V-Roys – How I Got To Memphis

Steve Earle signed this band to his E-Squared Records label in the 1990s. Once I heard the opening guitar, I knew this was for me. The voice followed, and it hit that alt-country sweet spot. The V-Roys came out of the mid-1990s roots-rock and alt-country scene, led by singer and songwriter Scott Miller. This is one of those bands that just are so easy to listen to. I love when they slot into that mid-90s alt-country sound.

The band formed in 1994 in Knoxville and quickly built a reputation for mixing country, rock, and Southern storytelling. They fit alongside bands like the Bottle Rockets and early Wilco. The V-Roys always seemed tied to the Tennessee backroads and small-town life. By the time they recorded All About Town in 1998, the group had tightened into a strong live band. They were originally the Viceroys, but they were forced to abandon their original name after being threatened with a lawsuit by a Jamaican reggae band that already owned the rights to it.

This song was written by Tom T. Hall. He originally released this song in 1969, and it became one of his signature songs. Instead of trying to modernize it, the V-Roys keep the original rhythm but add electric guitars and a fuller band arrangement that fits the late-1990s Americana sound without losing the song’s feel.

Steve Earle reportedly encouraged the group to trust the songs and not overplay, which worked perfectly on this one. They kept the song grounded, and it worked. That approach made the track fit naturally beside the band’s originals. The band made two studio albums in the 1990s and a compilation album in 2011. This song was an unreleased 90s track on this compilation album called Sooner or Later.

How I Got To Memphis

If you love somebody enough
You’ll follow wherever they go
That’s how I got to Memphis
That’s how I got to Memphis

If you love somebody enough
You’ll go where your heart wants to go
That’s how I got to Memphis
That’s how I got to Memphis
I know if you’d seen her you’d tell me ’cause you are my friend
I’ve got to find her and find out the trouble she’s in

If you tell me that she’s not here
I’ll follow the trail of her tears
That’s how I got to Memphis
That’s how I got to Memphis

She would get mad and she used to say
That she’d come back to Memphis someday
That’s how I got to Memphis
That’s how I got to Memphis

I haven’t eaten a bite
Or slept for three days and nights
That’s how I got to Memphis
That’s how I got to Memphis

I’ve got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I’ll never rest ’til I find out why she had to go

Thank you for your precious time
Forgive me if I start to cryin’
That’s how I got to Memphis 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

27 thoughts on “V-Roys – How I Got To Memphis”

  1. Pingback: V-Roys – How I Got To Memphis – MobsterTiger

  2. Speaking of Steve Earle, he’s coming to town in July doing an solo acoustic set. I grabbed tickets for it. Plus as an added bonus it will be easy on my ears lol

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  4. Not bad at all. You described it pretty well, ’90s alt country well played and not over-played. John Bonham style drums would not fit here, nor ’80s LA production

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    1. I need to look up his version. The only one I knew was the Hall version…remember where I live!
      They are doing great! I can’t brag enough on Martha. She has the situation under control. We will go in there and count at times…just to make sure one doesn’t wander away…but no…she has them close.

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      1. Actually Burke’s version is on an album called Nashville, where he does some country material. He also does Springsteen’s “Ain’t Got You”. Good album. That’s great about Martha. It ain’t bragging if it’s true. With those puppies’ lineage, they should have the market cornered on rescuing lost mountain travelers.

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      2. Oh cool…I’ll have to look them up. Ain’t Got You is an overlooked great song to me. LOL…yea Brandy after digging you out of the snow! We have got a few people lined up that wants them. I will not sell or give one away to someone who won’t keep them in their house. Summer is too hot here…now where you live? Yea…it can be done…but not here

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  9. Shockingly, I’m 100 percent with you, Max. With some songs, you literally know after the first few bars whether you dig them. This great rendition by The V-Roys is one of them in my book. Based on sampling some of the other tracks on that Spotify playlist you included, The -Roys appears to be right up my alley – love rootsy sound, plus the vocals are decent as well!

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