Stax Records

Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961 and shared its operations with Volt Records, a sister label created to avoid the impression of favoritism among radio stations playing their records.

Stax was influential in the creation of Southern soul and Memphis soul music. Stax also released gospel, funk, and blues recordings. It featured several popular ethnically integrated bands (including the label's house band, Booker T & The MGs) and a racially integrated team of staff and artists unprecedented in that time of racial strife and tension in Memphis and the South.

Following the death of Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding, in 1967, and the severance of the label's distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1968, Stax continued primarily under the supervision of a new co-owner, Al Bell. By the early 1980s, no new material was being issued on the label, and for the next two decades, Stax was strictly a reissue label.

(Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel

Mel & Tim Starting All Over Again (1972)

Although Peel was already a fan of Stax superstar Otis Redding when the DJ returned to the UK from America in early 1967, soul music wasn’t a feature of his early British radio shows, other than during his daytime appearances on pirate Radio London, which focused on chart material. This only really changed in the following decade, when he started to give Stax and other soul artists regular airtime on his late-night Sounds Of The Seventies shows, something he continued for the rest of his career on Radio One.

On 29 August 1979 and 30 August 1979, the 40 records he played listeners to celebrate his own 40th birthday included “I've Been Born Again” by Johnnie Taylor and “Starting All Over Again” by Mel & Tim, both on Stax. In 1999, the latter was among four tracks chosen by the DJ for his Peelenium 1972, following the selection of songs by Otis Redding as highlights of 1965 and 1966. Both 40th birthday records were later found among the 142 treasured singles in John Peel's Record Box, alongside a third Stax 45, from Sam & Dave (a cover version of which was a hit for Elvis Costello).

With the glory days of the label in the past, the assorted various artist (v/a) compilations played by Peel of vintage Stax material included the 9-CD box set “The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968”, released on Atlantic, which he featured extensively in his shows for around 18 months from mid-1991.

Peelenium

Peelenium 1965: Otis Redding: Ole Man Trouble
Peelenium 1966: Otis Redding: Try A Little Tenderness
Peelenium 1972: Mel & Tim: Starting All Over Again

John Peel’s Record Box

Johnnie Taylor: “I've Been Born Again / At Night Time”
Mel & Tim: “Starting All Over Again / It Hurts To Want It So Bad”
Sam & Dave: “I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down / Soothe Me (live)”

Compilations

(The following list features only tracks played by Peel from various artist (v/a) releases on Stax, or related releases on other labels, where indicated. Plays listed by release, in order of first play. Please add more information if known.)