The funkiest man? Could well be – and this set will more than support that case! By the time of these recordings, Rufus Thomas was already a legendary figure in the Memphis scene – an aging R&B star that also worked on radio and did a fair bit of promotion for other artists, including daughter Carla. At the end of the 60s, Stax brought him into the studio with the idea of pumping up his sound a bit – adding in some of the newer funky styles, which proved to be a perfect fit for Rufus' rough-hewn style of vocals. Tracks on the set feature a number of classic singles from these years, plus a few unissued numbers – with an all funky track list that includes "Funkiest Man Alive", "Give Me The Green Light", "Itch & Scratch", "Turn Your Damper Down", "Funky Hot Grits", "I'm Getting Better", "Sophisticated Sissy", "Funky Mississippi", "Git On Up & Do It", "The Breakdown (part 1)", "Push & Pull (part 1)", "Do The Double Bump", "Funky Robot (part 1)", "Memphis Train 75", and "Funky Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue collection of the wealth of work that Carla Thomas did for Stax Records in the 60s – the wonderfully rich first section of her career, when the label was working in strong partnership with Atlantic Records! Carla's the daughter of Memphis soul legend Rufus Thomas – who first brought her to Stax, and helped launch her career – yet right from the start, it was clear that the younger Thomas was a star waiting to shine on her own – one of the first deep soul divas of the 60s to also showcase a strength for more sophisticated styles too – a bit like the blend that Aretha Franklin was recording at Columbia before moving to Atlantic – territory that Carla Thomas clearly held first in the heart of the label! The box brings together 94 tracks in all – a huge amount of Stax material, including all her duets with Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas – plus singles and b-sides too – all with a great presentation and a huge booklet of notes. Titles include "Let Me Be Good To You (live)", "Let It Be Me", "Night Time Is The Right Time", "What Have You Got To Offer Me", "Never Let You Go", "It Takes Two", "Knock On Wood", "Fate", "Looking Back", "For You", "I Didn't Believe", "The Puppet", "What A Fool I've Been", "The Life I Live", "I Fall To Pieces", "Winter Snow", "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby", "No Time To Lose", "How Do You Quit", and lots lots more! CD

25 rare tracks from the Memphis scene – 60s instrumentals by The Mar-Keys and Booker T & the MGs that have never been issued before! The Stax label is well known as the home to a wealth of famous soul singers – including Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, and many many more – but perhaps the greatest contribution the label ever made was its contribution to soul record instrumentation. The label was fortunate to have 2 great house bands – Booker T & The MGs and the Mar-Keys – both of whom had a stripped down soulful approach that helped take the raw R&B groove of the 50s, and filter it into the more sophisticated soul sound of the 60s. And while both of the groups released plenty of albums and singles under their own name for Stax, they also spent so much time in the studios that they left behind a wealth of great unissued material – some of it even better than their official releases, due to the laidback and relaxed nature of the sessions. This great CD brings together over two dozen tracks by the two groups – none of which have been issued before, all of which are packaged here with great sound and notes that finally do the material justice. Titles by Booker T & The MGs include "Weird Stomp", "Slidin", "Good Groove", "Let's Go", "Consumption", "The Bo Vitch", "Three Leaf Clover", "Lawn Party", "Ain't It", and "Funky Folks Cha Cha". Titles by the Mar-Keys include "Peppy", "Gigglin", "Raw Hide", "Tighten Up", "Saucy", "Sassy", "The Floyd", "Settle Down", and "Blue Peanut". CD

A mountain of funk from one of the greatest soul labels of all time! Stax is known round the world over for their soulful work – by singers like Otis Redding or Carla Thomas, and instrumental tunes by Booker T & The MGs – but the label was also quite a funky powerhouse – especially as the 60s drew to a close, and the management of the company got a lot hipper, and a heck of a lot more musically open-minded! This killer batch of tracks features 21 numbers from those days – including many obscure and funky tunes that only ever came out on singles, or which were recorded by artists that never made it as big as Stax stars from earlier years. The result of all that obscurity is an extremely fresh selection of tracks – plenty of down-n-dirty funky 45 numbers, played by hip Memphis combos, and featuring some really deep soul vocals. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Sir Mack Rice, "Ain't No Sin" by John Kasandra, "Bump & Boogie" by The Wrecking Crew, "Shame On The Family Name" by Calvin Scott, "Cool Strut" by Bernie Hayes, "Bump Mean" by Sir Mack Rice, "Soul Machine" by Reggie Milner, "How Can You Mistreat The One You Love" by Katie Love, "Cold Blooded" by The Bar Kays, "Do The Side Saddle" by Rufus Thomas, "Stay Away From That Monkey" by Jimmy McCracklin, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Devil In A Man" by Stu Gardner, "Circuits Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "From Toys To Boys" by The Emotions, "Got It Together (parts 1 & 2)" by Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five, and "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King. CD

