Stax Records, a giant among classic R&B record labels, was formed fifty years ago in Memphis, TN. It was originally named Satellite Records, but upon discovering another label with the same name, it was renamed after a combination of the names of the two founding owners - Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. Stax’s legacy includes releases from Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MGs (the Stax house band, akin to Motown’s Funk Brothers), the Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, his daughter Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, the Staple Singers, Richard Pryor, comedienne Moms Mabley, the blue-eyed soul of The Box Tops (later Big Star), and countless other influential acts. Through a distribution partnership with Atlantic Records and the legendary Jerry Wexler, Stax’s 60s heyday is also frequently associated with collaborations between Booker T & the MGs and performers from the Atlantic roster such as Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin (who recorded the definitive version of Redding’s composition “Respect”).

Following their break from Atlantic in the late 60s, Stax had continued success with the soundtrack to Shaft (scored and performed by principal Stax songwriter Isaac Hayes) and the 1972 concert Wattstax. Dubbed “the black Woodstock” and hosted by Reverend Jesse Jackson, Wattstax drew a crowd of over 100,000 attendees and was released as a concert film in 1973. Despite this success, the label was in continuous financial turmoil and, by the late 70s, filed for bankruptcy.

The last decade has seen a revival of the label - the re-opening of its original studios as a museum, reunion performances from some of its original acts at the 2007 South By Southwest Conference, and, for the first time in decades, new releases.

[Source: Wikipedia]

Respect Yourself: The Stax/Volt Story (PBS “Great Performances” documentary)

Wattstax (re-release trailer)

The Bar-Kays:

Son of Shaft (live, Wattstax)

Megamix

William Bell & Judy Clay - Private Number

Booker T & the MGs:

Green Onions (live, Germany)

Time Is Tight (TV appearance, 1970)

Shirley Brown - Woman to Woman

Alex Chilton / Big Star / The Box Tops:

The Box Tops - The Letter

Big Star - Ballad of El Goodo (live, 1993)

Big Star - In the Street (”Jay Leno” appearance, reunion tour)

The Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (”Soul Train”)

Eddie Floyd - I Stand Accused

Isaac Hayes:

Shaft (live, Wattstax)

Walk on By (1969 TV performance)

Luther Ingram - If Loving You Is Wrong I Don’t Want to be Right

Otis Redding:

Shake (Monterey Pop)

I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Monterey Pop)

Tramp (with Carla Thomas)

Try a Little Tenderness

Sam & Dave:

Interview (Finnish TV, 1967)

Hold On I’m Coming

Soul Man

When Something Is Wrong with My Baby

Staple Singers - Respect Yourself (live, Wattstax)

Carla Thomas:

B-A-B-Y

Pick up the Pieces (live, Wattstax)

Rufus Thomas:

Funky Chicken (live, Wattstax)

Walking the Dog (60s TV performance)

SXSW 50th Anniversary Stax Show:

Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood

Booker T & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, William Bell and Eddie Floyd - Sitting on the Dock of a Bay