Stax Museum News

STAX MUSEUM BLOG CORRECTION

2009-06-26T12:09:00.001-07:00

In the last entry where it reads in the first sentence, "artists who did record at Stax Records," that should have been "artists who did NOT record at Stax Records." Sorry for the error!

STAX MUSEUM'S MESSAGE TO MICHAEL

2009-06-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, we have a wall of video screens where many, many artists who did record at Stax are represented with video footage and information. They include Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Labelle, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Parliament, Billy Preston, The Spinners, and lots of others.

There's also a great video of a very young man in flowered pants and a fringe vest singing lead with his brothers behind him, all in front of a massive crowd of screaming fans. The young man is, of course, Michael Jackson.

With the soul music world losing such icons in recent years as Ray Charles, the aforementioned Billy Preston, and our own beloved Isaac Hayes, it's a particularly piognant day for us as we look consider the life, career, accomplishments, and the extraordinary philanthropic contributions of Michael Jackson, one of the world's greatest entertainers for many decades.

Just like Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson always did things his own way. He always broke new ground. He never fit into any particular category because he was unique. He respected those who had come before him and he helped pave the way for many others. He is one of the few artists living today whose music will stand the test of time, and in fact, already has become a part of the international psyche.

Tomorrow night, the Stax Music Academy is performing a special tribute concert to Motown as its Summer Grand Finale in conjunction with that label's 50th anniversary. Three Michael Jackson/Jackson Five songs were already in the show. Now when our students perform them, they will be a special tribute and will have new meaning for all of us.

STAX MUSIC ACADEMY SALUTES MOTOWN SATURDAY, JUNE 27TH!

2009-06-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

STAX MUSIC ACADEMY SNAP! SUMMER GRAND FINALE!
"At the Corner of Soulsville & Hitsville: Stax Salutes Motown!"

Saturday, June 27, 2009 - 7 p.m.

Buckman Performing Arts Center

$10 Advance, $12 at the Door

Special Guest Terron Brooks from Broadway's The Lion King and HBO's The Temptations!
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door if available. Get your tickets now at the Stax Museum gift shop or by calling 901-946-2535. Does not apply to special Father's Day special.

MORE ABOUT THE STAX SUMMER MUSIC CAMP

The Stax Music Academy’s SNAP! Summer Music Camp is taking a turn this year, focusing more attention on each student and offering a wide variety of music experience with a seasoned staff and hand-picked guest instructors comprised of music business veterans from throughout Memphis and Shelby County.

The camp, which operates Monday – Friday, June 1 – 26, 2009, is designed for some 30 high school students who will benefit not only from the expertise of music instructors, but also from those with longstanding careers in writing, composing, conducting, music business, music theory, production, image consulting, and radio.

The Stax Music Academy is a program of the Soulsville Foundation, which also operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and The Soulsville Charter School, all at the original site of Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee.

While the Stax Music Academy’s mission is mentoring primarily at-risk young people through music education and unique performance opportunities, this year’s camp, according to Soulsville Foundation spokesman Tim Sampson, takes that mission to new heights by offering these valuable, behind-the-scenes life lessons so that the students gain a broader sense and detailed knowledge about the music industry above and beyond playing, singing, and performing.

In response to the global economic crisis that has hit nonprofit organizations so hard, the Stax Music Academy put a great deal of thought and effort into making this year’s summer camp as productive and efficient as possible, while still maintaining a high level of quality, by embracing the incredible talent right here in Memphis with instructors who are able to spend more focused time with a smaller group of students.

Rather than one-off workshops and/or day-long sessions, many of these music industry professionals are actually on staff for the full four-week camp. The students will gain more than ever before in terms of building relationships with these professionals, relationships that will help prepare them for college and adulthood, no matter what they major in at college or what profession they choose in the long run.

In addition to the academy’s full-time Manager of Operations and Program Development Jackie Peters, Artistic Director and Lead Music Director Ashley Keith Davis, Music Director Paul McKinney, and Program Assistant Leona Johnson, the summer camp staff includes:

Velma Cato – an award-winning producer and journalist who has worked in nationally syndicated television, radio, film, and other aspects of the entertainment industry;

Veronica Chisem – CEO and Chairman of Kindred Souls Entertainment Group, Inc. who has manages such acts as The Manhattans, The Temprees, J. Blackfoot, and Larry Dodson of the Bar-Kays, and who brings a special music finance expertise to the camp;

Diane Louie – a classically trained composer, conductor, and songwriter who has worked with the likes of Roberta Flack, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and others, and who has served as head arranger for specials such as American Idol, Grammys, and the NAACP Image Awards;

John Payne – music business teacher through the nonprofit Persuaders, Inc., owns JDP Records, which has signed Michael and Regina Winans; and is a local radio and television host;

Ken Steorts – Founder and President of VISIBLE SCHOOL – Music and Workshop Arts College in Memphis, Tennessee, and founding guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band Skillet;

Kelley Muller Smith – singer, actress, and a member of The Memphis Symphony Chorus, where she also serves on the Board of Directors;

Ralph Sutton – longtime national and international music producer who for three decades has worked with a who’s who in the music industry, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and a number of others, in addition to scoring film soundtracks for such movies as The Big Chill, John Q, and many others;

Marlon Wilson – radio disc jockey, special events DJ, and CD mixer for a wide variety of artists, events, and awards ceremonies. \

Gary Goin – Memphis-based writer, producer, guitarist, and protégé of Stax Records’ David Porter;

Malvin Massey – Radio producer and personality and station manager for the University of Memphis’ WUMR Jazz Station.

