The documentary series highlights the Memphis soul sound that electrified the world
HBO has announced the four-part documentary series, Stax: Soulville USA to debut on Monday, May 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO with two episodes airing back-to-back, followed by the final two episodes airing back-to-back on Tuesday, May 21st at the same time. All four episodes will be available to stream on Max on May 20th.
The series is an official selection of the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival and the TV Premiere Audience Award winner. It’s produced and directed by filmmaker Jamila Wignot and is a production of Laylow Pictures and White Horse Pictures in association with Concord Originals, Polygram Entertainment, and Warner Music Entertainment.
By 1973, Stax Records was one of the recording industry’s most influential producers of soul music, breaking acts such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG’s, Sam & Dave, and many more. In just under two decades, the scrappy outsider had grown from a modest family-owned record store and studio in Memphis, TN to a trailblazing global music label. Stax: Soulville USA chronicles the audacious group of individuals who dared to make music on their own terms, smashing racial barriers and defining an era and leaving an enduring musical legacy in their wake. Driven by a striking collection of restored and remastered archival performance footage and intimate interviews with key players in the label’s remarkable history, Stax: Soulville USA details the unlikely origin story of Stax Records and pays tribute to its complex music library and the legendary artists that emerged from the iconic studio.
Founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and co-owned with his sister, Estelle Axton, the company drew upon a mix of young, local talent – musicians, songwriters, and producers – who would create the unforgettable Stax sound. Against the backdrop of the American South of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, white and black artists worked together, defying segregation, and producing hits such as “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” “Soul Man,” “Green Onions,” and the Oscar-winning “Theme from Shaft.” During its peak, Stax artists commemorated the Watts Rebellion by playing to over 100,000 African Americans at the 1972 benefit concert Wattstax. During an era of major social turbulence, systemic inequity, and racial tensions, Stax, an integrated company, saw stunning artistic and cultural success and rebounded from repeated business setbacks and tragic losses before the studio ultimately dissolved after fifteen pioneering years.
A wealth of music and archival footage is complemented by insight from Stax founder Jim Stewart and co-owner Estelle Axton; the legendary Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes, Stax producer and artist; Al Bell, Stax’s former president, owner, and director of promotions; Deanie Parker, Stax’s director of publicity; David Porter, musician and Stax songwriter; Booker T. Jones, Booker T. & The MG’s musician and band leader; Booker T. & the MG’s guitarist, Steve Cropper; Rufus Thomas, artist and Memphis DJ; Carla Thomas, Stax singer and songwriter; Sam Moore, singer; Bar-Kays bassist, James Alexander; musician and Bar-Kays drummer, Willie Hall; Howard Robertson, Stax publicist; Terry Manning, Stax engineer; Bettye Crutcher, Stax songwriter; Bobby Manuel, Stax guitarist; Wattstax cinematographers Larry Clark and Roderick Young; Bruce Talamon, photographer; James Douglas, marketing and promotions for Stax; and Rob Bowman, historian and author of Soulsville, USA.
