A MAR-KEY PERFORMS WITH THE STAX MUSIC ACADEMY RHYTHM SECTION!

Back in the late summer of 2007, four members of the early Stax group the Mar-Keys came to the Stax Museum to be photographed for our exhibit (which is still up!), "STAX HERE AND NOW: Current Images of the Stars of Stax Records. The crew included Ronnie Stoots, Terry Williams (who now co-owns Fino's From the Hill with his wife!), Memphis Horns legend Wayne Jackson, and Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith.

It was the Mar-Keys' million-selling hit "Last Night," recorded on Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton's Satellite Records, that brought to their attention the fact that there was already a Satellite Records in California, which caused them to change the name of the company to a portmanteau of their last names, combing ST from Stewart and AX from Axton to form STAX.

Before the photo shoot, however, the Mar-Key members paid a visit to the Stax Music Academy, where they got a great dose of what goes on there by way of an impromtu jam session of "Last Night" with the Stax Music Academy Rhythm Section in what would prove to be a historic meeting of the Stax legends and the students carrying the label's legacy into the future.

See this video and enjoy seeing Smoochy Smith bang out the song on the keyboard just as he did back in 1961!!!



AND, while the Mar-Keys in the room are not shown in this video, please see the Stax Music Academy Rhythm Section performing the Averate White Band's "Pick Up The Pieces" for them!