SPECIAL TOURISM WEEK DEALS AT THE STAX MUSEUM

2009-05-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK OFFER:

BUY ONE ADMISSION AND GET ONE FREE!

From Monday, May 11th through Sunday, May 17th, the Stax Museum is offering buy one admission at regular price and receive one FREE! So bring a friend, family member, your sweetie, whomever and enjoy this great discount!

No other discounts apply, including special rates on groups of 15 or more.

Also, receive $4 off the regular price on the Memphis Tourism Education Foundation's documentary "I AM A MAN: From Memphis, A Life Lesson," a film about the brave 1968 Memphis Sanitation Department striking workers and their familes. The film also features students and faculty of the Soulsville Foundation's Soulsville Charter School.

Remember, we are now open again on Mondays through October 31st!

STAX OF DVDS: Read what Philadelphia Inquirer's Nick Christiano Writes about "Sam & Dave"

2009-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

If you haven't visited the Stax Museum Satellite Record & Gift Shop lately, check it out for recent additions, including the new CD by Booker T. Jones, "Potato Hole," which is getting rave reviews. Another is the documentary The Original Soul Men: Sam & Dave."

Here's a review from our friend Nick Cristiano at the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Capturing the magic of live performances
By Nick Cristiano
Inquirer Staff Writer

Like James Brown, Sam & Dave made great records, but they were even more dynamic on stage, where their galvanic showmanship revealed another, essential dimension of their artistry. That's what makes Sam & Dave: The Original Soul Men such a treat.

This two-hour documentary tells the story of Sam Moore and Dave Prater through interviews with Moore himself (Prater was killed in a 1988 car crash), former Stax Records chief Al Bell, and bandleader Paul Shaffer, who notes, "Sam and Dave were two preachers on stage, preaching the gospel of soul."

The heart of the set, however, is the performance clips, which capture Sam & Dave in all their sweaty, gospel-fired glory on hits like "Soul Man," "You Don't Know Like I Know," and the magnificent ballad "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby." The spectacular intensity of these performances is highlighted further by the relative tameness of a few lip-synched outings.
(There are also some oddities - a string-laden version of Bacharach-David's "Make It Easy on Yourself" and a teaming with TV host Mike Douglas (!) on an otherwise great, gospelized version of "Lucky Ol' Sun.")

Thanks, Nick.

STAX MUSIC ACADEMY SPRING CONCERT MAY 9TH WILL BE A VERY SPECIAL EVENT!

2009-04-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Kirk Whalum Cyrus Chestnut

Stax Music Academy Graduating Senniors

SOULed ON JAZZ!

Stax Music Academy Spring Concert on May 9, 2009 with Special Guest Jazz Pianist Cyrus Chestnut and Saxophonist Kirk Whalum

Special Salute to College-Bound Seniors

On May 9, 2009, the Stax Music Academy will welcome a very special guest artist, jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut, to the SNAP! After School Spring Concert at Germantown Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Chestnut will join SMA student musicians as well as Artist-In-Residence and internationally renowned jazz/gospel saxophonist, Kirk Whalum. The concert, “SOULed on Jazz,” will also feature a very special sendoff, including a video presentation, to some of its most dedicated and talented students, the high school seniors who have completed their last year at the academy and who are all college bound.

This will be one of the coolest nights in the history of our organization because this is our mission coming to life. From the onset of the Stax Music Academy’s programming in 2000, our focus has been mentoring primarily at-risk, urban young people through music education and unique performance opportunities to make certain they move on to college, whatever field of study and profession they choose to pursue. As much as we hate to see them leave us, we couldn’t be more thrilled that every single one of our graduating seniors are going to college.

The 2009 Spring Concert is the culmination of the 2008-2009 Stax Music Academy SNAP! After School program for high school students from throughout the Mid-South, including the Soulsville, USA community surrounding the Stax Museum and Stax Music Academy. All ensembles of the academy will perform: StreetCorner Harmonies, Premier Percussionists, Stax Music Academy Rhythm Section, and the Soulsville Swing Band (jazz). Students from The Soulsville Charter School’s Soulsville Symphony Orchestra will also perform.

Tickets are $10 each (reserved seating) and are on sale in the Satellite Records Gift Shop at the Stax Museum at 926 E. McLemore Avenue. Gift Shop hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. All proceeds from the concert go directly back into programming at the Academy.

During the 2008-2009 SNAP! After School program, 51 students participated, with 44 of those students attending via need-based scholarships, scholarships made possible through generous donations from both individuals and organizations in the community. In addition to after-school music classes, the students also participated in workshops and/or performed with many music industry professionals, including world renowned violinist Augustin Hadelich, pianists Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki, founding Stax Records” Bar-Kay trumpet player Ben Cauley, former Stax Records’ producer and keyboardist Lester Snell, Grammy winning gospel singer Smokie Norful, former BLACKstreet vocalist Dave Hollister, and many others. Two of the academy’s students – Amber Robinson and Ashton Riker – were also chosen to sing backup for Faith Hill in October 2008 at the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Award Dinner and Ceremony. Riker also signed a major record deal with Vision Records/EMI and is scheduled to tour this summer with Rare Earth and Con Funk Shun.

