Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings. While Stax is renowned for its output of African-American music, the label was founded by two white businesspeople, Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton (STewart/AXton = Stax) and featured several popular ethnically-integrated bands, including the label's house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s.

Following the death of Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding, in 1967 and the severance of the label's distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1968, Stax continued primarily under the supervision of a new co-owner, Al Bell. Over the next five years, Bell expanded the label's operations significantly, in order to compete with Stax's main rival, Motown Records in Detroit. During the mid-1970s, a number of factors, including a problematic distribution deal with CBS Records, caused the label to slide into insolvency, resulting in its forced closure in late 1975.

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul music and rhythm and blues (R&B), and one of the greatest singers in popular music. His open-throated singing was an influence on other soul singers of the 1960s, and he helped to craft the lean and powerful style of R&B that formed the basis of the Stax Sound. After appearing at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, he wrote and recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", which became a number-one record on both the pop and R&B charts after his death in a plane crash.

Redding was born and raised in the American state of Georgia. At age 15, he left school to support his family by working with Little Richard's backing band, The Upsetters, and by playing talent shows for prize money. In 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkins's band, The Pinetoppers, and toured the Southern United States while serving as driver and musician. An unscheduled appearance on a session led to a turning point in his career. He signed a contract with Stax Records and released his debut album, Pain in My Heart, in 1964. This album produced his first Stax single, "These Arms of Mine".

Margaret Marie "Margie" Joseph (b. August 19, 1950) is an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. Her greatest success came in the 1970s, with her biggest hits being her version of Paul McCartney's "My Love", her version of The Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" and her duet with Blue Magic. "What's Come Over Me")

Margie Joseph was born in Gautier, Mississippi, and sang in her church choir. In 1967, during her time attending Dillard University in New Orleans where she studied speech and drama, she recorded some demos at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. This led to her debut on the Okeh label , "Why Does a Man Have to Lie?". In 1969, she signed with Volt Records, a subsidiary of Stax, and recorded the single "One More Chance" with producer Willie Tee. Her next single, "Your Sweet Lovin'", produced by Freddy Briggs, became her first hit, reaching # 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. Its follow-up, a version of The Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" also became a minor hit on the pop chart (# 96 pop, # 38 R&B). An eight-minute version of the track, arranged by Dale Warren, together with an Isaac Hayes-inspired rap entitled "Woman Talk," featured on her 1971 album, Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression. Her second album, Phase II, in 1972, also featured a Supremes cover, "My World Is Empty Without You," but failed to achieve the same success.