songwriter. What did it mean, especially as a young black man in the south, to walk through that door and own that title?
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B
Well, before I was able to walk to the door, it's fascinating to understand how that door became a potential door for me. I was a kid getting ready to graduate from high school, working across the street at a grocery store, sacking grocery. And I saw this building which was. Was an old movie theater building, which was now being converted into something. I didn't know what that was, because when I would get a break, I would walk across the street just to see what was going on. It was at that point I found that it was a studio in the process of being developed there. And it was something that was going to be special because their artist roster, they were called Satellite Records, and the artist roster was two country guys, Nick Charles and Charles Hines, that I found out. And also in exploring further, I asked the owner guy would he give me an audition? And he said, no, we do country music here. And so he was not open to that. But there was a record store being developed that was also a part of that facility for the movie theater that was also being run by his sister. So that was my introduction to the environment of Satellite Records of what that was. And it led to an audition for me, which led to me bringing some of the most talented individuals from the neighborhoods that. That you mentioned a moment ago to that studio to participate on the demo with me. Because I told the man that, you know, I wrote songs which I. I come up with ideas I didn't know that was writing songs. And he said, did I have a band? Well, while I. I would be around, somebody played the piano some, but I didn't have a band. And then he. He asked me, well, did I have original songs to say? And I said I did, but I didn't. So he gave me an audition, and I got these amazing guys who were classmates, and Andrew Love, who played saxophone. Saxophone, who later became the. The anchor for. For the Memphis Horns. I went to him and asked him if he'd play horn on it. William Bell, who. Who had a group called Vidal Rios. I asked background on it, Booker T. Jones, who was one year behind me in high school. I asked him if he would play baritone horn on it. And so that was the backup. And Bob Talley, who was an older gentleman who played piano. I got to perform, to play on it. And that was a band and assembled and quickly came up with an idea to record a song. Well, because this was a country label, I came up with a song that was actually written in 1944, 1930 or whatever that year was. Old Gray Mare. I changed the words to Old Gray Mare, thinking that I had to sing something that would impress this guy that was in the country. I. I flunked on the audition, but I made an introduction to some of the most astute talents that he could ever imagine, including myself. And he. He gave me that audition. And after that came an opportunity for Rufus Thomas, who approached him to record. And I got some of those same people to perform on the roof of Stomach's Cause I Love youe record. And that was the beginning of Stax Records. So all of that happened before I was given the opportunity to become staff writer.
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C
Incredible. What a. What a story. The partnership with Isaac Hayes produced some of the most enduring songs ever written. How did the two of you actually work together? And where do you pull out of your hat? A song like Hold On, I'm Coming, how does that begin?
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B
Well, the interesting thing about Isaac and I, Isaac went to Arrival High School, Manassas High School. I went to a high school called Booker T. Washington High School. And so both of us would perform on. On. On Wednesday nights at a talent show on Beale street that was open to young kids in high school, a high school age, to try to compete, to win two or three dollars first place in a talent show performance. And so that's why I would see Isaac back and forth on those Wednesday nights. See me. So we knew each other, knew of each other. And I know he was into music. It was after high school that I found out that he was what we call gigging around town. And he found out that I was trying to do the same thing. I found out that, that, that he could play a little piano. I just knew that. That he was an interesting, interesting guy. So finally, before any association of that happened, I convinced Jim Stewart to give me that audition he. Which he gave me. And then I further conv. My sister to convince him to give me a chance to be a writer for that. For that company. And I was the first person that they had hired to do R B music for them. And it was at that point I was able to convince them to let me bring Isaac Hayes aboard as a partner with me. And so that led us into your last part of your question, which was, hold on, I'm coming.
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C
Incredible. Now, I love this story. If I have it right, you helped Otis Redding refine Dock of the Bay just days before his death. Can you take us back to that room?
