Stax Meets Motown Show to Stream Online During Black History Month
Fans of Detroit’s Motown and Memphis’ Stax Records can look forward to a special treat during Black History Month in February. A free, online show titled Stax Meets Motown will be streaming, featuring musicians from Stax Music Academy performing hits from both iconic soul and R&B music labels. The show will also include filmed segments related to Black history.
Registration for the show has already opened, and it is aimed at students, teachers, youth associations, and other organizations, with a specific focus on groups that may not have regular access to the arts. The performance was recorded at the historic Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis.
Audiences can expect to hear classic songs from Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and the Jackson Five. Stax’s contribution will feature songs from Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and the Bar-Kays.
This year’s show is a lively comparison of Stax and Motown, said Isaac Daniel, Executive Director of Stax Music Academy. Think of it as the best of both worlds of music from the 1960s and 1970s.
The show aims to entertain and educate, with a companion study guide that explores the civil rights movement, Black radio, race and the recording industry, fashion, and the Detroit Riots of 1967.
The Stax Music Academy began offering virtual presentations in 2021 to adapt to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of these virtual performances has encouraged the academy to continue providing engaging musical experiences online.
Stax Meets Motown promises to be a celebration of two influential music labels and the artists who shaped the sounds of soul and R&B. With the combination of memorable performances and insightful segments on Black history, it is a show that music lovers and history enthusiasts won’t want to miss.
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