STAX SOULSVILLE U.S.A. (2024)

By 1973, Stax Records was one of the recording industry’s most influential producers of soul music, launching acts such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, and many others. This four-part series chronicles the individuals behind the label's remarkable history.

Chapter One: Cause I Love You
Interracial underdog label Stax Records takes its growing influence on the Black music scene and attempts to break into mainstream media. (00:59:49)

Chapter Two: Soul Man
Though Stax gains headway in the white market, Otis Redding’s death and intensifying racial tensions in Memphis reveal signs of trouble. (00:49:24)

Chapter Three: Respect Yourself
Despite severe business setbacks, Stax Records rises again with Isaac Hayes’s Oscar® and Grammy®-winning work for the 1971 smash hit Shaft. (00:50:53)

Chapter Four: Nothing Takes the Place of You
By the 1970s, a booming Stax expands to Los Angeles and gives back to the Black community with the benefit concert Wattstax. But when their bank goes under and the company faces other legal setbacks, Stax prepares to shutter its doors. (01:01:52)