Carla Thomas

And most were Sam and Dave, but you also wrote for other artists, too.

Johnny Taylor, Carla Thomas, Mabel John, James and Bobby Purify, William Bell, The Emotions.

It seemed like you were tailoring songs for Sam and Dave, but was that generally how the songwriting process worked, that you were thinking about the artist when the song was written, or was it you were farming them out? Without a doubt.

Yeah, okay.

Drinks were both watered down and overpriced, but the bar was often packed because of the two dance floors, each one with a lighting system and its own jukebox.

Radio hits by bands like the Beach Boys and The Doors played in the front room, while the side room was reserved for soul and R&B singles from artists like Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.

One young gay Stonewall patron recalled that the first time he visited the bar, the most incredible sight was men dancing with other men.

When I saw couples dancing together, I had such a thrill in my stomach.

I came to Stax Records because of that sound.

Patrick Hayes, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding.

We were energized, successful.

That music was where I wanted to

Hey there, Cheesemeisters, and welcome back to the Peach Pod.

That would have been B-A-B-Y, baby, by Carla Thomas.

One assumes that we're playing in the Peach Pit because it's from 1966.

I don't remember hearing that song.

He raced around the house and grabbed up his tape recorder.

With no Big Ella around, he needed someone to fill in the female lead and call for his teenage daughter.

Rufus put the tape recorder on top of the TV set.

He and his daughter Carla stood in the living room in front of the TV, belting out the song like they were on stage.

Rufus scattered out the instrumental breaks and soft-shoed in his sock feet while Carla sang.

It was a ten-minute masterpiece and he knew just who to show it to.

He walked in and looked up at the high curving ceiling and down across the hard floor that slanted to where the screen used to be.

The Bearcats were already there waiting.

Ward in the production chair for this one, and calling in fabulous collaborators like her pal Nora Jones and all-time gospel greats the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Along the way, Valerie's collaborated over the years with many heroes of hers, such as Michelle Indegiocello and Memphis soul queen Carla Thomas.

a collab which, by the way, was nominated for a Grammy Award, no less.

And Valerie's recorded covers of music by everyone from Duran Duran to Nick Drake to Mazzy Star.

Got an absolute cracker for you now.

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.

There's of course Tramp.

What you call me? Tramp.

My name's Adam.

This is The Theme Show.

And that was Otis Redding and Carla Thomas with Kiss for Billy in Liverpool.

And now for Ronnie, there's Hall & Oates.

that goal.

So you would have different ideas for Carla Thomas than you would for Sam and Dave or for the Emotions.

Right.

on purpose and with the surety that in order to have a chance to make the music have connection in the marketplace there are no new emotions you have to find a fresh way to talk about common emotions through songs in order to do that you have to look for fresh ways in every aspect of it to do it and inside of the book i talk about that extensively because it's so important for people to understand that as great as we were with what we attempted to do at Stax Records, it was not something that we just haphazardly went into the studio to do.

Also, adorably, my sister is also a big Otis Redding fan.

And another Stax Record artist, Carla Thomas, and her dad, Rufus Thomas, they actually had the first hit on Stax Records.

Otis did a duet with her called Tramp, which is very funny.

They're basically just talking shit to each other.