Memphis Soul Music

= History of Memphis Soul Music =

Soul as a genre did not evolve until the late 50s, when artists like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles began merging traditional gospel and R&B styles. As a result of this blend, soul emerged in the African-American neighborhoods of Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Memphis. Though each city developed a distinctive style, Memphis relied most heavily on gospel music as its inspiration.

As music in Memphis moved from its beginnings on Beale Street to its success at Sun Studio, the Memphis sound continued in a small nest of residential streets just south of Downtown, known as Soulsville, USA, the neighborhood that gave birth to Memphis Soul. At the center of Memphis Soul was Stax Records. The label was founded in 1957 (originally as Satellite Records) and co-owned by Jim Stewart and his sister, Estelle Axton, and eventually owned by Al Bell.

The Stax sound -- created primarily by a set of house musicians and writers including Steve Cropper, Isaac Hayes, and David Porter -- is perhaps most recognizable by its characteristic thin, two-horn brass. This, combined with a number of other elements, gave the Stax/Memphis soul sound a distinctly more syncopated and "funkier" quality that the more polished hits coming out of Motown. [ [http://www.westmemphisblues.com/ "The History of the Plantation Inn"] ]

While Stax produced nearly every singer, songwriter, and musician in the area, the neighborhood's talent went beyond Stax' walls to include Aretha Franklin, Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Al Green, who recorded at nearby Royal Studio for the Hi Records label. Led by Willie Mitchell and with its own rhythm section (the Hodges Brothers and drummer Howard Grimes), the label produced everything from instrumentals to R&B.

Connecting it all was WDIA, the first radio station in America programmed entirely by African-Americans. Led by disc jockey Nat D. Williams, a local high school teacher and nationally syndicated columnist, and Rufus Thomas, WDIA "brought street to the station" and the nation's airwaves.

Stax Studio

Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton converted an old movie theater into a recording studio at the corner of McLemore Avenue and College Street (coord|35.115415|-90.030899|type:landmark|name=Stax Studio) in Memphis, Tennessee. Shortly after, former WDIA disc jockey Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla recorded the label's first hit, "Cause I Love You." Soon after, the Mar-Keys, a local R&B group that included Estelle's son, recorded "Last Night."

For the next 14 years, Stax Records launched the careers and recorded hits for the likes of Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor, Albert King, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam & Dave and Isaac Hayes. Of the approximately 800 singles and 300 LPs recorded at Stax, there were 166 Top 100 songs in the pop charts, and 265 Top 100 hits in the R&B charts, nine of them Grammy winners.

Under the leadership of Al Bell, the label became one of the first to evolve into a multimedia company, producing spoken-word recordings as well as the acclaimed WattStax documentary. Known to many as the "Black Woodstock," WattStax was the first cultural music film ever made and was largely responsible for starting Richard Pryor's career. The documentary featured performances by Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays and the Staple Singers, as well as interviews on the 1965 Watts Revolt.

"Stax Brings People Together"Stax was one of the most successfully integrated companies in the country--from top management and administration to its artists. Though founded by Jim Stewart and co-owned by Estelle Axton, Al Bell eventually joined the team, becoming co-owner of Stax Records in 1968. With 200-plus employees, Stax was one of the largest African-American-owned businesses in the United States during its time.

Stax' rhythm section was the epitome of the label's integration. Composed of Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Booker T. and the MGs provided the instrumental backing for Rufus and Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave, as well as penning their own instrumental hit, "Green Onions." Over the next seven years, the group recorded independently, backed various Stax acts and pursued their own individual careers. Jones worked with artist-producer William Bell and co-wrote the blues classic "Born Under a Bad Sign," while Cropper supervised the recordings of Otis Redding and co-wrote hits with Wilson Pickett and Eddie Floyd.

Stax gave back to its African-American, music-buying public utilizing its marketing budget to help keep publications like Jet and Black Enterprise operating. Stax financed free benefit concerts with its artists, helped raise money for the needy during the holidays, and participated in and helped publicize the federal governmentís "Stay in School" program.

Hi Records

Started by a trio of Sun Studio musicians--Ray Harris, Bill Cantrell and Quentin Claunch--as well as Joe Cuoghi, one of the owners of Poplar ("Pop") Tunes, a local record store, Hi Records' early releases were primarily rockabilly. While the label had success with this sound, rockabilly as a trend was declining, as was Hi Records. Then the label had its first hit, courtesy of Harris' friend, Bill Black.

Just as the Mar-Keys "Last Night" helped Stax, the success of Bill Black's Combo changed Hi from a rockabilly label to an instrumental powerhouse during the early 60s. But as the decade wore on, Hi Records once again recognized a shift in the musical landscape, and, with the leadership of producer/bandleader/songwriter Willie Mitchell, evolved into a successful soul music label.

The label first emerged on the national scene with Ann Peebles. Approached by Mitchell after an impromptu performance at the Rosewood Club, Peebles hit the charts in 1969 with "Walk Away" followed by "Part Time Love."

After a chance encounter on tour in Texas, Al Green joined Willie Mitchell and Hi Records, and together, they became the preeminent source for soul music in the 1970s. With a hits such as "Tired of Being Alone," "Let's Stay Together" and "Take Me To The River," Al Green established a permanent identity and a sound for Hi Records.

One aspect of the label's success came from the fact that while Hi Records was inseparable from Willie Mitchell, Willie Mitchell and Royal Studio often operated separately from Hi. Mitchell often produced and arranged records for a number of artists, including Ike and Tina Turner, who were not members of the Hi roster.

Memphis Soul Recording Artists

* Bar-Kays
* Booker T. & the MGs
** Steve Cropper
** Donald "Duck" Dunn
** Al Jackson, Jr.
** Booker T. Jones
** Lewie Steinberg
* Eddie Floyd
* Al Green
* Isaac Hayes
* Albert King
* Linda Lyndell
* The Mar-keys
* The Memphis Horns
* Willie Mitchell
* Omoye
* Ann Peebles
* Wilson Pickett
* Otis Redding
* Sam & Dave
* The Staple Singers
* Johnnie Taylor
* Rufus Thomas
* Carla Thomas

Notes

In 2007, Stax co-founder Estelle Axton posthumously received the Grammy Trustee's Award, and Stax artists, Booker T. & the MGs, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

See also

* Stax Museum of American Soul Music

References

* Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau. [http://www.memphissoul50.com "Memphis 50 Years of Soul - Memphis, Tennessee"] . Retrieved January 19, 2006.

External links

* [http://www.backroadsofamericanmusic.com Backroads of American Music project]
* [http://www.soulsvilleusa.com Stax Museum of American Soul Music]
* [http://www.hirecords.com Hi Records]
* [http://www.ardentstudios.com Ardent Studios]
* [http://www.bealestreet.com Beale Street]
* [http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org National Civil Rights Museum]
* [http://www.memphistravel.com Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* [http://memphissoul50.blogspot.com/ The Memphis Soul Blog]
* [http://www.grammy.com/ 49th Grammy Awards]
* [http://www.westmemphisblues.com West Memphis Blues and Rhythm Society]