Sweet Soul Music

"The label came to life in the late 1950s when Mr. Stewart, a white bank teller, and his sister Estelle Axton took over an old movie theater in a Memphis neighborhood that was becoming predominantly African-American, with plans to use it as a studio. Mr. Stewart’s interest in music initially did not extend beyond country. But, as he points out here, 'The wind blew in, and we were smart enough not to fight it.'"

Ginia Bellafante reviews the new PBS documentary Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story in The New York Times.