Christopher “FreeSol” Anderson’s legs have a lot of miles on them — his turkey legs, that is. Anderson, a celebrated hip-hop artist, and Thomas Brownlee, a veteran nightclub/restaurant owner, recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their restaurant, Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs, at 2583 Broad Avenue.
Before the brick-and-mortar business, Anderson sold his turkey legs at the old Carolina Watershed, beginning in 2021. He has described them as “fall-off-the-bone” turkey legs, which can be eaten by themselves or flavored with sauces, including Buffalo, garlic Parmesan, Cajun cream, or Tennessee whiskey, and stuffed with dirty rice, mac and cheese, or mac and cheese and greens.
People can now sit down and enjoy the legs and other fare as well as a cocktail or beer at the restaurant, which previously housed Salt/Soy, Lucky Cat Ramen, and Red Zone Sports & Cigar Bar.
Christopher “FreeSol” Anderson
Anderson, lead singer of the alternative band also called FreeSol, formerly signed to Interscope Records, got the idea to do a restaurant while living in Southern California, where he was inspired by the late rapper/entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle.
Anderson’s grandmother was a celebrated chef in her neighborhood, and his uncle was a pitmaster who participated in the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. “Uncle Red’s” refers to his late uncle, Michael “Uncle Red Bone” Anderson, who worked at WLOK. People knew him as “DJ Red Bone” or “Bone,” says Anderson, who believes his late uncle guided him through the whole turkey leg business process.
Anderson pitched his turkey leg business idea to Andy “Kaz” Westmoreland at Carolina Watershed, who introduced him to Tony Westmoreland, one of the owners, who later became Anderson’s business partner. Westmoreland let him use his smoker and sell his turkey legs at Carolina Watershed.
Over the years, Anderson tried to open a “Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs” brick-and-mortar restaurant, but plans for those locations, specifically one in the University of Memphis area, fell through. “I could not get the building to work out,” Anderson says, adding, “We threw a lot of money in there.”
Brownlee, who worked with Anderson at Carolina Watershed, was intrigued when he saw Anderson’s building and heard his plans. “I love the location on Broad,” Brownlee says. “The location is perfect. And I came in and asked if he would be interested in me being a partner. And he said, ‘Yes, of course.’ I’ve already worked with Chris before. I understood what his vision was. What his plan was. I wanted to be a part of it.”
A Memphis native, Brownlee, who’s been called “Big Brownlee” since his days as a defensive end and offensive tackle at Fairley High School, has been managing clubs and restaurants for 30 years. He and his wife are owners of SERV Restaurant & Bar at 6635 Quince Road.
All that experience was just what he was looking for to get Uncle Red’s off the ground, says Anderson, who compares Brownlee to Superman. “He came in with his hands on his hips,” Anderson says. “He came in with a cape.”
In addition to turkey legs, Uncle Red’s also sells smoked wings, sliders, and salads. They also sell beignets. Their chef, Jerome Ladd, worked downtown at the old Ben Yay’s.
Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs features an extensive cocktail and beer list. Asked what you should drink with a turkey leg, Brownlee says, “You can have a whiskey sour with a turkey leg. Anything goes with a turkey leg.”
“I’m a beer and a shot kind of a guy,” Anderson says.
The restaurant features R&B Patio Wednesdays with deejays and/or live music, and “Hip Hop & R&B Bingo” from 3 to 7 p.m. every third Sunday of the month. “Once people get ‘bingo,’ we may give them a free meal, give them a drink. It’s really just a fun gimmick for us to get together,” says Anderson.
Now that Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs has a brick-and-mortar home, Brownlee would like to eventually expand the restaurant to different cities. “The turkey legs, the menu, the recipes — the food is fantastic,” he says. “And I think the world should be able to enjoy it.”