A mountain of funk from one of the greatest soul labels of all time! Stax is known round the world over for their soulful work – by singers like Otis Redding or Carla Thomas, and instrumental tunes by Booker T & The MGs – but the label was also quite a funky powerhouse – especially as the 60s drew to a close, and the management of the company got a lot hipper, and a heck of a lot more musically open-minded! This killer batch of tracks features 21 numbers from those days – including many obscure and funky tunes that only ever came out on singles, or which were recorded by artists that never made it as big as Stax stars from earlier years. The result of all that obscurity is an extremely fresh selection of tracks – plenty of down-n-dirty funky 45 numbers, played by hip Memphis combos, and featuring some really deep soul vocals. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Sir Mack Rice, "Ain't No Sin" by John Kasandra, "Bump & Boogie" by The Wrecking Crew, "Shame On The Family Name" by Calvin Scott, "Cool Strut" by Bernie Hayes, "Bump Mean" by Sir Mack Rice, "Soul Machine" by Reggie Milner, "How Can You Mistreat The One You Love" by Katie Love, "Cold Blooded" by The Bar Kays, "Do The Side Saddle" by Rufus Thomas, "Stay Away From That Monkey" by Jimmy McCracklin, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Devil In A Man" by Stu Gardner, "Circuits Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "From Toys To Boys" by The Emotions, "Got It Together (parts 1 & 2)" by Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five, and "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King. CD

Music from Rufus Thomas, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Howlin' Wolf, the Prisonaires, Sonny Burges, Jackie Brenston & more. CD

A landmark double-live album that was easily one of the most important soul record moments of the 70s! The concert was an all-star event held in LA to celebrate the anniversary of the Watts riots – but it features a killer lineup of talent from the roster of Stax Records – by then a proud independent with more than enough power to spread a nationwide message from Memphis to Los Angeles without any trouble! The record is nicely segmented – so that it offers up mini "sets" by each artist – really recreating the feel of the event, at a level that lived on in countless living rooms long after the concert was over. Titles include "Son Of Shaft/Feel It" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Bar-Kays; "Ain't No Sunshine" by Isaac Hayes, "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" and "Hearsay" by The Soul Children, "I Like What You're Doing To Me" and "Gee Whiz" by Carla Thomas; "The Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "Killing Floor" and "Angel Of Mercy" by Albert King"; "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers; and "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd. Also includes 2 studio tracks recorded after the show – "Oh La De Da" by The Staple Singers, and "Lay Your Loving On Me" by Eddie Floyd. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky genius from the legendary Stax studios! During the 60s, Stax was well known for their work in the soul music field – turning out hit singles by the likes of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and others – but after 1968, when the label finished their deal with Atlantic, they really started getting down and dirty, and hitting on all burners in the funk department. This tasty set features 21 tracks from those exiting years –many of them only ever issued on singles, and a few of them by some of the label's more famous LP artists – but all of them with a nice Memphis funky groove! Titles include "Turn Your Damper Down" by Rufus Thomas, "Broadway Freeze" by Harvey Scales, "Life Is Funky" by Round Robin Monopoly, "The Dryer" by Roy Lee Johnson, "She's My Old Lady Too" by Lee Sain, "Slipped & Tripped" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Brothers & Sisters" by Kim Weston, "Movin Dancer" by Bobby Holley, "Eli's Pork Chop" by Little Sonny, "A Man Never Knows" by Chris & Shack, "Grab A Handful" by Art Jerry Miller, "I'll Kill A Brick (About My Man)" by Hot Sauce, "Watch The Dog That Brings The Bone" by Inez Foxx, "Sock Soul" by The Bar Kays, and "Getting Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty! LP, Vinyl record album

Never-seen footage from the legendary Memphis Country Blues Festival – served up here in the fourth year of the event, at a time when both interest in blues and particularly southern blues was running strong – which led the festival to have the largest lineup of its career! The footage here is all color, and features rare performances that haven't been seen since the event way back in 1969 – not just blues, as the set also features Stax Records artists Rufus Thomas and The Bar-Kays – next to more blues-based artists who include Son Thomas, Bukka White, Piano Red, Furry Lewis, Rev Robert Wilkins, Sleepy John Estes, and Mississippi Fred McDowell! There's also a few surprises along the way – appearances by John Fahey, Insect Trust, John D Loudermilk, Johnny Winter, and The Salem Harmonizers – plus the legendary Memphis psych act Moloch. DVD