Southern Avenue

Southern Avenue crafts its music from the bedrock of vintage blues and soul, shaping a Memphis-rooted sound that absorbs global flavors. Tierinii Jackson draws vocal influence from soul divas of the 1960s and 1970s alongside present-day R&B performers, while Ori Naftaly delivers blues-rooted guitar lines colored by rock & roll attitude. The band first presented its blues-and-soul approach on the self-titled debut album issued in 2017; funkier rhythms expanded the sonic palette on Keep On, released in 2019. Their third full-length, the Steve Berlin-produced Be The Love You Want, arrived in 2021.

Ori Naftaly grew up in Israel, where he began studying guitar at age five. During his teenage years he explored jazz, classical, and funk approaches before the blues captured his attention. After finishing his education he worked as a systems engineer for a major technology firm, yet continued performing whenever time allowed. The Ori Naftaly Band issued its debut album, A True Friend (Is Hard to Find), in 2011. In 2013 he traveled to Memphis to take part in the International Blues Challenge.

Drawn to the city’s music community, Naftaly relocated there, assembled a new group, and performed regularly. His direction shifted after encountering Memphis native Tierinii Jackson, who had sung in church and performed with several cover bands. Impressed by her vocal power, Naftaly joined forces with her; they recruited Jackson’s sister Tikyra on drums, added Jeremy Powell on keyboards and Daniel McKee on bass, and completed the Southern Avenue lineup. The ensemble toured extensively across the United States and Europe, appeared at festivals, and reached the finals of the International Blues Challenge.

Word of the band reached the reactivated Stax Records, prompting the label to offer a recording contract. Their self-titled debut, released in February 2017, climbed to number six on the Blues charts and remained in the Top 30 of the Americana Airplay charts for nearly six months, earning the Blues Foundation’s Best Emerging Artist Album award. The group supported the release with more than 300 live dates before returning to the studio. By then Daniel McKee had departed, and Gage Markey assumed bass duties for concerts. Keep On, issued in May 2019, incorporated stronger funk elements, reached number five on the Blues charts, and received a Grammy nomination.

The band released the single “Push Now” in June 2021, followed in August by the full-length Be The Love You Want. Produced by Los Lobos’s Steve Berlin, the album featured guest contributions from Jason Mraz and Cody Dickinson.