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The Stax Records Story

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Stax Records

If one sentence could epitomize Stax records, it would be this: Stax Records is soul. Stax was the label that discovered, recorded, and popularized Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. and the MGs, and soul superstar Isaac Hayes, to name a few. Stax was famous for being a small brother & sister outfit that found and shaped the biggest names in Soul, and in the process became one of the most stunning success stories in the history of Memphis. Later, Stax would become infamous for it's surreal fall from grace and eventual bankrupcy and closure. But the soul of Stax, it's timeless music and artists' amazing stories, live on, both in on the radio and albums, and in the recently formed Stax Music Academy, which helps new generations of students find their soul through music.

It was casually founded as Satellite Records in 1957 by brother and sister Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton in Estelle's garage. By 1959, the label had a few songs and some success with their records. Jim and Estelle moved to an old theater on the corner of E. McLemore and College streets in Memphis, and converted it to the new headquarters. In less than two years, the company had a top ten hit with "Gee Whiz", which they optioned to Atlantic Records.

When the label began to gain steam, the name was changed to Stax, (ST from Stewart and AX from Axton) to avoid legal complications with another Satellite Records. Stax quickly became known for it's trademark house band sound, which was seemingly formed by fate, like so many things at Stax. Booker T. Jones, a young neighborhood musican, would hang around the studio, and his talent was enough to impress Stewart. Booker, along with Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper, (both of whom would later play for The Blues Brothers band) formed the house band Booker T. and the MG's. Not only were the MGs a house band, but they were a hitmaker as well, having a smash hit with Green Onions in 1962. This unique sound would be the heart of Stax for years to come. If Booker T. and the MGs were the heart, the Memphis Horns were it's soul. The Memphis Horns was a 6-part horn section that could be heard backing virtually every Stax Recording by nearly all of it's artists. In fact, the Memphis Horns can still be heard on dozens of songs from the sixties to this day, having played with Neil young, Elvis, Jack White, Alicia Keys, and many others. Another unique sound would (again, apparently by fate itself) contribute to the Stax sound as well. Because the studio was in a converted theater, the floor was sloped where the seating had been, and the uncommon shape of the room created an incomparable acoustic sound that couldn't be matched, though the people at Stax didn't realize this for some time.

In 1962, after an apparently ill-fated recording session with musician Johnny Jenkins, his driver and lesser-known bandmember Otis Redding was given the remaining time. Otis had been largely influenced by gospel and Rhythm and Blues, and sang with captivation and heart. With the time, he recorded his self-penned "These Arms Of Mine", which became a smash hit and launched Otis' tragically short-lived, though incredibly fruitful career through the stratosphere. Otis quickly grew to be Stax's brightest star. He created hit after hit for the label, including "Respect" (Aretha Franklin's smash hit) and "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay", which was released posthumously and would be Redding's biggest hit.

On his way back to Memphis to finish the lyrics for that song, his plane crashed, killing Otis and 6 of the seven other passengers. The song was released without the missing lyrics, (which would have been where he "whistles" a verse in the song, which was intended to be a placeholder). Otis's popularity, both before and after his tragic demise, drew many others to the Label, including a young soon-to-be-superstar Isaac Hayes and Al Bell.

while Stax was well known as a label that blended the southern sounds of Gospel, Blues, and a touch of funk into what would come to be known as Soul, it was also a prominent recording studio for traditional Blues as well. With it's convenient placement in Memphis and enthusiastic bluesy house band, Stax attracted a number of Blues artists over the years. Albert King often played at Stax,

and in 1966 he cut the popular Blues track "Crosscut Saw", arguably the most famous version of the popular track. John Lee Hooker, Johnnie Taylor, and Steve Cropper all played the Blues at Stax. Later, the Blues Brothers, a horn-heavy Chicago-style Blues band formed by actors John Belushi and Dan Akroyd, would cover several popular Stax songs, including "Soul Man", "I Can't Turn You Loose" (their entrance theme), "Who's Making Love", etc. Their style, sound, and Music was an undeniable homage to Stax. To complete the sound, they even enlisted the duo Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper from Booker T and the MG's!

Shortly before the untimely death of their biggest act, the distribution deal penned with Atlantic Records was due for renegotiation. It was only then that Stewart, Stax's founder, realized that the deal he had signed a contract that gave Atlantic sole rights to all Stax master copies; he had inadvertently left Stax with no musical catalog. After this, the agreement with Atlantic ended, Stewart assumed a smaller role at Stax, and Al Bell, the day-to-day manager of Stax, assumed partial ownership of the company and eventually purchased it entirely. It was in this time that Isaac Hayes began recording and was quickly one of the biggest stars on the planet. Unfortunately, though, the company also began having problems, starting with the distribution of it's music by Gulf & Western. Hayes' stellar success also throttled the rest of the artist's careers at Stax and the label was bigger than ever, even making plans to purchase the Tams, Memphis's resident professional basketball team. To promote their artists, Stax put on what would become the famous Wattstax Music Festival in Watts, a section of Los Angeles, in 1972. The festival was to be a rally for african americans to come together in their communities. Tickets were only $1. Rev. Jesse Jackson gave a speech. The Stax Artists each played sets, and the festival was closed out by a performance by Isaac Hayes, who was fast becoming one of the biggest superstars in the country. Despite the undeniable popularity of Stax's music, trouble was still brewing with the business side. Unusual business practices began coming to light, and a critical distribution deal was altered, resulting in Stax's inability to remain solvent, and lead to a subsequent stream of lawsuits. An employee of Stax was caught with a briefcase full of cash, which resulted in more suspicion that there was something wrong with Stax's business. The bank that had freely provided a steady stream of loans to Stax for a number of years began cutting their line of credit. Founder and former owner Jim Stewart was sucked down in the fray as well. Seeing his company spiraling into bankruptcy, he mortgaged his assets to try to keep Stax Records solvent. It wasn't enough and, when Stax was forced into foreclosure, the entirety of the company was lost to the bank. The masters that Atlantic didn't own were sold to Fantasy records and the famous Stax building on E. McLemore was sold for a mere $10 and later demolished in 1989.

Luckily, all was not lost for the Stax legacy that brought the world such sweet music. In 2000, the nonprofit group formed for the preservation of Stax, aptly named Soulsville, announced it would create the Stax Music Academy, Stax Museum of American Soul, a performing arts center, and a school. They planned to reconstruct the original Stax building in the original location, with a few state-of-the-art improvements. In 2003, Soulsville completed all of it's ambitious and prestigious goals, including a full-blown School, cementing Soulsville's Stax complex as a Memphis community staple, as well as a shrine to the label's dramatic influence on music. Finally, in December 2006, Concord Music Group, the now-owner of the Stax master recordings, announced that they would re-launch the Stax label, recording new music and re-releasing classics of the era! They quickly re-signed Isaac Hayes, anoung others, and are still releasing a barrage of both old and new Stax material. Visit their website below!

Notable Websites on Stax Records
Soulsville USA
Concord Music Group's Stax Records site

Notable artists under Stax Records
Isaac Hayes
Otis Redding
Albert King

Notable Books on Stax Records
Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records

Notable DVDs on Stax Records
Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story