Memphis, Tennessee (AP) — The Memphis Music Studio, where some of America’s most famous songs were recorded decades ago, is now a museum. But the trumpet Blair, drum boom and singer next door create the soulful sound of Stax Records’ biggest hit.
At Stax Music AcademyThe young musician will rehearse the unmistakable intro to “Theme from Shaft,” an Isaac Hayes Tour de Force who won the Oscar in 1972 and appetites listeners with pulse basslines, crisp hi-hats and funky guitars. . There is an atmosphere of professionalism between students as the teachers convey the music sheets and words of wisdom.
“Now, let’s go. Read the ink on paper. Sam Franklin IV, the academy’s music director, said: When they were finished, Franklin said, “Hey, that was good.” “I say it.
Under the guidance of Franklin and other instructors, students will practice three concerts in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Black History Month and the Academy. Created in 2000, the Academy is an after-school program for teens who teaches them to sing, dance and play instruments. There’s nothing to participate in.
The Academy has graduated more than 4,000 students since its launch in the 1960s and 1970s in the working-class district of Seoul, where Stax Records produced Seoul and R&B classics. Since 2008, all high school seniors have been accepted into colleges and universities, with many receiving full scholarships. The Academy performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Kennedy Center in Washington. In Europe and Australia.
Students take pride and joy in continuing the legacy of an influential record company. There, Otis Reading cut “The Dock of the Bay (Sittin),” Sam and Dave worked on “Soulman,” and the staple singer “respected.” Other mainstays in the STAX catalogue include: Includes Booker T. and MGS, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett and Johnnie Taylor.
Before bankruptcy in 1975, Stax Records helped develop a raw, emotional Memphis sound driven by tight horns and rhythm sections, powerful voice singers. Some Stax songs were energetic and loud, while others were smooth and sexy. Stax Records no longer cuts chart topping music, but there are still programs for songwriters. The building was converted to the Stax Museum of American soul music.
The Stax Music Academy group, which practices on a rainy January night, includes both black and white players. Before work begins, some students joke around in the hallway outside the rehearsal room. In another room, the vocalists applaud for each other as they take turns singing for the instructor.
“It’s so much fun,” said 17-year-old singer Tatyana Clark, who joined the academy in 2023. here. Honestly, it’s a different level of friendship. It’s almost the same experience when you have the exact same feelings about music. ”
Stax has begun Online Black History Month Presentation 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Previous programs included specific themes, and this year it affected the US labor movement and how it engaged, and how it influenced Black people, including labor training, entrepreneurship and unionization. However, this year’s show is a series of dialogue concerts at a downtown Memphis venue. Attendees were Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin,” Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music,” and “Covenomy I Love You,” by a father-daughter duet of Rufus and Carla Thomas.
The Companion Study Guide includes lessons and activities that highlight important numbers and events that shape labor policies and standards.
“The 18-year-old singer and songwriter Jonathan Cole said: “The world is crazy right now, so everyone needs a bit of love, happiness and music, so it feels good. That’s what Stax Music Academy has always done: love, music, creativity. .”
As the labor and civil rights movements strive for racial equality and social justice, Booker T. and MGS made “Green Onion” and other toe tapping instrumental songs, black people on organ and drums. He won the men – Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson Jr. – and white players on lead and bass guitar – Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dan.
“I would describe Stax as ‘change’,” said 16-year-old piano and organist Johnathan McKinnie. “It dramatically changed how music was formed… and it was definitely a civil rights advocate.”
In the vocalist’s rehearsal room, the group completes Eddie Floyd’s song “Knock on Wood,” about luck and love.
“It’s like thunder, it’s like lightning.
“Breathe. You’re not breathing,” one instructor says to the student smiling and nods.
The exchange exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and dedication that permeates the academy. Pasley Thompson, a 17-year-old singer and songwriter, calls the academy “an escape from every day.”
“It’s about being able to be in a space on a personal level with people who lead you to a creative level and on a personal level. We’re always around each other, so that’s a really great feeling,” she said. .
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