Recognized by Time Magazine, the Stax Museum will capture your heart and fill it with the funk, dance, and southern culture that can only be found in Soulsville!
Celebrating the Legacy
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is located on the original site of Stax Records Inc. The church based southern songs of Stax were culturally distinctive sounds that single handedly bloomed into an entire genre and style of music called Soul. The funkiest, most danceable and transcendent music of the 20th century placed the label at the heart of Soul music. From the early 1960’s to the late 1970’s, Stax Records produced nearly 400 chart topping hits and launched the music careers of some of the most legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Albert King and many others.
The historic and social significance though, is the fact that during the 60’s and 70’s - an entire generation of change and conflict - the music and business of Stax was created by an integrated team in the midst of the very segregated city of Memphis. The multi-million dollar, hit-making machine made an epic and immeasurable impact on music and life today. The legacy Of Stax Records extends over half of a century, making it one of the most popular Soul music record labels a crucial part of American music history.
Authentic American Soul Music Experience
The Stax Museum, named by Time Magazine as the most Authentic American Experience in Tennessee, is a state of the art facility honoring the unique history of American Soul music and more specifically that of Stax Records and their famous musicians, like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, the Staple Singers, Albert King, Booker T. & the MGs and others. The 17,000 square-foot museum features original musical instruments used to create the Stax sound, interactive exhibits, videos, stage costumes, photographs, records and roughly 3,000 more items of memorabilia telling the American Soul music story from beginning to now.
Your visit to the Stax museum opens with a real, circa 1906 Mississippi Delta Church that has been carefully reassembled, showcasing the Southern Gospel roots of Stax’s music. After experiencing the humble beginnings, the exhibits keep grooving, and while most museums don’t encourage dancing in the aisles, the Stax Museum completely understands that it’s hard not to dance to the sounds of Stax tracks and encourages visitors to show their moves on the Express Yourself dancefloor. Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your best moves though because they provide the inspiration while vintage episodes of Soul Train play next to the dance floor. The museum also features Studio A - an exact replica studio where the stars of Stax recorded, a wall of sound where a room is lined from floor to ceiling with cases containing all of the albums and singles ever released, a listening station to hear the classics, and a real taste of fame in the 60’s with Isaac Hayes’ larger-than-life custom Cadillac Eldorado with white fur carpeting and a 24-carat gold exterior trim.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Flash photography and audio/visual recording are not permitted.
- On site gift shop