Elvis Presley at Stax
+ How Atlantic took away Stax’s back catalogue
Elvis recorded three albums at Stax in 1973. Also, a look at how Atlantic Records took over the Stax back catalogue – Elvis Presley at Stax.
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Elvis Presley at Stax
In 1973 Elvis had two recording sessions at the legendary Stax Studios, famous for their output of soul music.
The first session lasted from 21 to 25 July 1973. It was a tad chaotic but generated the majority of tracks on Elvis’s album Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake, released later in the year.
The second session at Stax, 10 to 16 December 1973, was a far more organised affair. During this session they recorded all the tracks for Elvis’s 1974 albums Good Times and Promised Land, released in 1975.
The three albums all made the Billboard 100 album chart. Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake peaked at #50, Good Times made #90 and Promised Land did best of all, reaching #47. JD Sumner and the Stamps, and The Voice provided backing vocals on all three albums.
Stax has a very interesting history
Jim Stewart formed Satellite Records in early 1957. It started out as a country label. His sister Estelle Axon joined the enterprise shortly afterwards. The label changed its focus from country to soul music.
In 1959 Jim Stewart negotiated a Satellite distribution agreement with Atlantic Records. Between 1959 and 1968 Atlantic records distributed most of the Stax output. Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler liked the vibe at Stax studios, subsequently, many of the Atlantic artists recorded there. This original deal was very informal and settled with a handshake.
Satellite Records changed its name to Stax in 1961 because there was an existing record label called Satellite. Stax took its name from the first two letters of the founders, Stewart and Axon.
In 1965 Jerry Wexler told Jim Stewart that Atlantic might be sold.
In order to protect Stax, the handshake deal for distribution with Atlantic should be formalised. As a result, they rewrote the Stax distribution contract.
The new contract included a “key man” provision. Should Atlantic be sold or Jerry Wexler leave Atlantic, the contract would be renegotiated. Allegedly, Jim Stewart signed the contract without reading it thoroughly since he trusted jerry Wexler implicitly.
In 1967 that purchase took place. Consequently, Atlantic/Atco combined with Warner Brothers/Reprise but operated as separate record companies. Owners Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler and Nesuhi Ertegun sold Atlantic/Atco for $17m in Warner Stock and high-paid jobs. Atlantic/Atco was now a self-contained unit in the Warner-Seven Arts Corporation.
Atlantic Records took the Stax back catalogue
Things didn’t work out so well at Stax. When Jim Stewart came to renegotiate the Stax/Atlantic distribution deal in 1968 all was not as it seemed. He discovered that the Atlantic lawyers had inserted a clause in 1965 contract which meant that Atlantic owned all the Stax material released whilst the distribution deal was in place.
Jim Stewart no longer had a Stax back catalogue.
According to the Stax Museum website…
Jim Stewart tried to do a deal to join Atlantic in the buyout and deal directly with Warner Brothers. When this deal failed to materialise, Jim Stewart asked for his master tapes back. Warner Brothers refused, citing clause in the contract, “all right, title and interest, including any rights of reproduction in Stax’s Atlantic-distributed recordings between 1960 and 1967”. In addition, Warner Brothers also took control of Sam & Dave, who were “on loan” to Stax, as part of the original deal with Atlantic.
After that, Stax very successfully reinvented itself. Sadly, there were more choppy waters ahead and Stax was declared bankrupt in 1975. Two years after Elvis recorded three albums at “Soulsville USA”.
