Atlantic & Stax

Atlantic Records (1947) - formed by Ahmet Ertegun (son of Turkish Ambassador to the US) and Herb Abramson

1953 - added producer Jerry Wexler, beginning the crossover phenomenon of the mid-50s

La Vern Baker - "Tweedle Dee" (#14, 1955; also cover version), "I Cried a Tear" (#6, 1958)
Clyde McPhatter - "A Lover's Question" (#6, 1958)
Chuck Willis - "C.C. Rider" (#12, 1957), "What Am I Living For" (#9, 1958)
Bobby Darin (Atco subsidiary) - "Splish Splash" (#3, 1958), "Queen of the Hop" (#9, 1958), "Dream Lover" (#2, 1959), "Mack the Knife" (#1, 1959)
The Coasters (numerous songs by Leiber & Stoller)
Wilson Pickett - "Land of 1000 Dances" (#6, 1966), "I Found a Love" (#32, 1967)
"In the Midnight Hour"

Ahmet Ertegun, Miriam Abramson, & Jerry Wexler

end of the 50s - Atlantic had moved from being a small indie with moderate R&B success to a very successful independent in the Pop market

1960s - Wexler steered Atlantic in the direction of soul music, resulting in even greater success

Wexler's decision to take Pickett south to record in Memphis (Stax Records) and Alabama (Muscle Shoals) was fortuitous

racially integrated studio band playing an unusual blend of blues, gospel, and C&W

Stax Records = "Soulsville, USA" (vs. Motown as "Hitsville, USA")

Some of Wexler's artists of the 60s:

Solomon Burke	Wilson Pickett


Percy Sledge	Wilson Pickett, Esther Phillips, & Percy Sledge

Other beneficiaries of the Atlantic-Stax partnership

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay (#1, 1968)

Soul Man (#2, 1967)

sometimes called the "Father of Disco"

Theme from "Shaft" (#1, 1971)

Later Musicians influenced by Atlantic/Stax

Ertegun with Cream during Disraeli Gears sessions	Ertegun & Mick Jagger