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Soundcheck

Tuesday, January 23, 2007
  • Isaac Hayes
    Isaac Hayes

    Cooking up some Hot Buttered Soul

    It's been 50 years since the legendary soul label Stax opened its doors in Memphis, Tenn. It went bankrupt in 1975, but it's now being reactivated this year with a host of deluxe reissues, special events and new releanses slated. Today, we look at its history and future with Isaac Hayes, a soul legend in his own right who, of course, gave the 1971 film "Shaft" its iconic theme music. Also on the show: the New York-based band Pistolera, which started playing their brand of high-powered latin folk in 2005 at a party in Brooklyn.

Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes was the voice of Chef on South Park and wrote the famous theme to the 1971 film "Shaft." Today, he talks about an earlier stage in his career: creating the signature sound of Memphis soul music.

Memphis 50 Years of Soul Web site

Stax is Back

Stax Records, which gave the world such stars as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and the Staple Singers, has been reactivated for its 50th anniversary year. We find out why it was so pivotal to music history with Rob Bowman, author of the book "Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records."

Pistolera

The New York-based Latin folk band Pistolera performs live in the studio.

Pistolera's Web site

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.