Memphians find musical connection

Memphians Roger and Bobbi Kuhn have spent at least one late night at the kitchen table pouring through distributor catalogs and compiling detailed lists - all, Roger says, as a labor of love.

The couple, working out of their home, has produced the Memphis Music Connection, a comprehensive catalog of traditional and contemporary blues, gospel and "Memphis Soul and Rock 'n' Roll." Its cover boasts "thousands of titles," and its inside pages live up to that claim.

Recordings from well-known blues greats such as John Mayall and T-Bone Walker are offered through the catalog, as are more obscure cuts from the likes of Delta bluesman Lonnie Pitchford and the Memphis Sheiks. All generations of the blues are represented as well, including early recordings from Bessie Smith and Elmore James.

The catalog's leg-up on traditional music outlets, according to Roger Kuhn, is that it carries CDs that others might not even have in stock. "We're trying to fill a gap in music," Kunh says.

His prices also are about $2 below list price, not including shipping and handling charges.

So far, mail order is the only method available for purchasing CDs from Memphis Music Connection. However, Kuhn recently began offering a small selection of merchandise at the Map Room, located Downtown at the corner of Main and Madison. Kuhn's prices at the Map Room are the same as through mail order.

"I happened to stop in and talk to two gals - Virginia (Ivy) and Michele (Warren). They were looking for some way to incorporate Memphis music," Kuhn says of the impetus behind the local retail outlet.

Kuhn plans to install a toll-free telephone number late this spring, as a convenience to customers, and is investigating options for building a Memphis Music Connection Web site. He says his goal is for customers to be able to request information and place orders via the Internet.

With nearly 300 new titles ready to add to the catalog, Kuhn also will produce an updated catalog for customers by mid-year. After that, he says he plans to regularly send customers updated inserts.

For the Kuhns, Memphis Music Connection has evolved into more work than they originally anticipated. Both still hold full-time jobs in addition to this part-time venture. But as a music enthusiast himself, Kuhn says he saw a void and hopes it has been filled with the debut of the catalog.

Says Kuhn: "I've taken vacation days to get the catalog done...I won't get rich, but I'm providing a service."

For more information, or for a free catalog, phone or fax the Kuhns at (901) 525-5161.