The colleges to which the graduating seniors have been accepted include Tennessee State University, Murray State University (Kentucky), The Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville, Berklee College of Music in Boston, Rhodes College, University of Memphis, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign, and University of Memphis.

We hope you'll all come out to not only enjoy the great music that the concert will provide from our students and special guests, but also to stand and cheer for these young people for all of their hard work and dedication in preparing for and applying to these colleges and universities. They stand as role models for our other students as they eventually become seniors . They deserve a big, city-wide congratulations and this concert is everyone’s opportunity to express that to them.

STAX MUSEUM NOW OPEN ON MONDAYS AGAIN!

2009-03-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

Spring has sprung and all things Stax and Soul are back on Mondays at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music! Hours are 10 a.m.- 5.m. Monday-Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.

If you haven't seen the incredible exhibit "OTIS REDDING: From Macon to Memphis," now is your chance! Also, check out new merchandise in the museum's Satellite Record & Gift Shop.

STAX MUSEUM & MOTOWN IN THE NEW YORK TIMES!

2009-03-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

What a great time to wish MOTOWN a big Happy 50th Anniversary, with The New York Times reporting today on both that label and the Motown Museum, as well as its gritty cousin Stax and the Stax Museum. Check it out here on line (which includes an audio slide show) at the link below or in today's print edition.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/arts/artsspecial/19ROCK.html

OWN IT TODAY: "SWEET SOUL: STAX/VOLT REVUE LIVE IN EUROPE 1967," AS SEEN ON PBS!

2009-03-04T09:07:00.001-08:00

Every now and then, a rare treasure surfaces that adds yet another layer to the unique and incredible Stax Records story. Now, after being locked in a vault in an Oslo, Norway televsion station for some 40 years, one of the greatest live Stax concerts of all time is available on DVD.

As an edited version "Sweet Soul: Stax/Volt Revue Live in Europe 1967" begins airing nationally on PBS this month, underwritten by the Stax Museum and the Soulsville Foundation, be sure to support the Stax Museum by purchasing your own full-length copy of the documentary by clicking HERE to visit our newly designed online web store. You'll find hundreds of other Stax and soul related items, including a wide variety of other DVDs, CDs, clothing, books, gifts, and much, much more. And remember that a portion of the proceeds from all sales benefits the work we do with primarily at-risk, urban young people at the STAX MUSIC ACADEMY!

Click HERE to read a review of

"Sweet Soul: Stax/Volt Revue Live in Europe 1967" in

The New York Times!

Stax Museum Closing Early Saturday, February 21st

2009-02-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

In order to prepare the Stax Museum for Staxtacular '09 Presented by SunTrust, the largest fund-raiser of the year for the Stax Music Academy, the museum will close for tours at 1 p.m. and close at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21st. But then at 7 p.m. the party starts, so if you haven't purchased your tickets yet please do so by calling 901-261-6385 or visit www.staxtacular.com!

See you at the shindig!

STAXTACULAR: HAVE A PARTY, CHANGE A LIFE!

2009-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

It's time again for the Stax Music Academy's largest fund-raiser of the year, Staxtacular 09 Presented by SunTrust! The party is Saturday, February 21st, at the Stax Museum and is hosted by the Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, and OJ Mayo. There will be great good and cocktails, a silent auction of fantastic items you won't find anywhere else, and tunes spun by DJ Buck Wilders.

Tickets to the event are $150, and while we're all feeling the crunch of the economic downturn, maybe this is a good opportunity to just have a great time and give back to the children of the community who need your help.

If you aren't familiar with what goes on from day to day at the Stax Music Academy, we encourage you to learn more. While we work primarily with at-risk inner-city teenagers, the Stax Music Academy now offers mentoring, music education, and unique performance opportunities to a wide range of students from throughout the community. We are fortunate in that we are here on a daily basis and get to see first-hand how the kids grow and develop, how their self esteem improves dramatically, how they grow more and more anxious to attend college, and how the camaraderie among the diverse group of young people is so much like the family that was Stax Records. It's young people learning to respect themselves and others. It's learning to get along with others. It's learning that hard work and dedication pays off. It is nothing short of life-changing for most of the "kids." All of this presents its own set of challenges to us both in terms of expense and quality of service, but we know from our daily experiences that we are helping create strong character among the youth we serve and we know it has to continue.

It has a lot more to do than just helping a teenager learn to play an instrument or sing. When you see a young person from Memphis fly on a plane for the first time, see the ocean for the first time, play in front of dignitaries from around the world for the first time, or, in some cases, just finally have a safe place to be among responsible adults and good friends for the first time, it is an experience that can't be measured in any really rational way. It is very emotional and very fulfilling.

So please know that by attending this year's Staxtacular fund-raiser, you'll not only have a great time but you will also be helping us with this tremendously necessary work. Stax has a glorious, fascinating past. This is the way we ensure it continues into the future forever.

Click here for more information on Staxtacular 09 Presented by SunTrust and/or to purchase tickets online.

