Music Coast caught up with Memphis’ Own Yella P during @WaterfrontBlues 2026 aboard one of the Blues Cruises for a conversation about Memphis music, harmonica, Black Roots music, blues culture, and bringing good vibes from the stage.
Yella P talks about what it means to carry Memphis in his name, representing the “city of soul,” and how growing up around generations of Memphis music shaped his sound — from blues, Stax soul, Hi Records, and funk to the Three 6 Mafia / Playa Fly / Southern rap era.
We also get into:
• Carrying Memphis blues and soul around the country
• Tapping deeper into his blues roots
• Making harmonica feel fresh and lead the room
• Teaching himself harmonica before the internet era
• Working with Ms. Vee and a Badass Band in Portland
• What young musicians should understand about Black Roots music
• Gospel, juke joint blues, soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, and letting the music speak naturally
• Why good vibes are intentional on stage
• Waterfront Blues Festival as an exchange between Portland artists and musicians from major blues cities
• Why festivals should honor history by also bringing out the younger artists carrying the sound forward now
• Black Roots music beyond genre labels: culture, healing, sound therapy, and lived experience
• The bridge between Memphis and Portland: love
Yella P says he’s coming back to Portland — so turn him up when he returns.
🎤 Interview by Music Coast
📍 Waterfront Blues Festival 2026 — Blues Cruise / Portland Spirit, Portland, Oregon
