SOUTHERN AVENUE

Southern Avenue is a Memphis street that runs from the east all the way to Soulsville, the original home of Stax Records. But it’s also the name of a fiery young Memphis band that embodies its home city’s soul, blues and gospel traditions, adding their own flavors. The group, now signed to that same legendary label, released their self-titled debut album in 2017 and saw it enter the US Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart at number 6. It also reached number 1 on the iTunes Blues Chart. A great start for the combo that now consists of five people. Guitarist and band leader Ori Naftaly, originally from Israel, came to Memphis to represent his country in the International Blues Challenge competition. There, he found vocalist Tierinii Jackson, plus her drummer sister, Tikyra. The lineup is rounded out by keyboardist Jeremy Powell and bassist Evan Sarver. Their third album, ‘Be The Love You Want’, was released in 2021.