STAX LEGEND AL BELL LAUNCHES NEW COMPANY/WEB SITE ON ALL THINGS SOUL

2008-12-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Benjamin Krain

NEVER one to rest on his laurels, former Stax Records owner Al Bell is at it again. And he's at it to change the music industry once again, just as he has done so many times before.

Mr. Bell's new company, "Al Bell Presents," just launched its new website, www.AlBellPresents.com, a 24/7 cornucopia of classic soul music, new soul music, and everything in between in an attempt to “entertain, engage, excite, inform, and educate," fans of all ages regarding all sub-genres of soul music, from Stax and Motown to hip-hop and neosoul. He is carefully hand-picking the programming and has included a great mix of music, bios, personal observations, and much, much more. And in the process of this progress in the works, he will be doing some great things to help promote the Stax Museum, Stax Music Academy, and The Soulsville Charter School. Al has always been a great "giver-backer" and that's one of the many things we appreciate about him. That and he is just plain cool!

Look for the industry to pay attention to this, as "Billboard" has already bitten and wants more. And click here to read a recent, indepth profile in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

If you like some of the 2,000 tracks of music on the site, there's plenty more at the newly revamped Stax Museum Online Web Store.

Here is the official press release from Al Bell Presents.

Stax Records Legend Al Bell Launches
“Al Bell Presents,” And Announces New
Internet Radio Station and Website

LITTLE ROCK, AR and CHARLESTON, SC (December 11, 2008): Former Stax Records owner and Motown president Al Bell, a legend in the evolution of American music, today announced the launch of a new company, Al Bell Presents, LLC. The centerpiece of this new venture is a full-service website and the first of several Internet music channels, “Al Bell Presents American Soul Music,” both of which were built by
Charleston, SC-based American Media Services-Interactive.

Mr. Bell notes that both the website and online radio station were launched as works in progress so that the consumer, the recorded music industry, entertainment industry, and businesses in general would know what he is doing. Bell insists that, during these changing times, he wishes to create an entity that can be ‘of service’ to many.

The Al Bell Presents website is designed to function as an interactive Internet portal that offers users a variety of elements designed to “entertain, engage, excite, inform and educate.” Within these parameters it serves as a fully integrated online experience that will be scalable and constantly updated in order to provide its audience the most up-to-date content possible.

Similarly, Al Bell Presents American Soul Music features musical selections hand-picked and programmed by Mr. Bell, including over two thousand classic tracks from Stax, Motown, Philadelphia International, and other record labels’ catalogs. Mr. Bell has committed his expert ear and sense of radio formatics to develop this channel into the quintessential online listening experience for all fans of Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Neo-Hip-Hop, Neo-Rap, and Neo-Soul. In addition to the music, the channel will feature Al Bell’s personal observations about the artists, the emotions, the history, and the heritage.

Both the online channel and the website can be experienced at http://www.albellpresents.com/

“It is my desire to provide a music experience that has not been enjoyed before,” commented Al Bell, chairman and chief executive officer of Al Bell Presents. “It is my desire through this diverse mixture of music to provide a connection to the past and a life line into the future. I ask all who will listen to help me. Please give me your comments and recommend the music we should be playing. Make this your – our – radio station. Email me at al.bell@albellpresents.com.”

“Mr. Bell came to our offices in Charleston to sit down with me and learn what our capabilities were,” recalls Edward F. Seeger, chairman of American Media Services. “I showed him what we had done thus far with TheRadio.Com and our ‘Stax Trax’ channel, which featured the artists he worked with and the label he ran in Memphis. He then shared with me his vision of the future for music, programming, and sales, and it was a perfect fit with mine, so we came to the conclusion to make it work together. AMSI is proud to work with Mr. Al Bell, an icon of the music industry, and to take this concept into the digital realm. The site is outstanding with its streaming 24 hour music format and the plans for more and more features will make this a must-visit site for anyone who appreciates Soul music. There is a profound change coming – no, it's already here and quickly growing from analog to digital. The venture between American Media Services-Interactive and Mr. Al Bell will be a front-runner in this new music era.”

More About The Website
The Al Bell Presents website is being designed with a “contemporary-retro” look and state-of-the-art functionality that provides users a number of audio and visual features, including:
· On Air: Online radio.
· Artists: Up-to-date bios, photo galleries, classic videos, and other information about dozens Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Neo-Hip-Hop, Neo-Rap, and Neo-Soul artists.
· Backstage Access: Exclusive artist interviews, behind the scenes stories, in-studio videos, etc.
· Screening Room: Artist videos, classic performances, movie trailers, and other visual representations of classic and contemporary music.
· People’s Music: New music from unique, up-and-coming artists and musicians.
· Merchandise: Lots of great stuff available for free (and some for sale).

Each individual element of the website has an intrinsic value crafted to attract corporate co-branding and sponsorship opportunities. Because the website was designed so that features are changing constantly, it is believed that users will keep coming back on a regular basis – allowing for advertiser to achieve significant “reach and frequency.”