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B
Otis Redding was to me one of the most amazing talents ever. And I mean that in a real way. To have seen him write songs, writing meaning out of the top of his head. He would get on the microphone and he would write the song as he's singing it. To see him do head arrangements was. Was where he'd go around the room, tell each musician what he wanted in the play, hum it out, what the parts were, and they would then put it together for him. And then he would go to the microphone and sing the. Sing the song. I just knew he was an amazing talent. So on this particular day, and I had the pleasure also of singing on the Record Fair with Otis, that's me Singing harmony with him. So Otis had a lot of respect for, for Isaac and I. And so one day I was in my office. My office was. There was a street entrance to my office. Otis had just gotten into town, walked into my office. He had an acoustic guitar, and he said, hey, David, I want you to hear something. I said, you know, rarely would he come to me wanting me to hear something that he'd actually written out words to. So I said, yeah, what you, what you got? He said, man, I think this could be something special. And so he, I sit down. He sit across my. The head of my, my office desk. He just sit on it with acoustic guitar. And he's saying, sitting on the dock of the bay, all of the words to it. And in listening to it, I felt that he asked me, what do you think? I said, well, do you want my honest opinion? He says, yeah, you know, I always do. I said, well, I think you to take the last verse and make that the first verse and take the first verse and make that the last verse. Because you start, you have a softer texture with, with. With that last verse. Then you have with the, with. With that verse that you got on the front of the song. So if you put that on the end and you do the setup with that, I think is it really will be stronger. He said, you really think so? I said, I really think so. And that's what he did. So for me to have that kind of input with, with Otis on a song that he thought was going to be special, which was totally different than anything he had ever done, was amazing in itself and is also a memory that I kept to my heart all of these years.
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C
Oh, thank you for sharing that so much. What a great story. Jay Z, Biggie, Wu Tang, Mariah Carey. The list can go on and on. Your DNA is all over hip hop and R B. When you first heard that your work was being sampled, what went through your mind?
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B
Well, the first thing that went through my mind was, how did he do that? Well, it was fascinating to me because all of the songs that I've been associated with and then to hear that many of the songs that I was associated with, they were looking for the songs that were 100 done by me. Well, I had four albums singing as well. And so that was interesting to me that they were seeking out songs that were totally associated with me. And so they also were eventually were sampling songs that Isaac and I had written. But for some reason that was a fascination with me, which I didn't understand and I hadn't Heard anything. They were getting legal rights to do this with the material. So I didn't know initially what they were going to do. And then I would hear what they had done with the song. For instance, the song on Blind. A song called Blind Alley that I wrote 100 and produced on the Emotions was a song that took off like gangbusters for me. Well, when you hear Dream Love on Mariah Carey, that's the rhythm that you're hearing at the introduction of that song. And it's part of the entire texture of the record. Well, I ended up being a third writer on Dream Lover for by Mariah Carey and that was like whoa. Then there was Rump Shaker by Rex. In effect, I ended up the same song. And there were so many songs that were sample from that song that was amazing. Then here Comes a Will Smith was getting jiggy with it. Well, there was a record that I did on the bar case called Singing Dance and we didn't have the opportunity to blow that record up in a very successful way because Stacks was caught in a loss and lawsuits and forced into involuntary bankruptcy before that song really had an opportunity to get traction. But that was found, which was common for a lot of these folk were going out and finding these records that really didn't get very much traction. But they loved rhythmically what they were doing or lyrically what they were saying and sampling it. And it was just like. Like mind blowing. And to this date it's roughly 500 samples of songs of mine. And it's just. It was mind blowing to say the least about the technique. But it's also fascinating to see how they were able to reimagine the creative steps that they used to magnify the songs. A great, great oming experience for me.
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C
Jimmy Jam writes in your book's introduction that your work is, I quote, foundational to all popular music. Does that sit comfortably on you?
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B
Well, Buzz, when you consider. When I consider the fact that when Isaac and I were creating the songs, we assume that our music would only be played on black radio. So we were creating material that could resonate in an emotional, connectable way to a black audience. But we understood that we don't know how someone would take what we were saying. So we wanted to song to have a double meaning. So in the subliminal seduction kind of way, we made sure that the emotional connectivity part for the audience that we assume would get the songs more than others was there. But we also made sure that the universality of the thoughts that we were creating were there. For anyone to gravitate to what the texture was. The funny thing about it, Buzz, is we didn't know that would happen. There was no way for us to know that. And so when it actually started manifesting itself to the song start crossing over, then we became quite satisfied that we were doing something special. And that started happening with Hold On I'm Coming and certainly with Soul man as well, and many of the records after that. So then we stayed true to that process because it gave us a. Certainly a pride for feeling to know that the universality of the song was connected and the emotional part of an inspirational kind of thing was also connecting. And it gave us an identity in our creative approach that made us extremely proud of what we had done.
