Could Motown have been "saved"?

[heikki]

Hi!

That's a good book, but it more or less repeats the information that appeared already in Rob Bowman's definite book on the subject, Soulsville U.S.A.

https://www.soulexpress.net/deep1_2014.htm#staxstory

Best regards
Heikki

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Hi!

That's a good book, but it more or less repeats the information that appeared already in Rob Bowman's definite book on the subject, Soulsville U.S.A.

https://www.soulexpress.net/deep1_2014.htm#staxstory

Best regards
Heikki

No sooner read than ordered! I'm getting that book. I already ordered the DVD last night. Funny because previously I had pretty much 1% interest in Stax, and that was it. But that documentary made a huge impression on me. I think if anything, the Stax story impressed on me even more just how shrewd Berry was when it came to business and legal matters. He was also astute enough to surround himself with people much more knowledgeable about these thing. I think Jim Stewart's biggest error was that he was a little too ready to take people on their word, a "Gentleman's Agreement" as he said; instead of knowing the Golden Rule of business- Get It In Writing. That broke my heart that he lost the early Stax masters simply because he didn't thoroughly read the contract. And of us hasn't skipped the fine print and endless clauses when signing contracts?

Thanks for the heads up on this book.

[Spreadinglove21]

No sooner read than ordered! I'm getting that book. I already ordered the DVD last night. Funny because previously I had pretty much 1% interest in Stax, and that was it. But that documentary made a huge impression on me. I think if anything, the Stax story impressed on me even more just how shrewd Berry was when it came to business and legal matters. He was also astute enough to surround himself with people much more knowledgeable about these thing. I think Jim Stewart's biggest error was that he was a little too ready to take people on their word, a "Gentleman's Agreement" as he said; instead of knowing the Golden Rule of business- Get It In Writing. That broke my heart that he lost the early Stax masters simply because he didn't thoroughly read the contract. And of us hasn't skipped the fine print and endless clauses when signing contracts?

Thanks for the heads up on this book.

Both books are well worth reading. Bowman is packed with detail and more focused on the history of the recording company, both musically and the business. And he got to interview many important people to the Stax story such as Jim Stewart, Estelle Axton, Al Bell and many of the musicians and artists. The Gordon book is more accessible and he provides a larger social context as he also tells the story of the Memphis garbage men and their union's struggle for recognition and respect and the involvement of Dr. King and how that and the rise and fall of Stax relate to the larger story of Memphis and African American Civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s. And while both authors interviewed Deanie Parker, Gordon uses her more as a source than Bowman. Both books well worth reading. I read the Bowman book years ago when I didn't know much about Stax and it overwhelmed me at times. Earlier this year I visited the Stax Museum in Memphis. It was great and I bought the Gordon book at the museum shop and read it and loved it. Then I bought all 3 Complete Stax Volt soul singles box sets and been playing those discs nearly non stop since March. Recently I re-read the Bowman book and after immersing myself in Stax these last 7 months, this time reading it was an extremely enriching experience.

Once Stax gets into your system, it will be hard to shake loose!

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Both books are well worth reading. Bowman is packed with detail and more focused on the history of the recording company, both musically and the business. And he got to interview many important people to the Stax story such as Jim Stewart, Estelle Axton, Al Bell and many of the musicians and artists. The Gordon book is more accessible and he provides a larger social context as he also tells the story of the Memphis garbage men and their union's struggle for recognition and respect and the involvement of Dr. King and how that and the rise and fall of Stax relate to the larger story of Memphis and African American Civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s. And while both authors interviewed Deanie Parker, Gordon uses her more as a source than Bowman. Both books well worth reading. I read the Bowman book years ago when I didn't know much about Stax and it overwhelmed me at times. Earlier this year I visited the Stax Museum in Memphis. It was great and I bought the Gordon book at the museum shop and read it and loved it. Then I bought all 3 Complete Stax Volt soul singles box sets and been playing those discs nearly non stop since March. Recently I re-read the Bowman book and after immersing myself in Stax these last 7 months, this time reading it was an extremely enriching experience.

Once Stax gets into your system, it will be hard to shake loose!

Wow, I really appreciate your in-depth breakdown of these books. I like that, as you said, one is more accessible while the other is deep with details. I love a book that I can really just sink into, so I know I'll enjoy the Bowman book, even if I have to digest it gradually over time. The Gordon book I'm sure I'll enjoy as much as you mentioned it places the Stax story into a greater social context- one year of psychology in high school gave me a love for that sort of thing; learning how one set of circumstances can often affect or initiate another set of circumstances or events.

Thanks for the heads up on these two books!

[soulster]

No sooner read than ordered! I'm getting that book. I already ordered the DVD last night. Funny because previously I had pretty much 1% interest in Stax, and that was it. But that documentary made a huge impression on me. I think if anything, the Stax story impressed on me even more just how shrewd Berry was when it came to business and legal matters. He was also astute enough to surround himself with people much more knowledgeable about these thing. I think Jim Stewart's biggest error was that he was a little too ready to take people on their word, a "Gentleman's Agreement" as he said; instead of knowing the Golden Rule of business- Get It In Writing. That broke my heart that he lost the early Stax masters simply because he didn't thoroughly read the contract. And of us hasn't skipped the fine print and endless clauses when signing contracts?

At his core, Jim Stewart was just a good-natured country fiddler who loved music. He didn't have any business acumen and was no match for the slick lawyers at Atlantic. It wasn't until after they lost their masters [[Otis Redding, half of The Bar-Kays, and the rights to record and release Sam & Dave) and started over did he hire and promote more business-savvy people like Al Bell. But, Bell had issues with the socio-politics of the time. They were cleared of any wrongdoing in the end, but by then it was too late.

Philadelphia International imploded by internal squabbles and conflicting musical visions.