The sound of Memphis electrified the world.
The story of an underdog, interracial record label that ushered in groundbreaking music.
S1E1 · 2024-05-20 · 60m
In the late 1950s, Memphis' Stax Records quickly becomes one of the most influential record labels on the Black music scene, breaking out iconic artists such as Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MG's, and Otis Redding. As popularity grows in the Black market, Stax executives and musicians transcend racial divides and bring their music into the American mainstream.
S1E2 · 2024-05-20 · 53m
Stax breaks through to the white market with Sam & Dave's crossover hit "Soul Man." But the untimely death of Stax star Otis Redding, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., legal obstacles, and ongoing racial tensions in Memphis reveal cracks in the company's façade.
S1E3 · 2024-05-21 · 51m
Despite severe business setbacks, Stax Records rises again with Isaac Hayes's Oscar® and Grammy®-winning work for the 1971 smash hit Shaft.
S1E4 · 2024-05-21 · 62m
By the 1970s, a booming Stax expands to Los Angeles and gives back to the Black community with the benefit concert Wattstax. But when their bank goes under and the company faces other legal setbacks, Stax prepares to shutter its doors.
Al Bell
Self - CMO / President of Stax
Carla Thomas
Self - Artist
Jim Stewart
Self - Founder of Stax
Deanie Parker
Self - Director of Publicity / Stax
Rob Bowman
Self - Historian
David Porter
Self - Musician