Stax Volt Tour 1967 feat. Otis Redding, Booker T. & The MGs, Sam & Dave
Palace Theatre Manchester The Spring of 1967 saw the arrival in Manchester of the Stax European tour 1967. Held at the Palace Theatre Oxford Road Manchester, the line up was:-
The show was opened by Booker T and The MGs, who were then joined by The Mar-Keys (Last Night, Grab This Thing, Philly Dog). Then Steve Cropper introduced Sharon Tandy (replacing Carla Thomas who was originally booked on the tour but was ill). Sharon did a good version of Johnnie Taylor‘s Toe Hold.
Booker T & The MG’s
The Memphis Horns (Mar-Keys)
Sharon Tandy
Arthur Conley
Eddie Floyd
Sam & Dave
Otis Redding
Steve Cropper got a standing ovation, and looked genuinely amazed that we knew of him! In fact, all of The Twisted Wheel crowd were aware of who he was and the contribution he made to the Stax sound – it’s fair to say we idolised him.
Steve Cropper Remembers – Blues Festival, Colne, Lancashire
Over thirty years later I went to the tenth anniversary Blues Festival at Colne in Lancashire, where Steve Cropper announced how he remembered playing on that tour in the North of England. He went on to say how he remembered the rapturous applause for him when he was announced by the compare Johnny Walker (who I think had replaced Al Bell?). ‘Colonel’ Cropper said the audiences in England were the best.
Amazingly he then went on to sing On The Dock Of The Bay which he wrote in 1967 with Otis Redding when touring in Europe. It was a one of those magic moments.
And it never did happen again!
Stax Tour 1967 Palace Theatre Manchester poster
The first poster above (kindly donated by Mel Smith of Manchester) is from 1967 when Otis and the Stax Show came to Manchester. What a night! The Palace Theatre on the corner of Whitworth Street and Oxford Road had the foyer filled with Manchester Soul Mods and black Stax faces. Otis towered above them all, literally; he was a big bloke!
He was the last act that night Thursday 23rd of March 1967 following Sam and Dave. How could he follow that staggeringly good performance? After such a magnificent show from the Dynamic duo, swinging their arms around like a double mad dose of Pete Townsend. But Otis did surpass them. Dressed in a bright red suit, he made us cry, as he dropped to his knees telling us how he had been loving too long to stop now. He made us sing, when he gave us Respect… he made us clap… when he told us how weary she was in that same old dress… he made us dance when he told us he was Mr Pitiful.. he made everyone join in when he did that sad song Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa. He showed us his soul and soon he was gone..