More About Al Bell Presents American Soul Music
Al Bell Presents American Soul Music provides a unique experience to a global audience that wants to listen to quality Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Neo-Hip-Hop, Neo-Rap, and Neo-Soul programming, something that currently does not exist on terrestrial radio or on the Internet. Mr. Bell used his 50 years’ experience in the radio and recording industries to develop a sound unlike that heard on any terrestrial or Internet radio station, and it shows. Listeners have already found the station and the “time spent listening” statistics demonstrate their unanimous love for the channel.

About American Media Services-Interactive
American Media Services Interactive is a digital media enterprise whose services include “leading edge” solutions for emerging media, engagement strategies for audio/video streaming, customized and branded music channels, HD radio formats, content management systems, custom application development, website programming and design and corporate/retail “storecasting” at point-of-purchase. AMSI is an affiliate company of American Media Services, an engineering and broadcast development firm that has worked with virtually every public radio group in the U.S., including Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Citadel Broadcasting, ABC Radio, Cumulus Media, Radio One, and Saga Communications. More information about AMSI may be found at http://www.amsinteractive.com/

For more information contact:
Reed Bunzel, 843-388-5024
mailto:rbunzel@ams.fm

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STAX MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE WEB STORE!

2008-12-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

WE'RE SELLING OUR SOUL..AND A WHOLE LOT MORE OF IT!!

If you can’t get it at the mall, can’t find it at a major record store, can’t watch it on television, and can’t find it on any other web site, you must be looking for Stax Records music and other hard-to-find soul music CDs and DVDs, as well as soul music-themed apparel, books, giftware, mouse pads, keychains, magnets, and other merchandise that is now available to anyone in the world via the new online web store of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Launched in early December in time for holiday shopping, the new “We’re Selling Our Soul” web store has many items that can’t be found for sale at any other location in the world other than in the museum’s physical Satellite Record & Gift Shop. The site uses the most recent technology to make shopping easy and fun, with You Tube video samples of some of the music offered and other new features. New Stax-related items, new music and DVD releases, and other merchandise will be added regularly. Shoppers will also be treated to Soulsville Picks of the Week, New Arrivals, Best Sellers, and more.

From rare compilations to new releases and repackaged classics, the selection of music available in the web store has been carefully chosen by the Stax Museum staff to appeal not only to fans of the Stax family of artists, but to fans of other classic soul music as well.

To make shopping in the store even more fulfilling, the Stax Museum donates a portion of all proceeds to the Stax Music Academy, the Soulsville Foundation’s learning center where primarily at-risk, inner-city young people are mentored through music education and unique performance opportunities.

For more information on the Stax Museum, please visit http://www.staxmuseum.com/ and to go directly to the new store, please visit shop.staxmuseum.com.

STAX ALIVE AND WELL IN 51ST GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

2008-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought back in 1957 when Jim Stewart founded Satellite Records and a couple of years later changed its name to Stax Records, that the little label would grow so big that its artists and influence are still garnering Grammy nominations today? Yesterday, when the nominations were announced, Stax was in the house in four different categories, and we at the Soulsville Foundation couldn't be happier for those involved.

Drumroll, please......

Best Long Form Music Video (For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)
Respect Yourself — The Stax Records Story(Various Artists)Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video directors; Mark Crosby, Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video producers[Stax/Tremolo Productions/Concord Music Group]

Best Pop Instrumental Performance (For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
Love Appetite - Steve Cropper & Felix CavaliereTrack from: Nudge It Up A Notch[Stax]

Best Pop Instrumental Album (For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)
Sax For Stax Gerald Albright[Peak Records]

Best Gospel Performance (For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)
I Understand - Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, Bebe Winans, Mariah Carey & Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church ChoirTrack from: Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume One[Concord Records/Dream Merchant 21 Ent.]

Congratulations to all in the Stax Family for these nominations, and for all of the nominations and Grammys you've received since the early days of Stax. Robert Gordon, director of the nominated Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story, summed it up this way today after learning of the film's nomination:

"The success of the Stax documentary is a reflection of the power of Stax, not just the music but also the circumstances that created the story. The soul of Stax is deep, and it resonates across generations, because of the bridge built between the races at 960 E. McLemore. At a time when racial cooperation was illegal, disparaged, and resented, the people at Stax were open-minded, honest, and fair, and you can hear that in the music. We were honored to be able to share that story in the documentary. The nomination is a nod to everyone who made Stax what it was then, and what it is today."

Amen!

STAX MUSIC ACADEMY WINTER CONCERT TO HONOR ISAAC HAYES, THURSDAY DEC. 18TH

2008-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Photo by Andrea Zucker

"GO DOWN MOSES! A STAX MUSIC ACADEMY TRIBUTE TO ISAAC HAYES"

This year's Stax Music Academy SNAP! After School concert will be held Thursday, December 18th at 7 p.m. at the Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC). The concert, titled "Go Down Moses: A Tribute to Isaac Hayes," will honor the late Stax legend and international entertainment and philanthropy icon with performances of songs that trace his unparalleled career.

Featuring all ensembles of the Stax Music Academy along with The Soulsville Charter School's Soulsville Symphony Orchestra, the concert will also feature former Stax artists including Ben Cauley, Lester Snell, and others. Tickets are just $10 and are available at the Stax Museum gift shop and at the door night of concert.

What: Stax Music Academy SNAP! After School Winter Concert
When: Thursday, December 18th, 7 p.m.
Where: Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC)
Tickets: $10. Available in advance at the Stax Museum Gift Shop and at the door night of concert if not sold out.

