"That's How I Got to Memphis", sometimes titled "How I Got to Memphis", is a country music standard written by American country music artist Tom T. Hall. The song tells a man's story of coming to Memphis to look for a former lover. The song first appeared on Hall's 1969 album Ballad of Forty Dollars & His Other Great Songs. It has been widely covered, most notably by Bobby Bare in 1970, Deryl Dodd in 1996, Whitey Morgan and the 78's in 2015, and Charley Crockett in 2018.
| "How I Got to Memphis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Bare | ||||
| from the album This Is Bare Country | ||||
| B-side | "It's Freezing in El Paso"[1] | |||
| Released | August 1970 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter | Tom T. Hall | |||
| Producer | Jerry Kennedy | |||
| Bobby Bare singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bobby Bare covered the song under the name "How I Got to Memphis" on his 1970 album This Is Bare Country.[2]
An uncredited review in Billboard called the song "potent Tom T. Hall material, delivered in one of Bare's finest performances."[3]
Bobby Bare's version spent 16 weeks on the Hot Country Songs charts, peaking at number 3.[1]
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 22 |
| "That's How I Got to Memphis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Deryl Dodd | ||||
| from the album One Ride in Vegas | ||||
| Released | November 9, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:14 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Tom T. Hall | |||
| Producers | Blake Chancey, Chip Young | |||
| Deryl Dodd singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In late 1996, Deryl Dodd covered the song for his debut album One Ride in Vegas. The song was the album's second single. In place of a b-side, the single release contained album snippets.[5]
Don Yates of Country Standard Time called Dodd's version of the song "impassioned".[6]
Dodd's version charted on Hot Country Songs for 20 weeks, peaking at number 36 in early 1997.[5]
| Chart (1996–1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 38 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 36 |
The song has been widely covered by other artists and is now considered a standard.[9]
A French language version entitled "Sur la route de Memphis" was a hit for French rock and country artist Eddy Mitchell and was the title track for his 1977 album.
The song was covered by country singer Kelly Willis on Real: The Tom T. Hall Project (Sire Records, 1998).
It is also featured in the series finale of The Newsroom.
