How Justin Timberlake has stayed connected to Memphis, from Grizzlies to Stax Music Academy

Justin Timberlake has announced the March 15 release of a new album, “Everything I Thought It Was.” The record will be Timberlake’s sixth LP and will feature production from his longtime collaborator Timbaland.

The Memphis-born Timberlake has long espoused his personal and musical connection to the Bluff City. In addition to performing on local stages — most recently at the Orpheum on Jan. 19 — his relationship to the city has been furthered by his various business and philanthropical ventures.

Here is a look at Timberlake’s Memphis ties.

Justin Timberlake's Memphis and Mid-South roots

Timberlake was born Jan. 31, 1981, in Memphis. He attended E.E. Jeter Elementary School in Millington and was raised in the Shelby Forest neighborhood.

In the summer of 1992, a reporter for The Commercial Appeal got a call from then-Millington mayor George Harvell on behalf of his friend Bill Bomar, whose 11-year-old grandson had just won $16,000 in a Nashville talent show. Would the newspaper consider writing a story?

The reporter and a photographer met sixth-grader Justin Timberlake and his family at Ardent Studios in Midtown, where they watched Justin record a demo tape of "When a Man Loves a Woman" and the country hit "Two of a Kind." A story with picture was published.

It would be the first but certainly not the last time Timberlake would be mentioned in The Commercial Appeal.

Stardom beckoned in the mid-1990s for Timberlake. That's when an audition earned young Justin an offer to join the cast of Disney's "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club," an Orlando-based production that also introduced audiences to Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Pop success in the boy band *NSYNC and as a solo singer followed.

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Stax Music Academy supporter

Since becoming a global pop star, Timberlake has been a major supporter of various Memphis music initiatives including Stax Music Academy.

In 2019, Timberlake established formal ties with Stax Music Academy when, as part of a Levi's-funded effort, he installed a new $200,000 songwriting lab in the academy and conducted a camp for students. Timberlake also pledged $100,000 toward a scholarship fund for academy students.

In January 2021, Timberlake and Stax Music Academy were front and center during President Joe Biden’s inaugural festivities.

Timberlake was one of the top-billed stars on the “Celebrating America” broadcast. The 90-minute special, hosted by Oscar winner Tom Hanks, also featured performances by Foo Fighters, Katy Perry and John Legend, among others.

Timberlake duetted with up-and-coming artist Ant Clemons on their recently released single, “Better Days.” The segment was shot in and around the South Memphis campus of Soulsville, home to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and historic site of Stax Records. The students of Stax Music Academy were also featured, serving as the backing choir for the performance.

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Memphis businessman

Over the years, Timberlake has vested himself in various Memphis-area and Memphis-branded projects.

In 2009 he bought the Mirimichi golf course and club in Millington. According to Golfweek, Timberlake invested some $16 million in the property over the years, before finally selling it at a loss for just $500,000 in 2014.

Also in 2009, Timberlake launched a liquor brand, 901 Silver Tequila, nodding to the Memphis area code. That venture would prove more successful, as the brand was purchased by liquor company Beam and its Sauza Tequila division in 2014. The tequila was rebranded and relaunched as Sauza 901, with Timberlake continuing his involvement as a partner.

In 2012, Timberlake became a minority partner in the ownership group buying the Memphis Grizzlies, coming in as part of team led by Robert Pera. Over the years, Timberlake has continued to be a celebrity courtside presence at Grizzlies games at FedExForum.

Memphis Music Hall of Famer

In the fall of 2015, Timberlake became one of the youngest people inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

“When people ask me where I’m from I say, ‘Memphis.’ Not where do you live right now, but where are you from,” Timberlake said during an emotional, funny, nearly 30-minute speech, accepting his honor at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

Timberlake’s enshrinement into the Hall of Fame was set up by remarks from Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, Three 6 Mafia founder DJ Paul and Timberlake’s close friend and “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon.

Timberlake then accepted his award to a standing ovation and the screams of several thousand, mostly female, fans. “I never prepared a speech for anything,” he said, by way of introduction. “But this is the (expletive) coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.

“This (city) is one of a kind and I know ’cause I’ve been around,” Timberlake said. "But London ain’t got no Gus’s Fried Chicken. Paris may have rendezvous, but they don’t have the Rendezvous. Egypt has the pyramids, but they don’t have a Bass Pro Pyramid.”

After thanking his wife and family, Timberlake concluded his speech, noting, “Memphis is the global capital of soul. And that soul is not just in the music, it’s in the people.” His voice choking with emotion, he by ended by expressing a deep debt to the city of Memphis, for the honor of representing it.

“I only hope,” he said, “I can continue to return the favor for as long as I live and breathe.”

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Justin Timberlake and Memphis: How the star stays connected to TN city