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C
The book is fantastic. It's a great ride through music history, through your life, what's important to you. You've had six decades to tell this story. Why now? And was there anything that surprised you when you finally sat down to embark and write it?
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B
You know, I mentioned earlier that there was a closeness growing up together with Maurice White, and I wanted to expound further on what that was in the book. I know that many people know about the association with Isaac and I, but to know how we started together and what that journey was like, I wanted people to know that, yes, we've had major success in all of that, but we start out in an humble beginning, Both of us with a passion for wanting to do what we love to do, not even realizing in a realistic way what it was going to yield for us in financial benefits or popularity, any of those kinds of things. So we was doing something we both law for the passion of it and wanted to become exceptional in it because we had examples that were motivational for us. And so to be able to think in terms of, do I want to get this message out there before I'm off this planet? It was. It was that kind of feeling that made me feel that I should do it. And by the way, Maurice White, who was in the middle of completing his book, said, david, you ought to write a book. I'm finishing mine up and you should write a book. I'm talking about us in my book. Book. The Earth Went and fire book. And you should write a book. And I said, I'm going to write one, Reese. But. And it took me years to do it and three years to write it. But it was the fact that it gave me an opportunity to get my story out there with truths I know to be also with the opportunity, hopefully, that will motivate Young kids who have aspirations to do music and realize that they can start from humble beginning or can stop from good, good circumstance and follow a passion true to your your heart that something meaningful potentially can happen for them. And so that was, that was a core part for me, which leads me
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C
to other things that are important to you in your life that you talk about in the book. And I want you to talk about your commitment to that next generation of artists and how you as a legend and an entrepreneur and a mentor approach this talk about some of your initiatives.
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B
Well, you know, the interesting thing about what I wanted to do, I'm in my 80s now. So the interesting thing about what I wanted to do, I wanted to be sure that because I've been so fortunate and because so many people had helped me, I wanted to be sure that I give something back. And I've been giving back my whole life, but I've been quietly doing it. As the case with most entertainers, if you go out advertising that you, you're about to business, I've given back. Everybody would want possibly to be sure they can get in your audience. So, so we do, we give back in a very, very laid back kind of way. So many artists do that. But this was an opportunity for me to give back in an obvious connectable way with young people. And so what I did was I created an organization called the Every Word is Important in the Name the Consortium mmt. The the is important, the Consortium mmt. And the MMT stands for Memphis Music Town because so much incredible creative music came out of Memphis. Elvis Aretha was born here. Maurice, Isaac, David. So much came out of, out of this community. But I also approached so many great, great talents and asked them if they would give on video their creative steps for how they went about attaining their success, be it in songwriting or music production or recording artists. And I've gotten some of the greatest names in the business even in television. Paul Schaefer wanted to talks about how to bring the kind of material at that particular time to have an appeal to get a music director motivation to put your music on television. I've got Valerie Simpson talking about songwriting. Jimmy Jam talking about music production. Bobby Womack talking about singing. Philip Bailey and Eric Benet talking about vocal exercises. Let us see. Talking about the commitment of what you do as an artist that can give you a comfortable lifestyle based on your abilities and desires to work continuously with it. So I put all of this in video. And young talents are now able to go through my program, the Consortium mmt free to Them and see this experience in a structured way of talking about processes that were used by some of the biggest names in the business from back in the day. But there are no new emotions. So you have to find a fresh way to talk about common emotion. So you can use some of these techniques to find the individuality inside of you. If you're born in 2026 or if you're born in 1990. Understanding those kind of things, I think, think to live a lasting kind of contribution that way will be something meaningful for me to do. And so it's something that people can go to the Community foundation of Memphis and donate to. But It's. It's. It's 14 years old. The consortium MMT was, was the passion that I found to. To really give me a piece that I was in truly giving something back. And so much gratitude for Stevie Wonder and so many other artists who are giving of themselves to the video that I'm using to give young folks information about these processes.
