On Loan: The Artists Jerry Wexler Brought to Stax Studios

Check out this great blog post about the artists Jerry Wexler brought to Stax Studios while he was on loan from Atlantic Records.

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Jerry Wexler’s Contributions to Stax

Jerry Wexler was a music producer who helped shape popular music. He is credited with helping to bring artists like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding to the Stax label. Wexler’s contributions to the music industry are still felt today.

Wexler’s R&B roots

Jerry Wexler was one of the most important figures in the history of American popular music. A music journalist turned music producer, Wexler is credited with helping to shape the sound of rhythm and blues in the 1950s and 60s. He is also credited with coining the term “rhythm and blues” itself.

In the early 1960s, Wexler began working as a producer for Atlantic Records. It was during this time that he helped to launch the careers of some of the biggest names in R&B, including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding.

In 1967, Wexler left Atlantic Records to start his own record label, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio quickly became one of the most important recording studios in America. During his time at Muscle Shoals, Wexler produced records for a who’s who of 1960s and 70s legends, including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Barbra Streisand, and Paul Simon.

In 1969, Wexler helped to establish another legendary recording studio: Stax Records. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, Stax would go on to become one of the most influential soul music labels of all time. Wexler produced records for a number of Stax’s biggest stars, including Isaac Hayes, The Staples Singers, and Johnnie Taylor.

In addition to his work as a producer, Wexler also played an important role in shaping the sound of American R&B through his work as a talent scout. He was responsible for signing a number of important artists to Atlantic Records in the 1950s and 60s, including Ray Charles and Solomon Burke. He also played a key role in bringing R&B artists into the mainstream by booking them on television shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Wexler’s work with Atlantic Records

Jerry Wexler’s work with Atlantic Records is one of the most important and defining aspects of his career. Wexler signed and produced some of the most important soul, R&B, and rock artists of the 20th century. Among them are Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Percy Sledge. Wexler’s production style was defined by his insistence on recordings that were raw, authentic, and driving. This approach helped to create the “sound” of Atlantic Records in the 1960s.

Wexler’s work with Atlantic also had a profound influence on the development of Stax Records. Wexler was instrumental in bringing artists like Otis Redding and Sam and Dave to Stax. He also helped to shape the sound of the label byProducing records such as “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The MGs and “Respect” by Otis Redding. Wexler’s contributions to Stax were crucial in establishing the label as one of the premier soul labels of the 1960s.

Wexler’s production style

Jerry Wexler’s production style was perfect for the Stax sound. He used a stripped-down approach that emphasized the raw energy of the musicians and their performances. Wexler’s production style can be heard on some of the most iconic Stax recordings, including Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” and Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from Shaft.”

The Artists Jerry Wexler Brought to Stax

Jerry Wexler was one of the most important figures in the history of music. He is credited with helping to bring black music to the mainstream and with shaping the sound of rhythm and blues. Wexler also played a pivotal role in the development of southern soul music. He helped to establish the legendary Stax Records label and signed a number of important artists to the label, including Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, and Isaac Hayes.

Sam & Dave

Initially, Sam & Dave were not very successful and had many failed singles. In late 1966, they were visited by Jerry Wexler who was interested in signing them to Atlantic Records. Wexler agreed to produce their next single, “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” which became a huge hit, reaching the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of this single led to Wexler producing their next album, Soul Man, which also did well commercially.

After the release of Soul Man, Sam & Dave toured extensively and continued to release successful singles. In 1968, they won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for “Soul Man.” The following year, they released what would become their signature song, “I Thank You,” which reached the No. 1 spot on the R&B chart and No. 4 on the pop chart.

Sam & Dave continued to tour and release albums throughout the 1970s but never replicated the same level of commercial success as they did in the late 1960s. They parted ways in 1981 but reunited briefly in 1987 for a reunion tour. Sam Moore died in 2008 and Dave Prater died in 1988.

Otis Redding

One of the most popular and influential soul artists of the 1960s, Otis Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, on September 9, 1941. He began his musical career as a teenage gospel singer before turning to secular music in the early 1960s. In 1962, Redding moved to Memphis, where he began working with producer and songwriter Isaac Hayes. The following year, Redding signed with Stax Records and released his first single, “These Arms of Mine.”

Redding became a major force at Stax, teaming up with guitarist Steve Cropper to write and record such classics as “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” and “Respect.” His emotionally charged vocal style made him one of the most powerful and charismatic performers of his generation, and his untimely death in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 26 cut short a career that was just beginning to reach its full potential.

Carla Thomas

While Carla Thomas is best known as the Queen of Memphis Soul, she got her start as a teenaged R&B singer on the Stax label. Her father, Rufus Thomas, was a well-known DJ and recording artist in his own right, and he helped her get signed to Satellite Records (which would later become Stax) in 1960. Carla Thomas was only 17 years old when she recorded her first single, “Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes),” which became a Top 10 hit on the R&B charts.

She followed up with a string of hits over the next few years, including “B-A-B-Y,” “I’ll Bring Out the Love in You,” and “Let Me Be Good to You.” In 1966, Thomas teamed up with Otis Redding for a duet called “Tramp,” which became one of her signature songs. She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and 1980s, although she never achieved the same level of success as she did in her early years.

The Lasting Impact of Jerry Wexler’s Time at Stax

Jerry Wexler is a legend in the music industry, and his time at Stax Records was no exception. Wexler helped to shape the sound of the Memphis soul that came out of Stax, and he is credited with bringing in a number of artists who went on to have lasting careers. Wexler’s impact on the music industry is still felt today, and his time at Stax was a crucial part of that.

The success of the artists he brought to the label

When Jerry Wexler came to Stax in 1968, the label was in need of a boost. And Wexler, who had helped build Atlantic Records into a powerhouse, was just the man for the job.

Wexler brought with him a rolodex full of contacts and a keen ear for talent. He quickly set about signing some of the biggest names in soul and R&B, including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Percy Sledge. Wexler also had a hand in discovering and nurturing younger talent like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Isaac Hayes.

The results were immediate and long-lasting. Under Wexler’s guidance, Stax released some of the most influential and popular soul music of all time. And the success of the artists he brought to the label helped keep Stax afloat during some very tough years.

Even after Wexler left Stax in 1974, his impact was felt; many of the artists he signed continued to record for the label until its untimely demise in 1977. Today, thanks in large part to Jerry Wexler’s contributions, Stax is remembered as one of the most important soul labels of all time.

The influence of Wexler’s production style

During his brief time at Stax Records, Jerry Wexler had a profound impact on the sound of Southern soul music. Wexler, who was already a well-established producer when he arrived at Stax in 1967, brought a more polished and professional production style to the label. Wexler’s productions gave the label’s music a more radio-friendly sound and helped Stax to achieve commercial success on a national level.

Wexler’s work with artists such as Otis Redding, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Isaac Hayes helped to define the sound of Southern soul music and make it one of the most popular genres of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Wexler’s influence can still be heard in contemporary Southern soul music, and his contributions to the genre continue to be appreciated by fans and critics alike.