Bar-Kays are celebrating 50 years of sharing soul-stirring music with audiences and fans around the world. The culmination of this year-long celebration is a star-studded gala on December 4, 2014 at the Cannon Center in Downtown Memphis. Originating as the Stax Records’ house band in 1966, The Bar-Kays were born from soul music and turbulent times. At the end of Jim Crow’s reign, these young Memphians were finding their musical voice and offering listeners a safe haven from the racial unrest surrounding them. In a city known for singing the blues and birthing rock n roll, the sound of soul offered a raw, and real-deal, relevance to a young African American community seeking a sound of its own. The Bar-Kays were the epicentre of this fertile creativity. The Bar-Kays have a career total of 29 albums, including 1 platinum album, 5 gold albums, and 20 top ten singles. The Bar-Kays music has been sampled by everyone, from Coolio to Will Smith, to old schoolers like Cameo. Their career has been documented in music institutions such as The Stax Museum of American Soul Music and the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The Bar-Kays recently were asked to donate iconic stage garb and musical equipment to the esteemed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Meet the Bar-Kays- Larry Dodson–lead singer / James Alexander–bass player & founder of the Bar-Kays…….Band includes–Angelo Earl on guitar, Ezra Williams on keyboard, Carlos Sargent on drums, Mark Bynum on keyboard, Robert Day on background vocals, Archie Love on background vocals, Bryant Nesbitt sound engineer and Mike Anderson on guitar. Alexander and Dodson joined forces again in 1991 with a fresh backing band. They found relevancy in the hip-hop pioneering 1990s and took their prowess back to the stage. They also broke new ground with the single, “The Slide,” which was widely accepted by enthusiastic dance fans and garnered strong chart action. A stint with Curb Records saw a hit with “Everybody Wants That Love.” In 2011 they had radio success with “Return of the Mack.” “James and I are old pros but our band is very youthful,” states Larry Dodson reflecting on the Bar-Kays recent successes. “As a result, we have always been able to bridge the gap between old and new and reach many people.” Larry Dodson II James Alexander Gentry Holmes
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 09:47:36 +0000
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