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STAX INFOS
page 13

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ISAAC HAYES AT WATTSTAX CD
(June 11, 2003)

The Isaac Hayes at WattStax CD is now available from Ace Records in UK ( STAX SCD88042). See INFOS page 11 for details about the US pressing.

THE BLUES BROTHERS IN AVOINE, FRANCE
(June 2, 2003)

Steve CROPPER, The Colonel (Guitar)- Alan RUBIN, Mr Fabulous
(Trumpet)- Rob PAPAROZZI, The Honeydripper (Lead Vocals and
Harmonica)- John TROPEA, Smokin (Guitar)- Jimmy BIGGINS, Jimmy B.
(Saxophone)- Ned HOLDER, The Howler (Trombone)- Danny GOTTLIED, G-
Force (Drums)- Eric UDEL, The Red (Bass)- Léon PENDARVIS, The Lion
(Keyboards)- Eddie FLOYD, Knock On Wood (Special Guest)

Friday, July 4, 2003 - 9 PM - Main stage - 40 Euros

Avoine, France, near Chinon.

www.avoine-zone-blues.com/actualite.php

 

THE 2003 PORRETTA FESTIVAL
(June 1, 2003)
 

The 16th edition of the Porretta Soul Festival, Tribute To Otis Redding is coming, it will be held at the Rufus Thomas Park in Porretta Terme (Bologna, Italy) from 4 to 6 July 2003. 

The line-up will see Solomon Burke with his Soul’s Alive Orchestra, a tribute to Rufus Thomas (disappeared in December 2001, performer at 6 PSF editions) with Carla, Marvell and Vaneese Thomas and the Memphis All Star Rhythm & Blues Band led by Stax veteran Bobby Manuel, Charles Walker one of the best voices of southern soul, the new star Ellis Hooks and many others.

The PSF will also show, as European première, the film “Only The Strong Survive” by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, hosting the directors and the producer.
This movie, just released in the US, has been shown at the Sundance Festival and in Cannes, France. It's a documentary on the legends of Soul Rufus & Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Ann Peebles (all had performed in Porretta). The definitive line-up with fine photos and bios is available at www.porettasoul.com

THE STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
(May 18, 2003)

(c) P. Montier

Thanks to Deanie Parker and the so kind people at 926 E. McLemore, I was able to visit several times the Stax Museum before its official opening, being even practically alone inside and having a lot of time to look at everything, but the Museum is so huge and rich and there are so many things to see, read, watch, or listen to that I could have spent a whole week inside without being able to study everything.

The visit starts in a small movie theatre (not the old Apollo!) with a very good film retracing the story of Stax Records from the very beginning. It has a lot of never seen pictures, some in color when I had always seen them in black & white, a lot of sound excerpts. Let's hope that this film will be available on VHS and DVD some time.

When you enter the Museum itself, you find yourself in an old rural Mississippi wood chuch. It's an actual one which has been dismantled on location then reconstructed there in a little reduced size.

That's where it all started from. People who have been in a Memphis church on a Sunday morning, even nowadays, will surely agree. (Photo © Patrick Montier)

Then, there are these twisted halls with windows on both sides, showing a lot of items, classified by periods or artists, showing original objects (even very personnal ones, such as Otis' best loved jacket or Steve Cropper's very first amp, recording devices, lots of photos never seen before, rare records, covers, musical instruments, publicity adverts and objects, lots of clothes seen on live shows or even on record covers, sound excerpts and videos everywhere...

The whole collection is fantastic and I will try to get a complete inventory of the museum's content if possible.

A very impressing part is a hall showing the quite complete collection of Stax and all subsidiaries 45's and LP's, some I had never seen before after nearly 40 years of collecting!

There is also Isaac Hayes' gold plated Cadillac, the original Stax tape recorders, amps, control board, a part of the tapes library with some master tapes and the studio A itself at the very location it used to be, with its slanted floor, the various sound devices and mufflers and when you are inside, you can hear actual Stax recording sessions excerpts by Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, the Staple Singers and others, even the original session of Otis Redding's "Dock Of The Bay".

At this very moment, I was alone in the studio and it was fantastic. I closed my eyes and stood at the place Otis was actually standing, back in 1967, and for a few minutes, I WAS AT STAX BESIDES OTIS!!! An unbelievable dream! When I opened my eyes again, Wayne Jackson himself entered the studio and instinctivly, walked to the exact place the Mar-Keys horns used to stand during the recording sessions!

Words are not enough to describe how I felt in such moments but now I know that I will come back to Memphis and meet again and again this wonderful Stax family. I sincerely think that this museum is not only a part of the North American music history but of the whole world's music history.

I will try to give more details later but first of all, I needed to make you feel a very small part of the emotions I experienced in this unforgettable place. My admiration goes to all the people who made all this possible. I miss the words...

Patrick Montier
May 2003 

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