Stax Records-Importance & Influence

Stax Records was one of the major vessels that put the genre of soul music on the scene in America back in the sixties. Beginning as a small record store in Memphis, Tennessee, it eventually evolved into a major recording studio. Many of the artists that were featured on the label during its first years were Otis Redding, Johhnie Taylor, The Emotions and Isaac Hayes. These people sang the music of my parents' generation. However, there music is celebrated by innumerous members of newer generations including my own. Growing up, I enjoyed listening to Otis' "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay" and The Emotion's version of "Don't Ask My Neighbor." Artists like Issac changed the format of soul music by incorporating orchestrated versions of different songs. The initial songs produced on the label were usually a short 3-4 minutes. His song "Shaft" broke records by remaining on the charts for an amazing 60 weeks. The song was featured on the movie's soundtrack and opened doors for black music writers to write music for motion pictures. Stax was a very integrated company at a time when segregation was a major part of southern living. Stax produced other cultural genres including movies, comedy, rock, jazz, and spoken word and gradually became a large multi-media company. Now the label features artists like Teena Marie and Angie Stone who are great singers with a history of creating excellent music. Numerous artists on the label have received Grammies and Oscar Awrads for their work. Noting the label's longevity and its artists, past and present, I know that Stax Records has cultural "clout," if you will.