1969 marked a year that was full of both
trepidation and excitement for Stax Records. Just one year before, the Memphis
soul outlet ended its relationship with musical giant Atlantic Records,
effectively leaving the label as an independent entity, without a music catalog
(which had previously included a formidable collection of hits by Otis Redding,
Carla Thomasand Sam & Dave, among others). Under the guidance of co-owner
Al Bell, the label proceeded to rebuild and release an impressive collection of
27 albums and 30 singles in just a handful of months—a period known as “Soul
Explosion.” The gamble paid off, and at the 1969 Stax sales summit—themed
“Getting It All Together”—the label reaffirmed its place as a soul powerhouse.
Craft Recordingscelebrates the 50th anniversary of this prolific, make-or-break
moment for Stax—and its enduring legacy—with a wide selection of physical and
digital reissues. Additionally, Craft will pay tribute to the label throughout
the year with a series of playlists, original content, contests and more.
The rebuilding of the Stax catalog was an immense
undertaking—deemed impossible by many peers in the music industry. Ms. Deanie
Parker, who was head of Stax’s publicity at the time, recalls that “Day and
night, we planned marketing and sales efforts, and produced powerhouse
songs. For weeks we worked 24/7—molding
and refining both raw and veteran artists’ recording material. . . . We worked
our way to the top of our game with the Soul Explosion created at Stax
Records.” Al Bell remembers how the summit was ahead of its time: “We were
multimedia before multimedia was even a thing! During that one weekend in
Memphis, we had large projections on the walls the size of movie theater
screens and we had video interspersed with live performances by all of our top
acts: Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MGs, William Bell, Albert King, the
Bar-Kays,Isaac Hayessolo and Isaac Hayes andDavid Porterdoing Sam & Dave
songs. And the energy during that weekend was like nothing the music industry
had seen before.”
Bell set about building a roster that reflected the changing
musical landscape—signing new artists such as theEmotionsand theSoul Children;
meanwhile, existing Stax artists, including the Staple Singers, were busy
recording some of their biggest hits to date. Johnnie Tayloremerged as a
breakout star with the single “Who’s Making Love,” the label’s first big
post-Atlantic hit; while in-house songwriter and producer Isaac Hayes released
his breakthrough second LP, Hot Buttered Soul, which peaked on the Billboard
Top 10 and catapulted him into stardom. In Robert Gordon’s 2013 book Respect
Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion, the author writes, “It was a
huge and glorious effort, interweaving the grand themes of salesmanship, civic
responsibility, and the recording arts.” Bell went on to declare that the
industry “began to forget that we didn’t have a catalog . . . We [were now] a
viable independent record company. It accelerated from that point forward.”
Craft recently kicked off the Soul Explosion campaign with
three vinyl reissues exclusive for Record Store Day, held on April 13th: Albert
King’s Born Under A Bad Sign, the duets collection Boy Meets Girl: Classic Stax
Duetsand the compilation Stax Does The Beatles. Originally released in 1967, King’s
Stax debut is widely recognized as one of the most influential albums,
heralding in the era of modern blues. Inducted into the GRAMMY®Hall of Fame in
1999, and included in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list,
this special edition marks the very first mono reissueof the title. Boy Meets
Girl: Classic Stax Duetsisback on vinyl for the first time to mark the 50th
anniversary of its original release. This 2-LP set pairs the label’s biggest
male and female stars together for a collection of engaging duets. Finally, we
have the vinyl debutof Stax Does The Beatles. Originally released in 2008, this
2-LP set compiles the best Beatles covers recorded throughout the ’60s and ’70s
by Stax artists.
On May 31st, soul connoisseurs can get their hands on the
Soul Explosionalbum, back on vinyl for the first time since 1969. As part of
the label’s “Made in Memphis” reissue campaign, the lacquers for the 2-LP set
were cut by Memphis-based engineer Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl and pressed
locally at Memphis Record Pressing (MRP). Soul Explosion offers a sampling of
the label’s biggest hits and stars of the day, with Eddie Floyd, the Mad Lads,
the Staple Singers, Albert King and more. The second disc of the set includes a
selection of rare tracks, many of which are exclusive to this collection. These
include the Bar-Kays’ “Hot Hips,” Ollie & The Nightingales’ “Heartache
Mountain” and Eddie Floyd’s “It’s Wrong To Be Loving You.” Soul Explosionwill
also be released digitally for the first time and will include hi-res 96/24 and
192/24 formats. Starting today, the hit song “Who’s Making Love” by Johnnie
Taylor is available as an instant grat single with all digital album
pre-orders.
