Stax Records Promotional Photographs
Content Description
The Stax Records Promotional Photographs collection (0.42 ln. ft) consists of 48 promotional photographs of artists and musicians from the 1960s represented by the now legendary Stax Records Co. Studio in Memphis. Stax Records was very influential in the development of Southern and Memphis soul music while also issuing gospel, funk, and blues recordings. The collection includes photographs of Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Staple Singers, Sam and Dave, Johnie Taylor, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, The Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd. In addition to the artist photographs, the collection also features a photograph of Stax Recording Studio, and photographs of the company’s executives, Al Bell and Jim Stewart, who played integral roles in shaping Stax Records’ success. The collection was purchased though the NMAAM-Vanderbilt University Collections Initiative.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1960s
Conditions Governing Access
This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.
Biographical / Historical
Originally established as Satellite, Stax Records is an American record company based in Memphis. Renowned for its significant contribution to soul music, Stax also released gospel, funk, and blues recordings.
Stax Records was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and co-owned with his sister, Estelle Axton, and took its new name in 1961 from the first two letters of their last names. Estelle’s bold decision to mortgage her family home provided the means for Stewart to move the company from a modest garage to a small studio in Brunswick, TN, and purchase recording equipment. The business eventually moved back to Memphis, setting up a record shop and a studio in an old movie theatre, formerly known as the Capitol Theatre.
Singers Rufus and Carla Thomas became the first artists to make a recording in this new facility. Their track “Cause I Love You” marked the studio’s first success, securing national distribution through Atlantic Records. The height of the label’s achievement was attained between 1965 and 1968. Notable artists like Rufus and Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MGs, Sam and Dave, Johnnie Taylor, Albert King, and Otis Redding scored hits on Stax and its Volt subsidiary.
Stax Records challenged contemporary social barriers by establishing a racially integrated atmosphere for both musicians and employees. The house band, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, included two black and two white members. Furthermore, the company’s leadership featured Al Bell, an African American, as national sales director.
Yet, a series of events in the late 1960s bore challenges for the company. The tragic plane crash claiming the life of Otis Redding and two Bar-Kays members in 1967, Stax losing rights to its masters resulting from the acquisition of Atlantic Records by Warner Bros. in 1968, and the turbulent aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, given the close proximity of the Lorraine Motel frequently visited by Stax staff, all contributed to a crisis.
The company attempted to reinvent itself, embracing a new generation of artists, including Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, and the Dramatics. However, the successes of the late 1960s remained unattainable, and in 1975 Stax Records succumbed to bankruptcy. (Julia Khait)
Full Extent
0.42 Linear Feet (1 Hollinger box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Stax Records Promotional Photographs collection consists of 48 promotional photographs of artists and musicians from the 1960s represented by the now legendary Stax Records Co. Studio in Memphis, including photographs of Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Staple Singers, Sam and Dave, Johnie Taylor, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, The Bar-Kays, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased through the NMAAM-Vanderbilt University Collections Initiative.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was purchased at the Hindman Auction for $900 through the NMAAM-Vanderbilt University Collections Initiative.
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Stax Records Promotional Photographs Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Julia Khait
- Date
- 2023 July
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.