STAX: Soulsville U.S.A.

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.

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

Still reeling from the tragic loss of Otis Redding and a bungled Atlantic Records merger, promotions director Al Bell steps up to save the company. Releasing hit records such as “Soul Limbo” and “Who’s Making Love?,” Stax also throws its efforts behind Isaac Hayes, who receives a Grammy® and an Oscar® for his work on the 1971 box office smash Shaft

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.