Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.

STAX, Soulville USA tells.the story of a small record label in the racially divided Memphis of the early 1960's. The label was started by a white brother and sister, but they signed primarily the black talent from the area. A lot of great music was produced out of that little studio, with artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T and the MG's. They captured the grit and soul of Memphis and became a label that was then getting known nationally and internationally. Then came the late 60's, and racial tensions cane to a head with the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. In Memphis. The label was already reeling from the death of their biggest star, Otis Redding in a plane crash. This documentary details how greed from larger record companies kept Stax from surviving. Well worth the watch.

Came for the music, left with a deep appreciation for the dedication, work, talent, and pure unadulterated soul. Everybody loves the underdog, and you find yourself championing the protagonists. Living vicariously through their ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, their humility and strident bad-assness.

I only wish there was more closure following the final episode. The ending begs another episode. Not going to give spoilers but there were many loose ends that need to be tied.

In all, this was really fun to watch. Satisfies wanting to know how Stax started, the star and key, but not well known players, their broad appeal and the far reaching impact; musical, social, political, and cultural.

A must watch for music lovers and fans of Americana in general.

By far one of the best put together stories of Stax and wonderfully directed, and had me on the edge of my seat, tapping of my foot and holy invested in the lives of the Memphis musicians and their story!

It is a much overdue luck into the lives of the artist at the time and their struggles, and what was going on in and around the country and the huge obstacles that they faced, and still accomplish so much in a single decade!

Jim Stewart is a national treasure, and should be protected at all cost. I laughed and I cried, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this first episode and can't wait to see the rest.

Pretty good documentary story of a Good Record label with some great moments. It appears the director's Black Power agenda got in the way of telling the story of the music. It was great to hear about the rise of legends of Otis Redding , Booker T, and Isaac Hayes, but the band that made the first two magical was Al Jackson, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper. They were the musical souls of Stax Records. Steve Cropper is interviewed- they couldn't leave his contribution out - but Duck Dunn- who is present in ALL the original Stax films and photos , only has his name mentioned ONCE in the whole film. Al Jackson - available in very early photo, is barely naked. Their musical contributions-particularly Duck Dunn's-to every major Stax Record before Isaac Hayes, is ignored as if it didn't exist. This film is the Al Bell and some-woman-named-Parker show. The musicians who made Stax are greatly ignored in favor of propping him up. Disappointing.

I didn't know what to expect, because I wasn't at all familiar with the Stax history. All I knew were some legendary names like Otis, Booker T and Black Moses Isaac Hayes.

But what I gained was so much more than music.

It's a compelling, heartwarming story full of injustice, tragedy, vivid funny anecdotes, touching historical footage. Cultural rebellion with the spirit so strong, in times of systemic racism and massive oppression, shows how powerful a collective can be, no matter how discriminated against.

Wonderful and well rounded mini docu-series. Everyone should see this gem, it enriches your soul.