
THE SOUL MAN
Life of Songwriter
David Porter
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MY STORY
For more than six decades, David Porter has been writing the soundtrack of our lives. This spring, he tells his own story for the first time in his debut memoir, The Soul Man Life of Songwriter David Porter. The Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, recently hailed as "the architect of the Memphis Sound" by Questlove, offers readers an intimate look at his life and career behind some of the most enduring songs of all time. As Keith Richards has put it,“There ain’t no soul music without David Porter. He is a huge part of it and with Isaac Hayes laid it all out. It’s a great read about an important
part of American music!”

FROM A DEAD STREET IN
MEMPHIS


to the halls of musical immortality, The Soul Man Life of Songwriter David Porter is the untold story of one of American music’s most influential, yet often overlooked figures. David Porter shaped the sound of a generation, co-writing timeless hits like “Soul Man”, “Hold On, I’m Comin’”, and “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby”, songs that became anthems of resilience, Black pride, and joy in the face of oppression.
Born in 1941 and raised in the segregated South, Porter’s early life was marked by struggle, but inside Rosehill Baptist Church, young David discovered something transcendent: the power of music to free his soul. That gift would carry him to Stax Records, where he and Isaac Hayes lit a fuse under the soul movement and transformed the way America heard—and felt—Black music.
More than a catalog of hits, The Soul Man is a story of resilience, reinvention, and relentless creativity. Even after the fall of Stax and personal heartbreak, David Porter never stopped shaping sound or lives. In his later years, he returned to Memphis—not to rest, but to uplift—mentoring the next generation through The Consortium MMT and Made in Memphis Entertainment. This isn’t just a music biography. It’s a soul saga, a southern hymn—a story of faith, love, and the enduring power of song to stir one’s soul.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK


Tour dates
April 28,2026
Grammy Museum
800 W Sunflower Rd, Cleveland MS, 38732
6:30 PM
MAY 21,2026
Evergreen Studios
403 W. Magnolia Blvd,
Burbank, CA 91505
6:30 PM
May 7,2026
Stax Museum
926 E McLemore Ave, Memphis TN, 38106
6:00 PM
JUNE 20,2026
Novel Book Store
387 Perkins Extended
Memphis, TN, 38117
2:00 PM
MAY 13,2026
Amazon Music Studios
25 Kent Ave,
Brooklyn, New York 11249

2005 SONGWRITER
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
DAVID PORTER
A list of some of his biggest classics and credits include.
"HOLD ON I'M COMING"
"SOUL MAN"
"WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BABY"
"I THANK YOU"
"WRAP IT UP"
With more than 450 of his music samples such as...
“Dream Lover”
“Getting Jiggy With It”
“Rump Shaker”
“C.R.E.A.M.”
“Above the Rim”
“Who Shot Ya”
“Neva Le!”
“Shimmy Shimmy Ya”
“Ain’t No Half Steppin’”
“Warm Words in A Cold World”