SOUL ICONS DOMINATE ROLLING STONE 'GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL TIME' LIST

2008-11-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

Stax and soul fans will want to pick up a copy of the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, which lists the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, as determined by a poll of prominent musicians, critics, and industry insiders.

All of us here at the Stax Museum are thrilled to see Otis Redding all the way up at #8, accompanied in the magazine by a nice essay from Booker T. Jones. Other Stax and Memphis-related artists making the list are Al Green at #14, Bobby "Blue" Bland at #44, Mavis Staples at #56, Wilson Pickett at #68, Sam Moore at #85, and B.B. King at #96.

But just like the Stax Museum covers more than just Stax and Memphis Soul, Rolling Stone's list pays tribute to all of the icons of American soul music. Seven of their Top 10, and ten of the Top 20, are classic soul or blues artists spotlighted in the Stax Museum. Check it out:

1. Aretha Franklin
2. Ray Charles
4. Sam Cooke
6. Marvin Gaye
8. Otis Redding
9. Stevie Wonder
10. James Brown
14. Al Green
17. Tina Turner
20. Smokey Robinson
22. Etta James
26. Jackie Wilson
40. Curtis Mayfield
44. Bobby "Blue" Bland
49. Donny Hathaway
51. Gladys Knight
56. Mavis Staples
65. David Ruffin
68. Wilson Pickett
78. Sly Stone
85. Sam Moore
89. Solomon Burke
95. Patti LaBelle
96. B.B. King

Just goes to show how timeless and influential soul music truly is. But if you've been through the Museum, you probably already know that, don't you?

Congratulations to all of our soul heroes that made this list!

FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS & OTHER SPECIALS AT THE STAX MUSEUM NOVEMBER 29TH

2008-11-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for an alternative to the normal leftover turkey and mad dash shopping on the weekend after Thanksgiving, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music will be offering something special on Saturday, November 29th.

The museum will be the location that day for the National Urban League and Walgreen's Take Care Health Tour, which is visiting 22 urban communities across the country as part of an 11-month mobile health campaign. The tour’s 38-foot customized educational health screening bus features six free screenings, worth more than $115 in value. All services take place inside the customized vehicle and include screenings for blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels, cholesterol levels, waist circumference and body mass index. Anyone who takes advantage of the free health screening will receive $1.50 off regular admission to the Stax Museum. Museum and health screening hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Also, if you have friends and family in town and want to treat them to a unique experience, the Stax Museum is offering one free admission for every three paid and a free holiday CD with any $50 purchase in the museum’s Satellite Record & Gift Shop, which offers unique music and gifts of all kinds that can be found at no other retailer.

STAX MUSEUM ACQUIRES FAMED MIXING CONSOLE FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY

2008-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our great friend and supporter, John Fry, founder of the renowned Ardent Studios, has donated the historic Auditronics console, which was used for many years in his studios, to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The console was often used in shaping the sound of countless Stax Records hits during a period when Ardent worked closely with the Stax label and recording studios.

The console was made by the Memphis company Auditronics, owned by Welton Jetton and Steve Sage. Auditronics had supplied smaller consoles to both Ardent and Stax in 1966. The donated console was fabricated from amplifiers and equalizers made by Spectrasonics of Odgen, UT. The 20-input, 8-output console was installed at Ardent's location on National Street in 1969 and moved to Ardent's present location on Madison Avenue, where it served in Studio B until 1985. Auditronics also supplied Stax with an identical console for its A Studio in 1970.

Songs recorded on the Ardent console now at the Stax Museum include Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul; The Staple Singers' The Staple Swingers; Best of Sam & Dave; Led Zeppelin III; James Taylor's Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon; Big Star's #1 Record and Radio City; ZZ Top's Fandango and Tejas; the Bar-Kay's Too Hot to Stop, Booker T. & the MGs' McLemore Avenue, and hundreds of other recordings that define the sound and songs of a generation.

A little-known fact to many: Estelle "Lady A" Axton produced the crazy 1977 Rick Dees mega-hit "Disco Duck." And yes, it was mixed on this console!

Thank you, John, for this great donation and ALL of your support.

STAX/CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT DOCUMENTARY SCREENED IN BARCELONA!

2008-10-27T09:29:00.001-07:00

Pictured at top, David Moreu and Valencia Robinson with students of The Soulsville Charter School at a special screening of "Down to Earth."

Last week, a new short film by Spanish journalist and filmmaker David Moreu was screened at the Barcelona Blues & Boogie Festival to rave reviews. This was all the result of one email in the summer of 2007.

David Moreu emailed us looking for a photograph of Booker T. & the MGs for an article he was working on and after much correspondence, he eventually ended up traveling to Memphis in November 2007 to cover the Stax Museum during our Stax 50th Anniversary celebration. While here, he conducted interviews with many people for several articles he later published in the Spanish press. But he interviewed his subjects on film.

After a lot of hard work in the editing room, Moreu finally finished "Down to Earth," a 30-minute documentary about Memphis and the Civil Rights Movement and its relation to soul music, particularly that of Stax Records. The film includes interviews with former Stax Records publicity director and former Soulsville CEO Deanie Parker; Stax songwriter and recording artist David Porter; Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles, who was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated there in 1968; Memphis-based soul singer Valencia Robinson; Hi Records legend Willie Mitchell; and various barbers and beauticians from the Soulsville, USA community.

