Memphis, Tennessee — Graziano Uliani, founder and artistic director of the Porretta Soul Festival, has been honored with the Legacy Award during the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts in downtown Memphis,  September 25.

Each year, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Nominating Committee selects a group of artists and visionaries whose work has made a lasting impact on music and popular culture. For 2025, the committee awarded Graziano Uliani the Legacy Award, recognizing his extraordinary contribution to preserving and promoting the soul music heritage of Memphis on an international stage.

“Italian soul music promoter Graziano Uliani received the organization’s Legacy Award, honoring those who have helped advance the city’s music. Founder of the Porretta Soul Festival in Italy, Uliani has kept Memphis’s soul tradition alive, bringing numerous Bluff City musicians to perform at the Porretta Terme festival over the past three decades.”

Alongside Uliani, six new members were inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame this year, including three legendary figures: bluesman Robert Johnson, and soul icons Johnnie Taylor and Denise LaSalle.

The Memphis Music Hall of Fame Band has also been confirmed as the official house band for the 38th edition of the Porretta Soul Festival, which will take place in Porretta Terme (Bologna, Italy) from July 23–26, 2026.

The Memphis Music Hall of Fame celebrates artists who have made a significant contribution to the city’s rich musical legacy, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, and Justin Timberlake. Other distinguished members include Booker T. Jones, Tina Turner, and John Lee Hooker, representing a wide spectrum of genres — from soul and blues to hip-hop and gospel.