Rufus Thomas - "Walking The Dog" - Stax, 1963

This one's a classic tune on a class label, one that always gets the crowd amped. Let Rufus show you how it's done!

A Memphis native, Rufus was performing early and performed until his death, releasing R&B, Blues, Funk and Soul tunes. He was also a comedian and DJ. Now that's what I call an entertainer!
Today's song was the first big hit for Rufus, hitting #5 R&B and #10 Pop. A song's influence can be gauged by the bands that cover it.  This monster was covered by The Rolling Stones, The Sonics, Aerosmith, Roger Daltrey, Green Day, The Trashmen, and many more.
We've talked about Stax before; great label with tons of hits. It's pretty hard to go wrong with the early catalog if you ask me.

Carl Perkins - "Boppin' The Blues" - Sun Records, 1956

Carl Perkins was born in 1932 in rural Tennesee. The son of sharecroppers, he was exposed to hillbilly, blues and gospel music growing up. His interest in the guitar started early, but since his family couldn't afford one he started with a "guitar" his father fashioned from a cigar box and a broomstick. Later he was able to purchase a proper, but used and abused, guitar from a neighbor. He also picked up a thing or two from fellow field worker John Westbrook. Some advice from 'Uncle John' on playing the guitar:
"Get down close to it. You can feel it travel down the strangs, come through your head and down to your soul where you live. You can feel it. Let it vib-a-rate."

Feel the Vibrations, Carl!

After years of solid playing, first part-time in local taverns and slowing moving to full-time regional hitmaker on Sun Records, Carl's big break was with "Blue Suede Shoes" in 1956. From Wikipedia: "Released on January 1, 1956, "Blue Suede Shoes" was a massive chart success. In the United States, it scored No. 1 on Billboard magazine's country music charts (the only No. 1 success he would have) and No. 2 on Billboard's Best Sellers popular music chart. On March 17, Perkins became the first country artist to score No. 3 on the rhythm & blues charts." - Rockabilly had arrived!
"Boppin' the Blues", released later that year, reached no. 47 on the Cash Box pop singles chart, no. 9 on the Billboard country and western chart, and no. 70 on the Billboard Top 100 chart.
After a very long and succssful career, Perkins died on January 19, 1998 at the age of 65 at Jackson-Madison County Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee from throat cancer after suffering several strokes.
Started by Sam Phillips in Memphis in 1952, Sun Records' important place in the history of Rock 'N' Roll music is undisputed. Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash - just a few of the folks who got their start at Sun.

Sam working on his latest phat beat

The evolving Rockabilly sound with it's fusion of Hillbilly/Country music and blues influences was certainly cemented at the Sun studio. Did you know Sun mostly put out RnB music early on? Wish I had some of those singles! Sun Records is still around, but it's just a vehicle for merchandising options on material from the glory days of the 50's - all your Sun Records golf balls and coffee mug needs are covered. I don't think they've released any new music since the early/mid 60s, but perhaps I'm mistaken.
And now, the clip!

William Bell - "Eloise (Hang On In There)" - Stax, 1967

The other day I was running through some 45s and I realized there were a few I never got around to ripping to digital so I could play them out.  I've been really missing out by not having this monster in my bag! Great, great tune.

Bell was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He took the last name "Bell" as a stage name in honor of his grandmother, whose first name was Belle. After a start with The Del-Rios in the 50s, he began releasing records on Stax in the early 60's with "You Don't Miss Your Water".

"Share What You Got (But Keep What You Need)" was his first big hit in '66. His later hits were covered by artists such as Cream, Billy Idol, and Albert King.

This particular tune seems to be a bit under-the-radar, I don't believe it had any real chart success. As you can see by the label, this was another collaboration with Booker T. Jones.  Kind of a shame this one didn't break out as it's a real corker!

Stax Records is an epic record label, defining the Memphis Soul sound. Otis Redding, Booker T & The MGs, Rufus Thomas, The Bar-Kays - just a handful of the tremendous artists that released on Stax. 

From Wikipedia: "Stax Records, originally named Satellite Records, was founded in Memphis in 1957 by Jim Stewart, initially operating in a garage. Satellite's early releases were country music records or straight pop numbers, reflecting the tastes of Stewart (a white country fiddle player) at the time."

Out of Satellite Records came Stax Records (a portmanteau of the names of the two owners of the company: Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton) and Volt. In the early/mid 60s they rose from regional to national labels alongside Motown. By the late 60's Stax started to falter after legal troubles with distributor Atlantic and the death of Otis Redding. Stax/Volt Records was forced into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 19, 1975.

If you see a Stax 45, just give it a listen! And now, the clip: