Crossroads adds new elements to music expo

Now entering its seventh year, Crossroads '98 Music Exposition promises to be remembered this year as a weeklong celebration of music and the arts. Although the event's official dates are April 24-25 on Beale Street, activities tied with Crossroads will take place throughout the preceding week.

Since its inception in 1991, the exposition has seen its attendance skyrocket. What started as a small showcase for local talent has now grown into an event boasting national headline acts and music legends. Eli Ball, Crossroads' producer, anticipates that attendance will hit the 100,000 mark this year.

Crossroads has also garnered an impressive core group of corporate sponsors for the event, including Clear Channel Communications, Northwest Airlines, Bridge Builders, American Express, Budweiser, Memphis Arts Council, Hard Rock Cafe, WRXQ FM-95.7, WEGR FM-102.7, UPN TV-30 and ABC TV-24.

Crossroads is now a Memphis-in-May sanctioned event and has recently reached a deal with Performa, the company that manages Beale Street, to host the event on Beale for at least the next four years.

Mary Unobsky, executive director of Crossroads, says securing the Beale Street site for future years was a major coup for Crossroads.

"Beale Street is the place where music began in Memphis," Unobsky says. "If you wanted to be somebody in the music business, you wanted to play on Beale Street. The same is true today for local talent."

And Unobsky says that one of Crossroads' goals is to bridge the music influences of yesterday with the up-and-coming talents of the present.

"I think Crossroads is effective in helping align music history with the present and future of music in Memphis," Unobsky says.

Another mission of Crossroads is to showcase a wide array of music, from mainstream to rock and pop music to alternative venues. Thus, it is not surprising that headliners for the event include such diversified acts as Garrison Starr, Soul Fly, a heavy metal band, and Lee Rocker, formerly of the Stray Cats.

"Memphis is a mecca for all kinds of music," says Ball. "And people have an appreciation for the diversity of Memphis music and the music that Memphis has influenced around the world."

This year's event highlights include: the re-emergence of the trend-setting Producer's Showcase, featuring the best of the region's emerging acts; a Legends Luncheon, where participants can seek advice from a music legend; 30 educational panels and mentor sessions, including guitar, drum, programming and songwriting workshops; and a Beale Street Outdoor Stages and Open Air Market.

A new event for Crossroads '98 is called Kids 'n Blues, which will pair children with musicians and allow for children to perform musical acts on stage. Unobsky says the Kids 'n Blues concept is just one part of Crossroads mission to educate children about music. She notes that Crossroads' educational panels and mentoring sessions are free to all Memphis City and Shelby County students.

"We are offering busing to children who want to participate in the event," Unobsky says. "And we think that these educational and mentoring programs will really have an impact on our city's children. In my opinion, nothing impacts a child better than a person who's made it giving them advice."

Given the fact Crossroads has flourished over the years despite a small budget, Unobsky is not threatened by the competing Mid-South Music Festival, which takes place at the Mid-South Fairgrounds the same weekend as the Crossroads Exposition, and boasts such national acts as The Foo Fighters, John Fogerty, Widespread Panic and John Lee Hooker.

"Crossroads isn't looking to compete," Unobsky says. "We are working to create an event that highlights the best Memphis has to offer."

Despite economic barriers, Crossroads has earned respect as a solid venue from others in the music business. John Doyle, marketing coordinator for Memphis in May, which attracts a definitive lineup of music talents throughout the month of May, says he fully supports Crossroads' efforts. Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Festival takes place the following weekend.

"The Crossroads event is the perfect lead-in to the Beale Street Music Festival," Doyle says. "It is the training, nurturing and signing of bands that makes it possible for these bands to come to our stages. We want our line-up to reflect the richness and diversity of Memphis' musical influence...that influence starts a week before with Crossroads."