David Porter, a pivotal figure in soul music, was the first staff writer Stax Records, where he co-wrote iconic hits like "Soul Man," "Hold On I'm Comin'," "I Thank You," "When Something is Wrong with my Baby," and "Wrap it Up," many alongside Isaac Hayes. His songs, which have appeared on national charts over 200 times and amassed lifetime unit sales exceeding 450 million, are enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have influenced soul, R&B, and hip-hop, with over 450 samples in tracks like Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover," Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M.," and The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya." Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 with Hayes,Porter was featured in HBO's 2023 Stax Records special and founded The ConsortiumMT, cementing his legacy as a genre-defining songwriter.Mr. Porter's memoir has been praised by luminaries like Bruce Springsteen ("essential reading for those who were touched by the magic and majesty of soul music"), Questlove ("he's the architect of the Memphis sound"), Keith Richards ("there ain't no soul music without David Porter.a great read") and Stevie Wonder (who just attended his LA book celebration). Rolling Stone> recently called him "one of the most important American popular songwriters" and Billboard added he's "penned and produced some of the most quintessential songs in music history".In the book, his profound stories range include firsthand tales of segregated Memphis during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, to helping Otis Redding write "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" just days before his tragic passing and many more. He defined an era of soul music working with luminaries like Otis, Booker T. Jones, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave writing credits). Then his songs did it all over again in the 1990s - when they were sampled by the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul and Jay-Z Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.
