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STAX
NEWS
page
3
DAVID
PORTER
(june
22, 1999)
According to Tom Claypool on the southernsoul mailing list, "David Porter has always stayed very busy since his Stax days. In addition to working with many community organizations including the Music and Film Commissions in Memphis, he stays busy writing songs and producing. The last hit that I recall him writing/co-writing was "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey. He is now involved in the start-up of a new local label in Memphis."
HIGHSTACKS
NEWS
(june
5, 1999)
The new Rufus
Thomas CD is out, but we already sold them all! and are awaiting
another shipment! Rufus is up in Massachusetts performing this
weekend. Bobby, Jim Spake, Scott
Thompson, and Marvell Thomas will join him in the morning. He is
still going strong. This time last year, he was slowing down but
he's back on top of things now.
The Luther Ingram Benefit is really taking shape. My schedule has
pulled me out of that committee, but I'm keeping tabs on the
progress. I'll send you the list if you like. Parts of the
benefit will be recorded for use in an upcoming documentary by
Miramax films. They want to celebrate a birthday for use in their
project. Take care. I'll update you on the benefit soon.
Cherrie Holden
PS. We are in the very, very early stages of a full CD on the Temprees. Stay tuned for updates.
BOOKER
T. & THE MG'S BACK IN MEMPHIS
(may
9, 1999)
Thanks to Curtis Johnson, here is a nice photo of Booker T. Jones, Donald Dunn and Steve Cropper strolling down Beale Street, Memphis, just a few days ago.
The following is part of a review from the local newspaper, The Commercial Appeal
Memphis, Saturday, May 8, 1999 By Bill Ellis
"No one was
better qualified to bless the opening of the Memphis in May Beale
Street Music Festival Friday than rhythm and blues legend Rufus
Thomas.
Dressed in a pea green cape and shorts at Handy Park's VH1 Stage,
Thomas showed that an old dog could learn new tricks when he put
a funky scat coda to his classic Walkin' The Dog.
Backed by Stax veterans Bobby Manuel and Thomas's son, Marvell,
Rufus delivered the perfect inaugural set at a festival defined
by the timelessness of our region's music.
How else to describe the thrill of being able to hear Alex
Chilton and Big Star at one end of Tom Lee Park and Eddie Floyd
backed by his old Stax songwriting partner Steve Cropper at the
other. And if that wasn't enough local homage, the night
was capped by the Holy Ghost boogie of the Bar-Kays and the
enduring instrumental genius of Booker T & the MG's.
Someone shouted "Blues Brother!" when MG's guitarist
Cropper performed 634-5789 with Floyd and, although it wasn't the
way many choose to remember the Stax giant, it was still a
roundabout tribute to the body of work he and the MG's created at
926 E. McLemore."
Great news, Curtis!
You can get more info at http://gomemphis.com or http://www.memphisinmay.org/
ASTORS'
CURTIS JOHNSON RECOLLECTIONS
(17
april 1999, augmented 24 april 1999)
Curtis
Johnson was the lead singer of The Astors of "Candy"
fame. The group recorded at Stax since the early "Satellite
Records" days. He plans writing a book about the Astors:
I am Curtis
Johnson (CJ), former lead and background with Stax group "The
Chips/The Astors", and Capitol/Fame group "The Brothers
Unlimited".
I knew Chips (Moman)
back in the early 60's...I don't remember a lot about Chips... I
only remember Chips as being very energetic with a good ear for
soul music.
I remember we started singing back up for a couple of Rufus &
Carla duets, and we backed Nick Charles and William Bell on a
song each.
Sam Jones remembers us backing Carla on " A Love Of My Own"
that was released after the Chips record, but Atlantic Records
added The Anita Kerr Singers over our background, so on the
record you can barely hear us. We did the backup on William
Bells' "Crying All By Myself" (Stax 174). I'm
working on the other songs.
About Candy,
The jocks in Philadelphia have earned a right to call it a Philly
record because WDAS' Jimmy Bishop was responsible for plugging
and "breaking" that record nationwide. We did our first
major show at the Uptown.
