His guitar is wonderfully evocative, but then so is his singing; Albert King had one of the finest voices among guitar-toting blues men.
Sam & Dave’s second album, ‘Double Dynamite’, remains a classic example of the dynamic soul duo at their best, and a classic in the Stax Records catalogue.
On 6 November 1971, the 'Shaft' LP climbed to No.1 on the Billboard pop album chart, unseating John Lennon’s 'Imagine.'
The third Stax Records album by soul singer Carla Thomas, ‘Carla’ remains a potent artistic statement featuring the huge hit crossover single ‘B-A-B-Y’.
A classic example of Stax blues, the ‘King Of The Blues Guitar’ album is a go-to for those seeking to acquaint themselves with Albert King.
Finally, after years of dues-paying, the duo had the unswerving attention of pop audiences, radio and TV.
Stax house band Booker T & The MGs were the rulers of instrumental soul, and they cooked up a soul food storm on ‘Green Onions’, their debut album.
A fascinating curio in both Stax’s catalogue and Eddie Floyd’s solo career, ‘Down To Earth’ is a gritty soul-rock collection that remains unfairly overlooked.
With ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’, Melvin Van Peebles kick-started the Blaxploitation genre with a gritty movie and an equally baadasssss soundtrack.
Delaney And Bonnie had a profound influence on Eric Clapton when they released ‘Home’. The album remains a down-home classic mixing blues with blue-eyed soul.
The blues master's 1969 album had him working with the combined might of Booker T and the MGs.
Almost 50 years have elapsed since his death, but Otis Redding’s music lives on. ‘The Soul Album’ reminds us of what a prodigious talent the world lost.
Released in 1971, ‘Black Rock’ was the first important step towards making The Bar-Kays one of the most reliable and powerful funk groups of the decade.
Widely regarded as The Staples Singers’ greatest album, ‘Be Altitude: Respect Yourself’ was released in 1972 and lifted the group above the competition.
The last in our Stax interview series is on a lady who has been part of the fabric of the famous Memphis institution for more than half a century.
The influential career of Isaac Hayes will be anthologised by Craft Recordings with the 22 September 2017 release of The Spirit of Memphis (1962-1976).
