Stax soul jag

Siliab, in 1972 I went to see the Rolling Stones in Fort Worth on one of the stops of the 'Exile on Main Street' tour, unaware that the two opening acts were the Staple Singers and then Stevie Wonder. The Stones were a decided anticlimax, if they'd been smart they'd have played first instead of last.

Funny you should mention it!

Yesterday, while my wife was shopping for whatever it is she shops for, I stopped in at HEAR music and found Billy Stewart's "Best Of" cd. This includes a personal favorite of mine, his R&B take on "Summertime" from Porgy & Bess. I'll try to let you know about the rest of the cd after a full listen.

Almost anything from Stax/Volt has some merit. Most of the music was played by the MG's- Booker T, Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, and (for a while), Isaac Hayes. Personally, I'll take this band over the Funk Brothers any time. The Mar-Keys, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Booker T, were probably the best known Stax artists but you could also check out Eddie Floyd and Ruby Johnson. The big box set on Rhino is excellent.

After Stax petered out in the early '70's, Hi Records carried the flag for southern fried R&B. Willie Mitchell ran the show and his recordings are among my favorites. Al Green and The Staples were probably the best known artists on the label.

Good listening.

Marty

Oops! Brief brain cramp. The Staples weren't on Hi Records- I meant Ann Peebles ("I Can't Stand The Rain", among others).

Fun thread.

Marty

Sfar,

What a concert that must have been!!!

Although removed by decades, I witnessed a similar case of the tune-up band eclipsing the marquis act in a Soul context. I went to see Alicia Keys just after her second record dropped and she had John Legend as her tune-up artist. While she performed respectably, John Legend thoroughly smoked her. Better songs, better played and better sung. Surely, he is not in the same class as the artists that have been discussed here, but I do like his musicianship and songcraft.

Otis Redding will always be my favorite but some overlooked singers were Candi Staton, Bettye Swann & OV Wright.