The film had been screened only once before, privately at the Stax Music Academy for special guests and students from The Soulsville Charter School. The Barcelona screening was the first public screening, and we hope there are many more!

THIS FRIDAY: STAX LEGEND WILLIAM BELL AT THE LEVITT SHELL!

2008-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

William Bell.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the newly renovated Levitt Shell in Overton Park in Memphis, this coming Friday night, October 3rd at 7 p.m. will be the perfect time. There's a free concert by none other than Stax royalty William Bell, backed by the Bo-Keys, that hard-working Memphis soul band that includes other Stax royalty Ben Cauley and Skip Pitts!

The newly renovated Levitt Shell (where the Stax Music Academy Summer Soul Tour Band opened for Kirk Whalum recently) is great. Gone are those uncomfortable benches and now there's a nice grassy lawn that slopes down to the stage, landscaped grounds, food consessions by Memphis restaurateur Karen Blockman Carrier, and just a great vibe.

I can't think of a better way to spend a crisp October evening than hanging out under the stars and listening to William and the Bo-Keys. And for free? Can't beat that!

TIME MAGAZINE HONORS STAX MUSEUM AS TENNESSEE'S MOST AUTHENTIC AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

2008-09-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

TIME magazine just named its picks for America's Top 50 Authentic American Experiences. For the state of Tennessee, they chose the STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC!

Click here to read what they have to say!

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1840345_1839927_1839917,00.html

SOULSVILLE FOUNDATION, CITY OF MEMPHIS CELEBRATE "BEN CAULEY DAY" AND ESTABLISH BEN CAULEY HONORARY SCHOLARSHIP AT THE STAX MUSIC ACADEMY

2008-09-18T14:16:00.001-07:00

Stax Records and Memphis music legend Ben Cauley. Photo by Justin Fox Burks.

Left to Right: B.J. Wade, Ben Cauley, Karla Redding-Andrews, Zelma Redding, & Deanie Parker.

Last Friday, September 12th, was a very special day for all of us here at the Soulsville Foundation and for the entire City of Memphis, not to mention the music-loving world.

As many of you know, Ben Cauley was the only member of the Bar-Kays aboard Otis Redding's plane to survive the horrible crash on December 10, 1967 that also took Otis's life and that of his pilot. Since that time, Ben has been not only a Memphis music tradition and institution, but also an inspiration for generations of young musicians.

On Friday, Memphis attorney B.J. Wade and his associates at the Memphis law firm of Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt settled an unrelated class action lawsuit in Circuit Court Division VI at the Shelby County Courthouse and allocated funds from the settlement to several Memphis organizations, including the University of Memphis Shool of Law and Memphis Area Legal Services.

In addition to those, Mr. Wade, a longtime fan and friend of Ben Cauley and champion of Ben's amazing story, allocated a gift of $100,000 over the next five years to establish the "Ben Cauley Honorary Scholarship" at the Stax Music Academy. Before the court proceedings, a reception was held at the law firm's office. Attending both the reception and courtroom proceedings were Ben and his family, along with many, many friends and Stax Family members, including Zelma and Karla Redding-Andrews (Otis Redding's widow and daughter), Bar-Kays members James Alexander and Larry Dodson; Mable John, David Porter, and many others.

We are extremely grateful to Mr. Wade for making all of this possible, and to Ben for being such a hero to us and so many others. This scholarship will help countless children in the years to come as we mentor them through music education and unique performance opportunities, much as Stax Records did for Ben and his bandmates more than 40 years ago.

Thanks to all who participated, attended, and helped us celebrate what Mayors WW Herenton and AC Wharton proclaimed "Ben Cauley Day" in Memphis and Shelby County.'

BEN, WE LOVE YOU!

R&B LEGEND FRANKIE BEVERLY PAYS SPECIAL VISIT TO SOULSVILLE

2008-09-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Frankie Beverly (left) and Soulsville Foundation board chairman Howard Robertson at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

One of the hardest-working men in show business today, Frankie Beverly of Frankie Beverly & MAZE, paid a very special trip to Soulsville last Thursday, September 11th, to visit with students of The Soulsville Charter School and tour the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. He spent a great deal of time with the students, fielding questions from our 7th grade Soulsville Symphony Orchestra class about his career, the music industry, and even his wardrobe and the first love of his life! Mr. Beverly enouraged the children not only to attend college upon graduation but also to pay close attention to their love of music.

Mr. Beverly also presented the Stax Museum with a generous cash donation and some items of memorabilia, including one of his signature white suits made especially for him by his costume maker of some 35 years. He then toured the Stax Museum and promised he would return soon.

The following night he and MAZE delivered a knock-out sold-out performance at Memphis grand Orpheum Theater as the main entertainment headliner of the Southern Heritage Classic Annual Cultural Celebration.

Thanks, Frankie! We had a great time.

SOULSVILLE FOUNDATION HONORS ISAAC HAYES' BIRTHDAY, AUGUST 20TH

2008-08-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Stax Museum marquee.

Photo by Ronnie Booze.