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C
Can you give us the secret to your vitality?
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B
If you think that I'm not going to change, try to change your mind. But I would say this, that the first value that I learned from a mother who brought me into this world and gave me a value because I was born into a climate of people not liking people because of the color of their skin, all kinds of things that you would imagine would be a downer. And she taught me the. The greatest gift anyone could get for themselves is to fall in love with the right person first. And that right person is yourself. And if you do that in a meaningful way, you're going to do constructive things to protect the integrity of the value that you see in self. And if you do that, when you get to be older, you would appreciate that journey of the things that you stayed away from because you imagined that if you were here, you wanted to be able to love the person that you should love in a true way. And that's loving yourself. And so that's the thing that has kept me grounded, also understanding that I can give myself to other people because I'm giving the purity of myself because of what's inside of me. And so that's also kept me invigorated in positive ways to feel good about myself, which also helps me to look, if I look halfway decent, to look the way I look, feel the way I feel, think the way I think. And that's the love that I have for self. So I would encourage people who really want to get there to treat yourself like you love Yourself.
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C
Amazing David Porter. In closing, since we call this podcast Taking a Walk, I want to ask you, if you could take a walk with somebody, what's your dream walk? Who would the dream walk be with and where would you go? Could be more than one person. That's fine. Could be three or four if you want.
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B
Yeah, it would be more than one person. So let me just say one would be Dr. Martin Luther King, because I saw Dr. King many times in marches when he would come. And so. So I knew he was an amazing, amazing, amazing man. And I knew that he had a heart of giving and a dedication to help people coming together. But I wanted to. I would walk with him to find out as much as I could about what kept him driving, even to the extent that he knew that the possibility of something catastrophic could happen to him, what grounded him in a comfort that made him have the strength and fortitude to go forward with that with the same passion day in and day out. He would be one, Michael Jackson would be another. Because the individuality of Michael with head arrangements, things coming out of his head, that was the foundation of Stax Records. That's what we did at Stax Head Arrangement. We went through emotional connectivity to the creative process of songs. So I would ask Michael, how did he discover those instincts to help him use those things to make the identity part of him even more magical than they. They ultimately became, and certainly to some extent, maybe some surprise for him. And then I would want to have that walk with my mother to let her know that all that she gave to me wasn't wasted. She passed when I was in my 20s. She was 68 years old. She never saw the magnitude of what has happened with my life. And I would want her to know that the beauty that she gave to me has manifested itself in meaningful ways to so many people around the world in the message that I, along with Isaac Hayes, has tried to communicate in song. And I owe that to her. And I'd want her to know that.
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C
Absolutely amazing. And the book is Amazing. The Soul Man Life of a Songwriter. David Porter. An honor to have you on Taking a Walk. Thank you for all that you continue to give us. And thank you for a great interview,
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B
Sir Buzz, I'm quite familiar with your work and I consider it an honor for you to have asked for me to be on your show. And thank you so much for those kind words.
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C
Thank you, sir.
- [31:34]
B
Foreign. If you're into tech, you will love this. TikTok is a live lab where users post instant reviews of the Latest trends Download TikTok and check it out.
- [31:57]
C
Hey, guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.
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B
I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.
- [32:04]
C
Jonas.
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B
We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it.
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C
We.
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B
We just contributed to it.
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C
First people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions
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B
because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.
- [32:14]
C
Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [32:23]
B
Just listen.
- [32:24]
C
We don't care where you hear it.
- [32:26]
A
What would you eat if you had to start over?
- [32:29]
B
Real simple.
- [32:30]
C
Poor man's poor woman's food.
- [32:32]
B
Black beans, chicken, rice, plantains.
- [32:36]
A
On the podcast Eating While Broke, I sit down with celebrities, entrepreneurs, and creators as they revisit the meals they once relied on and the moments that shaped their journey. Named best food podcast at the 2026 I Heart podcast Awards, the full season is available to binge right now. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.