In June, to commemorate Black Music Month, Craft will also
reissue 30 titles to digital platforms—marking the very first digital release
of these albums. The titles, which will be released one per day throughout the
month, include the 1971 concept album Victim Of The Joke? An Operafrom
acclaimed songwriter and producer David Porter; 1973’s Estelle, Myrna &
Sylviafrom girl-group theSweet Inspirations(who backed such acts as Elvis
Presley, Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin); and A Dramatic Experience,the
sophomore album by R&B Music Hall of Fame inductee theDramatics. Eleven of
these titles (from the likes of the Soul Children, Johnnie Taylor and the Mad
Lads) are results of the 1969 Soul Explosion sessions.
Throughout the remainder of 2019, fans can look forward to
several curated playlists, contests and additional releases.
One of the most popular soul labels of all time, Stax has
become synonymous with its gritty, Southern sounds. Originally known as
Satellite Records, the Memphis imprint was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart. Over
the course of two decades, Stax released more than 800 singles and nearly 300
LPs, picking up eight GRAMMYS® and an Academy Award along the way. In all, Stax
placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243
hits in the Top 100 R&B charts.
Black Music Month Digital Releases
Artist: Booker T. & The MGs
Album Title: Soul Limbo
Release Date: 6/1/19
Artist: Various
Album Title: Boy Meets Girl
Release Date: 6/2/19
Artist: Johnnie Taylor
Album Title: Rare Stamps
Release Date: 6/3/19
Artist: Soul Children
Album Title: Soul Children
Release Date: 6/4/19
Artist: Carla Thomas
Album Title: Memphis Queen
Release Date: 6/5/19
Artist: Ollie & The Nightingales
Album Title: Ollie & The Nightingales
Release Date: 6/6/19
Artist: Johnnie Taylor
Album Title: The Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues
Release Date: 6/7/19
Artist: The Mar-Keys
Album Title: Damifiknow
Release Date: 6/8/19
Artist: JJ Barnes & Steve Mancha
Album Title: Rare Stamps
Release Date: 6/9/19
Artist: The Mad Lads
Album Title: The Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Lads
Release Date: 6/10/19
Artist: The Goodees
Album Title: Candy Coated Goodees
Release Date: 6/11/19
Artist: The Knowbody Else
Album Title: The Knowbody Else
Release Date: 6/12/19
Artist: Eddie Floyd
Album Title: California Girl
Release Date: 6/13/19
Artist: Rufus Thomas
Album Title: Crown Prince Of Dance
Release Date: 6/14/19
Artist: Mel & Tim
Album Title: Starting All Over Again
Release Date: 6/15/19
Artist: William Bell
Album Title: Phases Of Reality
Release Date: 6/16/19
Artist: The Sweet Inspirations
Album Title: Estelle, Myrna & Sylvia
Release Date: 6/17/19
Artist: The Dramatics
Album Title: A Dramatic Experience
Format: Digital album
Artist: John KaSandra
Album Title: Color Me Human
Release Date: 6/19/19
Artist: The Bar-Kays
Album Title: Do You See What I See?
Release Date: 6/20/19
Artist: David Porter
Album Title: Victim Of The Joke? An Opera
Release Date: 6/21/19
Artist: The Rance Allen Group
Album Title: A Soulful Experience
Release Date: 6/22/19
Artist: The Temprees
Album Title: Love Maze
Release Date: 6/23/19
Artist: Frederick Knight
Title: I’ve Been Lonely For So Long
Release Date: 6/24/19
Artist: Barbara Lewis
Title: The Many Grooves Of
Release Date: 6/25/19
Artist: Little Milton
Album Title: Waiting For Little Milton
Release Date: 6/26/19
Artist: Inez Foxx
Album Title: At Memphis
Release Date: 6/27/19
Artist: Melvin Van Peebles
Album Title: Don’t Play Us Cheap
Release Date: 6/28/19
Artist: Kim Weston
Album Title: Kim Kim Kim
Release Date: 6/28/19
Artist: Various
Album Title: Wattstax
Release Date: 6/30/19
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