Needless to say, it has been a very emotional time for the Soulsville Foundation, as it as the rest of the Stax music family and many others, since Isaac Hayes passed away on August 10th. While the foundation has other plans in the works, today, August 20, 2008 will be honoring his memory and his legacy on what would have been Isaac's 66th birthday with a special celebration in the Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School.

The event will include:

Welcome/Occasion: Soulsville Charter School Chancellor and Stax Music Academy Executive Director Cary Booker;

Introduction of the Soulsville Symphony Orchestra & brief remarks: Soulsville Charter School orchestra instructor Bobby Hawkins;

Soulsville Symphony Orchestra: Performance of Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft” and other musical selections;

Brief Remarks: Soulsville Charter School students;

Remarks: Soulsville Foundation CEO Marc E. Willis;

Closing Remarks: Soulsville Charter School Principal NeShante Brown

Guests at the Stax Museum will be invited to attend. The event should last approximately 30 minutes. Special photographs of Isaac Hayes will be on display.

Please check back by visiting the Stax Museum News Blog at www.staxmuseum.com for further updates.

We miss you, Isaac.

ISAAC HAYES MEMORIAL SERVICE ANNOUNCED; SOULSVILLE FOUNDATION HUMBLED BY FAMILY'S GENEROSITY

2008-08-13T07:28:00.001-07:00

Photograph by Andrea Zucker

The Soulsville Foundation is sad to post this information about the memorial service planned for Isaac Hayes on Monday, August 18th. We are extremely honored that the family of Mr. Hayes has requested that in lieu of flowers, those wishing to memorialize Mr. Hayes should send donations to the Stax Music Academy. The following is a statement by Soulsville Foundation CEO Marc E. Willis, followed by an announcement about the service and a statement from the Hayes family:

Marc Willis, CEO of the Soulsville Foundation in Memphis (which operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy, and The Soulsville Charter School) said today: “While we continue to mourn the loss of our dear friend Isaac Hayes, we wish to express how humbled and grateful we are to his family for asking that people make their memorial donations to the Stax Music Academy. The academy, which is adjacent to the Stax Museum, has been mentoring thousands of primarily at-risk young people through music education and unique performance opportunities since 2000, and we have changed many lives by providing this positive experience through scholarships we offer to more than 90 percent of our students.

“Just as Isaac Hayes made an indelible mark on the music industry,” Mr. Willis continued, “Stax Records, and international popular culture, his legacy will live on by helping us help these young people become successful adults for generations to come. Our heartfelt thanks go out to his family for their generosity during this difficult time, and his memory will always be alive and in our hearts and souls at the Soulsville Foundation.”

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM ISAAC HAYES' FAMILY:

ENTERTAINMENT ICON ISAAC HAYES, TO BE REMEMBEREDAT MEMPHIS-AREA MEMORIAL SERVICE ON MONDAY
Family Issues Statement on the Occasion of Hayes’ Passing

A memorial service will be held on Monday at Hope Presbyterian Church, 8500 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova, Tennessee from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to celebrate the life of pioneering soul icon Isaac Hayes, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 65.

Born in the rural poverty of a sharecropper's family on August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee, Hayes rose to artistic success as an accomplished GRAMMY®, Golden Globe® and Academy Award® winning composer/musician, paving the way for his fellow African Americans in the arts and entertainment world. As well as being a published author, actor and radio personality, Hayes is a coronated King of Ghana in western Africa. Instead of a palace, he built an 8,000 square foot educational facility as he felt that education and literacy is the key to a successful life.

He is survived by his wife of three years Adjowa Hayes, and their two–year–old son Kwadjo Hayes, ten children—Jacqueline Fields, Felecia Hayes Fisher, Veronica Hayes, Vincent Hayes, Melanie Hayes, Nikki McGhee, Heather Hayes, Isaac Hayes III, Darius Caston and Lillian Bryant—14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The family issued the following statement: “We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac’s dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers. While he was an iconic figure to many, to us he was husband, father and friend. We will ever miss his love, wisdom, humor and the familiar comfort of his voice.”

To celebrate Hayes’ constant support of the Stax Music Academy and his Stax Records Legacy, the Hayes family, in lieu of flowers requests that donations be sent to the Stax Music Academy in Memphis, made out to Soulsville, 926 E. McLemore Avenue, Memphis, TN 38106. Please specify “In memory of Isaac Hayes.”

Condolences may be sent to the family at message@isaachayes.com.

MORE ABOUT THE STAX MUSIC ACADEMY

The Stax Music Academy mentors young people - primarily those residing in the Soulsville, USA neighborhood of Memphis - through music education and unique performance opportunities, with the goals of enhancing their leadership and academic skills and inspiring them to become facilitators for community change. The Stax Music Academy began its first music program—a summer camp for area youth—in Summer 2000. It has since grown to serve several hundred young people from throughout Memphis every year with a variety of music classes and performance opportunities, as well as vital mentoring, tutoring assistance, and leadership development programs. Regardless of how long they pursue their interest in music, all Academy students learn values—hard work, responsibility, self confidence, respect for others, and community awareness—that will serve them for the rest of their lives. As part of the non-profit Soulsville Foundation, the Stax Music Academy is funded through generous individual gifts, grants, and corporate sponsorships.