Stax Records

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The STAX RECORDS story, from its beginning in an old movie theater on East McLemore Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, to its extraordinary rise as an international hit-making machine, is an indispensable chapter in American musical history. Amid the civil rights-era racial strife and deep-seated tensions of the late '50s and '60s, Stax's integrated artist roster and staff fundamentally shaped American soul music, spawning the careers of recording artists, songwriters and producers such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG's, The Staple Singers, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, The Bar-Kays, Sam & Dave, William Bell, David Porter, Shirley Brown, The Mar-Keys, Steve Cropper, The Mad Lads and Rufus and Carla Thomas, just to name a few.

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.

Stax has placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts.

Today, the original site of Stax Records is a multimillion-dollar campus that includes the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School. The Soulsville Foundation's two youth programs serve primarily at-risk, inner city youth who are carrying the unique legacy of Stax Records into the future for generations to come.

Concord Music, which acquired the legendary Memphis label as part of its purchase of Fantasy Records in 2004, has since honored Stax's unique legacy, releasing definitive collections, rare performances, unreleased tracks and more, in deluxe, new packages. Additionally, Concord proudly supports and works closely with the Soulsville Foundation to preserve and honor the legacy of Stax Records and the Memphis Sound. 

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The STAX RECORDS story, from its beginning in an old movie theater on East McLemore Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, to its extraordinary rise as an international hit-making machine, is an indispensable chapter in American musical history. Amid the civil rights-era racial strife and deep-seated tensions of the late '50s and '60s, Stax's integrated artist roster and staff fundamentally shaped American soul music, spawning the careers of recording artists, songwriters and producers such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG's, The Staple Singers, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, The Bar-Kays, Sam & Dave, William Bell, David Porter, Shirley Brown, The Mar-Keys, Steve Cropper, The Mad Lads and Rufus and Carla Thomas, just to name a few.

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.

Stax has placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts.

Today, the original site of Stax Records is a multimillion-dollar campus that includes the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School. The Soulsville Foundation's two youth programs serve primarily at-risk, inner city youth who are carrying the unique legacy of Stax Records into the future for generations to come.

Concord Music, which acquired the legendary Memphis label as part of its purchase of Fantasy Records in 2004, has since honored Stax's unique legacy, releasing definitive collections, rare performances, unreleased tracks and more, in deluxe, new packages. Additionally, Concord proudly supports and works closely with the Soulsville Foundation to preserve and honor the legacy of Stax Records and the Memphis Sound.