The Stax Records story has been a well-chronicled one over the past 30 years: founder Jim Stewart’s disastrous deal that gave the label’s catalog to Atlantic, the integrated staff and musicians that found it harder to remain brothers-in-music after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Al Bell’s saturation of the market that returned the label to dominance in the early ’70s, followed by a devastating bankruptcy.
There’s still something different about seeing the Stax story in Jamila Wignot’s Stax: Soulsville U.S.A., the four-part HBO documentary that premiered May 20. Booker T & the M.G.s’ “Green Onions” and Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from ‘Shaft’” literally take form on screen. Carla Thomas, the Bar-Kays’ James Alexander, and songwriter David Porter all get the starring turns that they deserve. Historical footage — especially from the sanitation workers’ strike — puts Stax in more a vivid context. Eventually, the label’s early-’70s resurgence makes it not a partner to Memphis’ business community, but a target.
Stax’s footprint on Classic Hits and Adult R&B was disadvantaged by the label’s mid-’70s dissolution; even its last hits are well before the era now covered by either format. But Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” never really faded with listeners — as borne out when Soft AC stations began playing it again in the late ’10s. I’ve also seen “Green Onions” show surprising radio-research currency on a few occasions over the years (along with other instrumentals kept alive through Guitar Hero and guitar lessons). It’s also interesting that Stax’s last major hit, Shirley Brown’s “Woman to Woman” outlived many of its peers at Adult R&B radio for years.
Three years ago, Ross on Radio readers voted for their favorite song featured in my “Lost Factor” articles on songs that had most notably faded over the years. “Startin’ All Over Again” by Mel & Tim was tied at the top of their rankings and all alone at the top of mine. And although the answer to “what’s your favorite song of all time” is never the same for very long, there have been numerous times in recent years when the answer has been “Respect Yourself” by the Staple Singers.
Concord Music Group, which now owns the Stax catalog, has been reservicing the music featured in the documentary in recent weeks. You can also hear its three-volume Soulsville U.S.A.: A Celebration of Stax streaming here.
A few other watching/listening tips for Memorial Day weekend:
- Episode one of Hulu’s Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story spotlights WAPP New York and PD John Lassman for their role in breaking “Runaway” from a station “Homegrown” album in 1984. The second episode begins with Bon Jovi calling Lassman, now PD of Active WHMH (Rockin’ 101) St. Cloud, Minn. (and morning host as “Johnny Rock”). In the same way that industry veteran Donna Halper has been more actively telling Rush’s radio origin story lately, it’s a reminder of the difference that radio enterprise has made. Stream Rockin’ 101 here.
- WNBC New York is a radio station that has come to intrigue me more in recent years. Most readers know it for its late-era role in the career of Howard Stern (or maybe Don Imus). When WFAN took over its frequency in 1988, then-PD Dale Parsons created a 66 Years of WNBC documentary that was recently made available again on John Leslie’s Talking About Radio podcast. Leslie is a veteran of the full-service AC/MOR radio era. There’s an equally fascinating episode where Leslie himself is interviewed that’s also worth hearing.
- Laser 558 became an ROR reader favorite in March, thanks to its recreations and reconstructed airchecks of the ’80s CHR that targeted the UK from the North Sea in the mid-’80s. This weekend, the station celebrates the 40th birthday of the original station with a May 24 tribute and a new lineup the next day featuring five of the original station’s DJs.
