Stax: Soulsville USA
8.5/10
I finished watching this documentary series last night on the road.
It’s a damn good series on the history of Stax records. It covers how it got started and its slow rise. Booker T. explains how “Green Onions” came about. Otis Redding was the first superstar and they cover how he started, his rise and how his death affected the company.
The series goes in depth on Stax first decline and how it restarted itself with Isaac Hayes becoming its next superstar. Isaac explains how he developed the classic “Shaft” theme song and the series explains how Stax hustled to get the Shaft theme an Oscar win.
Clive Davis is introduced along with his part with Stax records 2nd decline which lead into it finally being shut down. I never was aware of Clive Davis history so I was surprised at his story. What he did will give you a different perspective on his relationship with Whitney Houston and her death.
I was never aware that Stax had a benefit concert in the 1970s in Watts, CA that became a historic event. There is a documentary that was filmed at the event and I now got it on my list of must see.
One of the cool things of the series is listening to the music played and picking up classic drum beats, guitar riffs, horns and vocals that have been used in classic Hip Hop songs from the 1980s until the early 2000s. It shows how much influence Stax had on Hip Hop music.
This is a definite must see documentary if you are a fan of classic R&B. There are 4 episodes that run one hour each.
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