Audio By Carbonatix
In 1960s Detroit, Motown Records unleashed the Funk Brothers — a clutch of session players that turned the backbeat up on hundreds of hits, thanks largely to legendary finger-hooked bassist James Jamerson. Meanwhile in Memphis, Stax had its own wrecking crew: Booker T. & the MGs stirred up the rowdier funk beats that defined Issac Hayes and simmered ’em back down, serving up Wilson Pickett’s shoulder-shake dance hits and James Carr’s smooth croon. And over in Alabama, the South took a hard turn, experimenting with an entirely new soul sound in under-publicized Muscle Shoals. Record comps, interviews and books have come out in recent years, shedding more light on how so many hits were cut at FAME Recording Studios. Friday, Muscle Shoals, a much-anticipated documentary on that sound — and the unlikely house band who shaped it — gets a screening at Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd.). It runs through November 10 and features a killer soundtrack. Tickets cost $10. Chair dancing is free. Visit thetexastheatre.com.
Nov. 8-10, 2013
