Stax Records

Stax Records was founded in 1961 in Memphis, Tennessee by siblings, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, as a rockabilly and pop music studio. This, however, changed when Rufus Thomas came to Stax and introduced a few of his songs to the siblings. After Thomas played for them, the siblings decided to turn Stax Records in a new direction. Word spread and more and more Black artists came to perform for Stax. With this new interest in African American music, the siblings worked with more soul and blues artists. Soul is a branch of urban African American music. The lyrics are often created to influence the Civil Rights movement, which was going on at the time. Then in 1965, Al Bell, a Black producer, joined as a co-owner and would go on to make Stax Records one of the best-known record labels in soul music. Unfortunately, in 1975, Stax Records was forced to close due to financial troubles and racial tension. But many still remember the label that put many famous Black musicians on the map.