A question that would have had most of Memphis buzzing in — with the correct answer — initially stumped three of the best "Jeopardy!" players.
Soul songwriting great and Stax Records veteran David Porter was the subject of a clue on the Sept. 2 edition of "Jeopardy! Masters."
During the Double Jeopardy portion of the game show, the $2,000 question in the "Pop Music Between Covers" category concerned Porter’s recent autobiography: “A 2026 memoir by Memphis songwriter David Porter borrowed its title from this classic he wrote with Isaac Hayes.”
Victoria Groce guessed first: “Hold On, I’m Comin’." (Wrong, but it was written by Porter and Hayes.)
Yogesh Raut
tried next: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." (Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote this Motown hit.)
Long Nguyen declined to buzz in with a guess, but his unofficial answer: “Is it 'Shaft'?” (Wrong again — "Theme from Shaft" was written and recorded by Hayes.)
After Nguyen's miss, Groce tried again — unofficially, of course — "Was it 'Soul Man'?"
Correct! The 1967 Hayes/Porter single was a hit for Stax duo Sam & Dave.
On social media, Porter posted a clip from the game show, saying: “Now I’ve seen everything! It’s September 2, 2026 on a game show about my memoir!!! Who would have thunk it. LOL”
Earlier this year, the 84-year-old Stax Records legend published his memoir, “The Soul Man: Life of Songwriter David Porter.”
A native of South Memphis and a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Porter is best known for his work at Stax, and his partnership with Hayes on a series of classic songs for the likes of Otis Redding, Johnnie Taylor, The Emotions, The Soul Children, Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave. Those tunes would later go on to be sampled in hits by Mariah Carey, Will Smith, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan, among others.
In more recent years, Porter has overseen the development of his Made in Memphis Music Entertainment (MIME) company and its various businesses. Those include a MIME Publishing division, the sync company Heavy Hitters Music, indie music distributors Beatroot Music and Beatroot Africa, and the 4U Recording studios in Memphis and Atlanta.
Bob Mehr is the music writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at bob.mehr@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Can you answer the David Porter clue ‘Jeopardy! Masters’ missed?
