No, not Aretha this time, we're talking about the Staples Singers! Stax Records started out in Memphis in the 60's featuring the mixed-race house band, Booker T & the MGs, consisting of Booker T. Jones (organ), Steve Cropper ("Play it, Steve" - guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), and Al Jackson (drums). Stax was the gritty brother to the sleeker Motown sound of the 60s with Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas and the Staple Singers. PBS premiered a two-hour documentary, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story last night as part of their Great Performances series. It gives a nice historical overview of the label, its impressive collection of artists, and the cultural climate of the era, but gives them a pass on the extravagant lifestyles/financial misdealings that eventually brought it down. Great music! Newsday review
An excellent resource for this music can be found at The Soul Express with Dean Farrell on WHUS-FM 91.7 in Storrs, CT on Saturday nights from 9-midnight.
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