Pat Mitchell Worley

Pat Mitchell Worley has devoted most of her professional life to Memphis, music, and the arts. A Memphis native, she began her career at Memphis In May, where she helped with media for the city’s largest month-long. She followed that with a stint as on-air personality for Flinn Broadcasting’s alternative formatted station WDRE which broadcasted to Little Rock and Memphis. The position garnered her a cult following with fans calling themselves “Friends of P” after a popular song. She also served as music and promotions director at Memphis’ short-lived all-blues radio station WOWW in the mid ’90s. During this time she also worked as an independent publicist and writer for record labels such as Warner Brothers, Atlantic and RCA. In 1996 Mitchell Worley joined the staff of the Blues Foundation, where she oversaw all of the international nonprofit’s communications and educational efforts and helped produce events like the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Awards, and the International Blues Challenge. In 2003, she served as interim executive director of the 3,000-member foundation. As an independent producer and presenter, Mitchell Worley worked on projects from the Stax Music Academy’s annual Soul-A-Thon fundraiser, and the Memphis Area Music Awards to publicity projects for Willie Mitchell, Isaac Hayes and the BarKays. She even hosted WKNO’s live coverage of the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Awards honoring Nelson Mandela. From 2004 to 2006, Mitchell Worley served as program director of the nonprofit MPACT Memphis where she spearheaded efforts to involve area young professionals in the cultural and political life of the city. Most recently, she worked at ArtsMemphis where she coordinated Bravo Memphis, an introductory arts patronage program for young professionals. Mitchell Worley has also worked as a freelance music journalist, regularly penning articles for over a dozen regional and national publications. In 2009, she is celebrating her tenth anniversary as host of the Memphis-produced, globally syndicated radio show “Beale Street Caravan.” Pat is the Director of Development and Communications for the Memphis Music Foundation.