top of page
TEST.png
THE SOUL MAN

Life of Songwriter

David Porter

The Soul Man (Front Cover) (1).png
BACK 7.jpg
My Story
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!”

BACK 1.jpg
FROM A DEAD STREET IN
MEMPHIS
BLACK AND WHITE.jpg
2.jpg

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.  

My Story Continued
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

When you speak of the soundtrack of your life, David Porter has been a major contributor. So many classic songs of his and Isaac Hayes, “Soul Man”, “Hold On-I’m Comin’”, “I Thank You”; when I hear those songs, even to this day, I have nothing but fond memories of life,

love, and music.” 

STEVE JORDAN

Producer/Touring Drummer for the Rolling Stones

Praise
BACK 2.jpg

SPECIAL FROM THE SOULMAN HIMSELF

Do you want an autographed copy of the hardcover? 

 

image.png

hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and ebook available on amazon

BACK 7.jpg

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

red.jpg

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”

6.webp
IMG_0329.JPG
BACK 7.jpg

Subscribe for future updates!

"Essential reading for those who were touched by the magic and majesty that was Soul Music."

-Bruce Springsteen-

bottom of page