By 1965, Stax had developed what Gordon calls “a Midas touch.” Almost everything the label released climbed the R&B charts, and many of its hits were crossing over to the pop charts. Atlantic Records, which was already distributing Stax’s records nationwide, began to send its own artists to Memphis to record. From 1965 to 1968, Stax gave birth to a remarkable string of hits from Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd and many others. And during those years, the people of Stax were living in a world of their own making — one quite different from the world that existed outside their studio’s doors.
Ross: There was this dichotomy going on. When they were in the Stax studio, it was an integrated environment, but then when they took the music on the road, they were back in the segregated reality of the time.
Gordon: It was a revolution, nothing short of a revolution. That’s what makes this story so epic. They stuck to what they thought was right.
Ross: And they did have one place they could go for fun outside the studio, and that was the Lorraine Motel, which would soon become famous as the site of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
Gordon: You know, Stax had no air conditioning, and so the guys would have to cool off. The MG’s could make international hits together, but they couldn’t go to a burger stand to be served together. But at the Lorraine they could. At the Lorraine, they could swim in the pool together unbothered. They could be served coffee and a sandwich at the coffee shop of the Lorraine. And the Lorraine was where Stax housed its visiting artists, such as Wilson Pickett. They had a good relationship with the owners of the motel.
Ross: But then, on April 4, 1968, Dr. King was killed there.
Gordon: Like Booker said, “It couldn’t have happened any closer to us than to have happened at that motel.”
Ross: Everything changed after that, right?
Gordon: Yes. Three events happened between late December of 1967 and April 1968 brought the company to a screeching halt. On Dec. 6, Otis Redding goes on a three-day weekend gig and his plane goes down. Not only do they lose Otis, but they also lose the Bar-Kays. The Bar-Kays are kind of the heart of his band, and they represent the next generation. They're kids from the neighborhood who had come into Stax and were adopted by the MG’s. Then, a few weeks later, Atlantic is given an offer it can't refuse to sell itself to Warner Bros.