Music: Mr. Rufus Thomas
The one and only Rufus Thomas, doin' his first big hit "Walking The Dog" backed by The Blues Brothers Band circa 1988.
Featurin':
Steve Cropper-Guitar
Donald Dunn-Bass
Matt Murphy-Guitar
Booker T Jones-Keyboards
Anton Fig-Drums
Lou Marini-Sax
Alan Rubin-Trumpet
Tom Malone-Trombone
This one's got us all dancin' round here today.
Posted in Music
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Music/Film: Good Rockin’ Tonight - The Legacy Of Sun Records
This documentary, part of the PBS American Masters Series, gives a first-hand overview of Memphis' legendary Sun Records and it's founder Sam Phillips by some of the fellas who were there. The doc moves back and forth between interviews with legends such as Cowboy Jack Clement (check out his Q&A on the doc here.), Sonny Burgess, Scotty Moore & D.J. Fontana (Elvis' backup band), Billy Lee Riley and Mr. Phillips himself and performances by modern artists such as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, and Kid Rock covering Sun songs. Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun calls on friends and Atlantic artists to do the covers - some the world could have lived without (Third Eye Blind). But I gotta tell ya, I was blown away by Italian artist Zucchero doin' Charlie Rich's "Who Will the Next Fool Be". Unfortunately the doc glosses over the African American artists that Sun recorded in it's earliest days that really set the stage for all the white performers that followed. But this point is not lost on the great Rufus Thomas - who finds himself in a room full of white guys patting each other on the back, looks around and firmly states "Whatever kinda music it is...NEVER FORGET THAT THE BLUES WAS THE MOTHER OF IT ALL!"
What's undeniable about Sun Records, Sam Phillips and Memphis, TN in general in the 1950's is that the world's most influential music was born from there. This was an amazin' time in American history - it should be taught in the schools so it's never forgotten.
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Music/Film: Stax Records - Memphis, Tennessee
I just got turned on to somethin' special. It's a doc called "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story." It's tells of the rise and fall of Memphis-based Stax Records. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records and renamed Stax in '61 - a mix of the names Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, the brother and sister who co-founded it. This studio, started in a garage and later moved to an old movie theatre, released some of the most important and influential American music of all time including Otis Redding, Booker T and the MGs, Albert King, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, and the Bar-Kays. The doc tells of the amazing musical and social ground that was broken by this little studio in the deep south. Forged in a black neighborhood by two white country music fans during a time when most of Memphis was still segregated, Stax was revolutionary. The doc covers the highs as well as the lows such as the unexamined fine print in Stax's distribution agreement with Atlantic Records which turned over the rights to classic Stax masters. It goes on to tell of the label's resurgence with the success of Isaac Hayes, blaxploitation film production and soundtracks (Shaft, Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song) and the historical WattStax show and ultimately the label's downfall behind the exorbitant spending, corrupt business associates and shady dealings. An epic American story. And the footage is amazing. I'd been to the Stax Museum a couple of times (a jewel in the crown of American culture - make the pilgrimage before you kick the bucket!), but this documentary does a superb job of telling the story through the eyes and voices of those who lived it.
Check this out:
Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (2007) DVD
The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 [BOX SET]
Wattstax (30th Anniversary Special Edition) (1972) DVD
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