Stax: Al Bell's Influence
Episode 7
Episode date - June 5, 2015
One of the biggest changes in culture at Stax Records came with the hiring of Al Bell as their head of promotion.
Bell was an experienced radio personality who had connections throughout the United States, and he had a contagious personality that attracted people, unlike Jim Stewart’s dry and acerbic manner. The fact that he was Black didn’t hurt either, because it signified that the there was no color barrier in the hierarchy of the label.
Bell introduced changes that helped to unite the various principals while improving the company’s bottom line, all the while overseeing a label that continued to grow in leaps and bounds.
Featured tracks include;
1) Laundromat Blues – Albert King
2) Share What You Got – William Bell
3) My Lover’s Prayer – Otis Redding
4) Your Good Thing (Is About to End) – Mable John
5) Knock on Wood – Eddie Floyd
6) B-A-B-Y – Carla Thomas
7) Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody – Sam and Dave
8) Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) – Otis Redding
9) Sister’s Got a Boyfriend – Rufus Thomas
10) Try a Little Tenderness – Otis Redding
11) Crosscut Saw – Albert King
12) Toe Hold – Johnnie Taylor
Channel 145 - Stax
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