The Indie’s Turn
Stax Records
By Adam D. Miller

Over the past four issues, “The Indie’s Turn” has focused contemporary record labels that churn out quality new music with an independent vision.  The fact of the matter, however, is that independent labels have lasted for most of the past century.  This month, we look at Stax Records - a Memphis-based label that once specialized in the sweet soulful sounds of artists like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Carla & Rufus Thomas, Albert King, and many others.  A label whose legacy has continued to shine brightly, decades after the label halted its operations.

When people think of 1960s R&B and soul music, the first name that usually comes to mind is Motown.  Although sometimes (wrongly) synonymous for the style of music they generated, Motown Records was the label that Berry Gordy started in 1959 as an attempt to bring Detroit’s young African-American talent into the pop charts with perfectly crafted and arranged pop hits, many of which are still popular today.  Launching the careers of The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, the label and their artists were largely influential.  But none of that should take attention away from Stax, a much different label that started in the very same year in a much different part of the country: Memphis, Tennessee.

Motown was a label that created songs like a factory assembly line.  In-house songwriters worked together to craft hits, musicians recorded perfectly orchestrated backing tracks, and producers carefully selected artists to record these pre-determined hits, with numerous takes ensuring that the songs were flawlessly recorded.  Stax, on the other hand, was the complete opposite: the songwriters generally were the musicians and vocalists, who collaborated in a laid back fashion to create something soulful and effective.  The vocalists would then record live with the house band, usually having exactly what they wanted after one or two takes.  In response to Motown’s self-applied label “Hitsville U.S.A.,” Stax dubbed themselves “Soulsville U.S.A.”  They were concerned more with creating music full of spontaneous energy and a solid groove than “perfect” hits.

The story of Stax began when Jim Stewart, a white country fiddler, and his sister Estelle Axton founded Satellite Records in Memphis in 1957.  The label released two R&B hits - “Gee Whiz” by Carla Thomas and the instrumental “Last Night” by The Mar-Keys - before realizing that another label with the same name existed in California.  The label’s name was then changed to Stax (from Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton) and upon purchasing an abandoned movie theatre in downtown Memphis, they built the studio where classics like “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, “Try A Little Tenderness”, “Green Onions”, and “Soul Man” would be recorded.  Soon after moving into the building, local musicians began hanging around the area.  These were the musicians that ultimately became the house band at Stax.  Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and Booker T. Jones ultimately became Booker T. & The MG’s, and Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, and Joe Arnold ultimately became The Memphis Horns.  Combined, these two groups defined the sound that Stax would soon be known for.

Booker T & The MG’s and the Memphis Horns provided the solid instrumental backing on virtually every record that came out of Stax until the early 70s.  But these men were more than the instrumental ingredients.  The label’s vocalists, like Otis Redding and William Bell, also considered them dear friends and effective collaborators.  Many of the label’s most memorable songs were written by musician-vocalist pairings.  With Otis Redding, MGs guitarist Steve Cropper wrote Redding’s swan song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay,” and Booker T. Jones co-wrote “Born Under A Bad Sign” with Bell.

Another notable songwriter and session musician on Stax’s roster was pianist Isaac Hayes.  Although known today for his #1 Stax single “Theme from Shaft” (1971) and deep, erotic singing voice, Hayes was a key force at Stax in the 1960s, playing piano on the recordings of Otis Redding and Sam and Dave.  Along with fellow songwriter David Porter, Hayes wrote most Sam & Dave classics, including “Hold On, I’m Comin’”, “Soul Man”, and “Wrap It Up.”  They also wrote “B-A-B-Y” for Carla Thomas.

In 1972, Jim Stewart sold Stax to Al Bell, a former disc jockey who was hired in 1965 to oversee national sales, and so began its gradual decline until the company ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 1976.  One of the last notable groups to come out of Stax was Big Star.  Drastically different from the artists that found success on the label in the 1960s and 1970s, Big Star was a British-influenced rock band led by Alex Chilton.  By this time, Stax was in major shambles, and the band’s #1 Record was barely bought despite critical acclaim and even some radio play, largely due to problems with distribution at the label.

For nearly 15 years, Stax and its subsidiaries (Volt, Enterprise, etc.) released some of the most memorable R&B and soul songs of the period.  None of the label’s artists were more popular than Otis Redding, who continues to be one of the most influential soul singers of all time.  While the label didn’t produce the number of Top 10 singles that Motown did, their influence has lasted just as well, with everyone from The Rolling Stones to Elvis Costello and The Jam paying tribute in their own way.  Booker T & The MGs continue to be an in-demand session group, serving as the house band at the Bob Dylan 30^th Anniversary Concert Celebration and backing Neil Young on his 1993 tour.

In the 1990s, three box sets compiling the complete set of singles released by Stax from 1958 to 1975 were released.  The three box sets combined are a whopping 28 discs, but they served as a timely reminder of what Stax continues to mean today.  They also serve as a great introduction to both the big names and those who have since been forgotten. 

In 2001, the Stax Museum of American Music and Stax Academy and Performing Arts Centre opened their doors in Memphis.  The following year, label founder Jim Stewart was inducted to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, where he joins fellow Stax alumnus Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MG’s, Sam and Dave, The Staple Singers, and Isaac Hayes.  While many of the label’s artists have passed away or retired, many, including Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Mavis Staples, and Booker T. & The MGs continue to play music. 

Fifteen Classic Stax Singles:

1. Last Night – Mar-Keys
2. You Don’t Miss Your Water – William Bell
3. Green Onions – Booker T. and the MGs
4. Walking The Dog – Rufus Thomas
5. Pain In My Heart – Otis Redding
6. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) – Otis Redding
7. Born Under A Bad Sign – Albert King
8. Hold On! I’m Comin’ – Sam & Dave
9. B-A-B-Y – Carla Thomas
10. Soul Man – Sam & Dave
11. Private Number – William Bell
12.  Mr. Big Stuff – Jean Knight
13.  Theme from Shaft – Isaac Hayes
14.  Respect Yourself – The Staple Singers
15.  I’ll Take You There – The Staple Singers

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