2. Memphis

Geoffrey Wheeler continues his series about the history of American vaudeville with a profile of Memphis.

It's a city where vaudeville performers mixed with a new generation of musicians producing the exciting new sounds of jazz and blues.

Memphis is a city where, even in the days of segregation, black and white performers were able to mingle freely in the buzzing creative atmosphere of Beale Street, the long-gone Palace Theater, and the still-thriving Orpheum.

Producer Libby Cross.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2006.