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Eddie Floyd

Eddie Floyd (born Eddie Lee Floyd, 25 June 1937, Montgomery, Alabama ) is a Soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s. Eddie Floyd was unfortunately overshadowed by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Rufus Thomas. He not only had great hits on his own (most notably, "Knock On Wood"), but wrote songs for others, such as "You Don't Know What You Mean To Me" for Sam & Dave. Early Years

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Bar-Kays

The Bar-Kays are a popular soul, R&B, and funk group which began performing in 1966 and continue to perform today, although with only one original member. They began in Memphis, Tennessee as a favorite recording studio session musician group, backing major artists at Stax Records. They were chosen in 1967 by Otis Redding to play as his backing band.
On 10 December 1967, Redding, his manager, and band members Jimmy King (b. 1949; guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (b. 1948; organ), Phalon Jones (b. 1949; saxophone), and Carl Cunningham (b.

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Johnnie Taylor

Johnnie Harrison Taylor (born May 5, 1937, Crawfordsville, Arkansas; died May 31, 2000, Dallas, Texas) was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from gospel, blues and soul to pop, doo-wop and disco. Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 1950s, as part of the doo-wop group Five Echoes.Taylor was also part of the gospel group,The Highway QC's also,replacing Sam Cooke,who had become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951.Then,after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957,Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.

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Northern Soul

Northern soul is a type of mid-tempo and uptempo heavy-beat soul music (of mainly African American origin) that was popularized in Northern England from the mid 1960s onwards. The term also refers to the associated dance styles and fashions that emanated from the Twisted Wheel club in Manchester and spread to other dancehalls and nightclubs, such as the Golden Torch (in Stoke-upon-Trent), the Highland Rooms at the Blackpool Mecca and the Wigan Casino. Northern soul dancing was usually athletic, resembling the later dance styles of disco and break dancing.

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Sweet Inspirations

The Sweet Inspirations were founded by Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston, and sister of Lee Warrick (herself the mother of well-known sisters Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick). Emily and Lee were members of The Drinkard Singers, a family group that had the distinction of recording the first gospel album to appear on a major label: A live recording from The Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. The line-up included Judy Guions (who later became Judy Clay), Marie Epps, Larry Drinkard, Nicholas Drinkard, Ann Moss, Lee and Emily.

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The Triumphs

The Triumphs, an instrumental precursor group to Booker T & The MGswere assembled in 1961 by producer/songwriter Chips Moman in Memphis TN. He recorded recorded them at Stax headquarters in the old Capitol Theater on McLemore Avenue. They were the first release for the Volt label. and they were also apparently the first inter-racial group in the then segregated city. Joining Moman on guitar duties was Booker T Jones on Hammond organ, Lewie Steinberg on bass and drummer Howard 'Bulldog' Grimes, who later would go on to anchor Hi-Records rhythm section.

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Major Lance

Major Lance (Born 4 April 1941, Winterville, Mississippi - Death 3 September 1994, Decatur, Georgia) was an American R&B singer. As a child he relocated to Chicago, attending the same school as Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. He formed a group, the Floats, and became a featured dancer on local TV. His 1959 Mercury release, I Got A Girl, was written and produced by Mayfield, but his career did not take off until he signed with OKeh Records in 1962.

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