About the
Guitar on "A Woman Who Needs The Love Of A Man" and
"Uncle Willie Good Time", Larry was the writer and
Guitar player on those songs. I'm not sure about the
keyboards, but I think it was Marvell Thomas (Rufus Thomas' Son).
We recorded
Twilight Zone on a 2 track Ampex recorder. The jocks were
looking forward for our release after Candy, but complained to
Jim Stewart about the music overriding the vocals, and we wanted
to go back in the studio and redo the cut, but Jim said no, it
was too late. The jocks backed it off the play list and we began
going down after that.
Til this day, I'm not sure why Jim was not all the way in our
corner. Don't get me wrong. He treated us okay, but
at the time he was really hooked on promoting Carla & Rufus,
and I don't think we would have been there, had it not been for
their push (Carla & Rufus), and the fact that Mrs. Axton and
her son Packy, really liked the group and recorded us while he
was out of town. We also brought in an outside songwriter,
Larry Lee, who went on to play guitar with Jimi Hendricks and Al
Green, and I don't think he was happy about us bringing Larry in
to this closeknit group. I could be wrong about that, but
this is how I felt. But, we really enjoyed some good times
at Stax, and the tours with James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and
many others including the whole Stax Family in LA together. Being
on tour and out of the studio were the best.
The 5/4
Ballroom was an "experience". After taping TV shows
everyday during that week and working on the Strip a few nights,
that weekend, we, Rufus, Carla, William Bell, Booker T, MG's, Mad-Lads,
and Wilson Pickett went to Watts (South-Central LA), up these
wooden stairs to the club (5/4), packed with about 700-800
people, and had 2 wild nights of shows where Rufus and Wilson
more or less battled for headliner. However, Rufus took the
shows. Rufus may not be the best singer in the world, but
he is one of the best entertainers you will ever experience.We
had a ball before the "Watts Riot" broke out,
trapping some of our tour group in LA for days. We were lucky to
fly out with a view of smoking Watts as we left LA.
That was the 1st Wattstax Review.
Curtis
LUTHER
INGRAM BENEFIT MOVED TO JUNE
(11
april 1999)
A new message from Cherrie Holden in Memphis: "It looks like we are going to have to move the date forward a little on the Luther benefit. We are trying to accommodate as many of the artists' schedules as possible. We are tentatively scheduled for June 7. I'll post you when that is confirmed. Meanwhile, we are accepting financial donations and donations of items for the silent auction. Both may be mailed to:
Luther
Ingram
Kidney
Fund
P.O.
Box 42044 Memphis, TN 38174
WHAT
A WEEKEND!
(5
april 1999)
High Stacks Records in Memphis are co-sponsoring, along with The Luther Ingram Kidney Transplant Fund, a benefit for Luther Ingram to help offset the expenses of his recent kidney transplant. This is one huge event! After just a couple of days of phone calls, they have this preliminary lineup of entertainers: Rufus Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, The Mad Lads, Tommy Tate, The Temprees, Sir Mack Rice, Johnnie Taylor, Ben Cauley, William Bell, Frederick Knight, The Emotions, Marvell Thomas, J. Blackfoot, and The Astors. This is currently scheduled to be held at the Four Points Hilton in Memphis on May 9th. The show runs from 3:00PM to 2:00 AM. The date coincides with their annual Memphis In May Beale Street Music Festival. Booker T & the MG's are performing there as well as the Barkays. If they can work through that sticky clause in their contracts, they will be performing too.
See Luther Ingram's discography on Yoni Neeman's great Soul Of The Net web site at the following URL: http://www.cet.ac.il/personnel/yonin/luther.htm
LUTHER
INGRAM
(23
march 1999)
High Stacks
Records in Memphis are on track now with the Luther Ingram
Benefit. It will happen on Sunday, May 9 at the Four Points
Hilton in Memphis. An all day affair, from 3 pm to 2 am. A $20.00
donation offers the opportunity to see The Mad lads, The
Temprees, Sir Mack Rice, Rufus Thomas, Ben Cauley, J. Blackfoot,
The Soul Children, The Emotions (tentative as of this date, but
likely), Johnnie Taylor, Isaac Hayes, and that lineup is from one
day of calling...there will be more. Cherrie Holden will post us
as they come in. A great show to come...
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