Respect Yourself: The History of Stax Records
Started By Al STewart and Estelle AXton, the combination of their names made the word STAX.
STAX RECORD COMPANY – STAX records, any STAX recordings that we could find were played at the Blue Note Club in Manchester.
it specialised in a wide range of mainly black American soul music and with particular emphasis on Stax and Stax Atlantic releases, whereas the Twisted Wheel by 1968/69 was more into Motown soundalikes – the rarer the better.
It was Roger Eagle who started off as the first Blue Note DJ and played sounds such as Grab This Thing by the Mar-Keys and Marching Off To War by William Bell. The Stax sound was underpinned by Booker T and the MG’s and for the Blue Note DJ’s they were major league, especially Steve Cropper the group’s guitarist and song writer for many Stax recording artists.
The Stax record company has been a major influence in the music industry and a big contributer to the genre of Soul music.
But how much does the wider world know the contribution made to the popularity of STAX made by Roger Eagle the legendary D.J. at Manchester’s Twisted Wheel Club?
Roger wrote to Stax owner Jim Stewart and Jim responded by sending him a Stack of Stax records to promote at the club.
The Mods (English style youth movement of the 1960’s) who attended the club became firm fans of all the Stax output.
Virtually every recording at Stax had Booker T. And The MG’s, supporting, backing, sometimes writing and producing for the other house artists.
As part of the Mar-Keys the original line up plus the ‘Memphis Horn’ section had a USA hit with ‘Last Night’ and in their own right with the world famous ‘Green Onions’. The fantastic catalogue of Stax music stands as a monolithic musical achievement to Booker T. And The MG’s.
Unlike the invisible house band at Motown (The Funk Brothers; all fine musicians) where only a few became better known i.e. Earl Van Dyke and Choker Cambell: Booker T. And The MG’s Steve Cropper lead guitar, Duck Dunn bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. drums, and Booker T. Jones on Hammond Organ; each in their own right became ‘personalities in the music world and especially well known in England, where ‘Soul’ music found generations of devoted fans. Appreciation of the ‘Stax’ sound went hand in glove with appreciation of Booker T. And the MG’s.
At the Blue Note Club in Manchester the DJs that followed in Roger Eagles footsteps kept up that Stax tradition plus much of the Soul play list that was covered at The twisted Wheel but with many more. STAX always featured heavily in every playlist/night at The Blue Note.
The first Stax records to be heard publicly in Manchester were played by Roger Eagle.
Roger continued at the Blue Not Club in the city then fulfilled his dream and love of STAX by opening his own club called STAXX
He put in an extra ‘X’ to be different.
Stax Musicians included:
The Mar-Keys
The Bar – Kays
The Bo Keys
Booker T and The MG’s